Port placed - successfully

In anticipation of today and the fact it was my birthday yesterday - I drank more wine than I have in a LONG time. I wasn't drunk but the combo of the wine with the 2 mg dose of ativan and I was feeling pretty good. Rob went up a bit after the news ended and I stayed up and flipped channels - watched a couple episodes of Weeds. I fell asleep on the couch and it was about 4:30 that I went upstairs. It was so nice this morning -Rob was home to take me to the hospital today so he let me sleep in. I got up around 8:00 - got Ellie some clothes for the day and got her out to the bus. Nick got up and had breakfast and I got him dressed for school. Ironically, there was not a fight to not go to school this morning - in fact he told Rob and me that he likes going to school while we were driving. When we got to school and we got out of the car he told me I should go back to the car when we got to the gate - holy crap who is this boy and what did he do with my son?
Although my appointment was not until 10 they asked me to get there 30 minutes early - so Rob and I just went directly from dropping Nick off. We sat in the waiting room and I was ultra nervous - Rob tried to make me laugh and make light of the situation but he knows me well enough to know to stop. Molly came to get me and told Rob he could come with for the first little bit. I got the lovely gown to put on - this was the deluxe model with no snaps. Dr. Hun came to explain the procedure and answer any questions we might have and said after my IV went in we would start. Mike came in to start my IV and he was wonderful - he had a great personality and really worked to locate a successful vein before just stabbing away - ended up in my hand next to a valve - got to tell you this might have been more painful than the actual procedure. Cara, a PA, came in to let me know Dr. Hun was needed somewhere else but she would be happy to do the procedure - she had done them before and I wouldn't have to wait - ok. They gave Rob a pager and sent him for coffee.
Mike wheeled me into the operation room - I think it might have been larger than the operation room for my surgery. I was switched onto this real nice pressure sensitive bed but the room was absolutely freezing. I got the nice hair net thingy and then Mike placed the oxygen in my nose and a mask on my face. Another nurse started to prep me with the wash and then the set up was incredible - sheeting galore and taping to create a sterile area. I was told to look left and then Mike started to push the sedative through my IV - I was awake for the entire procedure but other than the syringes of numbing agent and epinephrine I only felt pulling and pushing and bumping. The one nurse held my hand throughout and wiped my tears away. Cara was very good and took her time and the other nurses commented that it was a beautiful port. It is apparently a shiny purple port - but all I can see is the sutures - I can feel the port under my skin.
They cleaned me up and then I was wheeled back into the waiting area. Mike brought me a hot blanket and it felt so good. He also came to tell me that 3 years ago he was diagnosed with Hep C and was basically told the choices he had were no great and the outlook was grim - he just wanted to let me know to live my life. Rob came in and I got dressed and was able to get my discharge info and get moving. I am now the proud owner of a port med card to travel with - just in case I set off metal detectors, there is also a key fab for my key ring and a bracelet to wear - I really didn't know it was that big of an issue. Molly told me I could take any pain meds I might have left from my surgery - which I don't have because I was in the hospital so long I was totally off of pain meds by the time I was discharged. I told her I would just drink some wine and she agreed that sounded good - however, when reading the discharge instructions I am not supposed to drink alcohol for 24 hours - hmmm. I am not a heavy lifting restriction again - so not holding and carrying Nick around. I told Rob I wanted to get my prescription refilled while we were there - so we had a couple minutes to wait until Katee was able to fill that for us.
I called Mom to see how pick-up went with Nick - fabulously. I asked if we could bring lunch home and she agreed - Nick just wanted ham. I got my prescription and we were on our way - I stopped at Walsh's homeopathy to pick up some more arnica and staphysagria and I got the influenza too. Then Rob and I walked down and got sandwiches from Foodstuffs. We went to Mom's and Nick was eating his lunch and playing with the castle. We all ate our sandwiches and read the newspaper - somewhere along the way I put my legs up and got a blanket over me and drifted into sleep. Rob had left with Nick and picked up some essentials at the store on their way home to get Ellie. I slept until about 4 - Rob had brought the kids back and it was time to get moving home and finish homework up. Mom had made us a chicken meatloaf for dinner and I had picked up some rolls at Foodstuffs - so dinner was ready to go. When I woke up - I woke up sore and in pain - the numbing agent had left my body. It hurts to look left and pretty much from by breast bone up is pretty sore on the right side. I looked in the mirror and in addition to the port there seems to also be an incision close to my neck - not sure what that was all about. I took a couple tylenol when we got home and Rob helped Ellie with her math, Nick played with his trucks and I called my girlfriend, Lee to talk for a bit.
Rob took Nick up for a bath while Ellie finished her spelling and I got dinner ready. Ellie took a quick bath after dinner and Nick watched Diego on tv - I called Christi to check and see our Susannah was doing and just catch up quickly - we are going to try for a playdate tomorrow afternoon. Rob took Nick up to bed and Ellie and I cuddled on the couch together - she just went up to bed.
I have another hour before I can take another dose of tylenol and I am feeling the pulling pain already. I am going to be a bad patient and have a glass of wine because I am - if I had a pain killer I would be able to take it so what are some fermented grapes really going to do in the long run? Cara told me to expect a couple of painful days but then I should be ok - I am crossing my fingers. I thank all my friends and family who have provided me with tips or their stories over the past couple days - it did help my anxiety level a bit. I am so happy that I finally had a procedure that went the way it was supposed to - well I still don't know what that second incision was about. Overall, I have nothing but rave reviews of the interventional radiology department - a great group of men and women who greatly tried to put me at ease and be there for me. Visualising my healthy body, an un-remarkable recovery and the new normal me - whomever that shall be, Tree