Part 11 ~ Chemo Port and a Walk: Encouragement

September 2016

          Dr. S. and I met again for more surgery – my chemo port placement. I was so not looking forward to chemo. I hated the idea of chemicals coursing thru my veins and taking the good cells along with the bad. I had the class that told me what to expect in terms of side effects: nausea, vomiting (#3!), diarrhea (#2…), hair thinning, neuropathy (numbness in hands and feet from chemo that can be made worse with cold temperatures), chemo brain, etc.

          The device was placed in my upper left chest. It looked so small in his office, but looked bigger bulging out of my skeletal frame. The surgery went well and off to the couch I went to rest. Later, I figured I’d try getting in and out of bed. I didn’t think it would be too difficult. Boy, was I wrong! I figured that if I laid down on the opposite side of the bed, from where I normally slept (where my right side would be at the edge if laying on my back), I would be able to roll right over and get up. I gave it a try. Well, this port surgery made it feel like they went thru my back instead of my front to insert it! My muscles were so weak, I couldn’t even roll over to get out of bed. I called for Kris to give me a hand. That didn’t work either! I wondered aloud how I would get up and out! I laid there and thought for a minute. My abdominal muscles were still pretty weak, but I had been able to get out of bed using both arms, of which now I didn’t have full use. I told Kris that he was going to have to lift my upper body for me. So, he did, and I didn’t come back into bed until I had more mobility a few days later!

          3 days later we were at the Baltimore Zoo where the Heat It To Beat It walk was being held. Dr. Sardi invited us to come, even if for just a bit, and so we did. We got there after the walk was over as all the participants were gathering together to hear Dr. Sardi and his team of doctors speaking about the need for funding for research for peritoneal cancers and HIPEC. By doing so, further advancements in treatment and their availability will become greater and more lives could potentially be saved. Former patients and HIPEC recipients spoke as well and gave testimony as to how their lives are now after receiving this life saving procedure. It gave us hope!

          We spent the rest of the afternoon walking (and resting) around the zoo. No lie – we were watching the bears and, in the middle, right above them, is this bus-turned-viewing area. We went in there to check it out and I fell asleep! We stopped quite a bit that day as I still had my wet/dry dressing on my incision and it was feeling a bit ouchy.  It was the most fun I had had in a while and we were glad to be doing something normal and fun!

          When we got home, we realized that my wet/dry dressing had gotten a little too dry and the gauze was sticking to my incision. That was not fun to deal with. We had to really wet it with saline solution so that we could put on a fresh dressing.  On a lighter note, we found a chemo care package from my brother and his family as they had stopped by to let our pups out while we were away. I continued to receive care packages from family and friends and they made such a rough time so much better! They sent me all sorts of goodies! Lotions and lip balms, socks and slippers, candies, mints and gum; fun pens and sudoku, nail polish and bubble bath, gift cards, books and the list goes on! I even got a chemo care package someone anonymously sent from a group called Phil’s Friends (https://philsfriends.org/)! They are a wonderful organization run by a man who has battled cancer.

          Those good gifts I spoke of in a previous post – they just kept coming as little bits of encouragement along the way! Those former HIPEC patients – their situation was where I wanted to be. I was encouraged and shown that, I, too, could get thru this. It wouldn’t be by my own strength, but by God’s! Yes, I had others helping me, but no one else can do what God can! He can make the impossible possible! Luke 1:37 For nothing will be impossible with God.

Check out this song: Impossible Possible by Jared Anderson