Day Minus 8-Catheters and Braised Beef

Hickman  Catheter

The day started off with surgery to remove my existing power port and replace it with a Hickman catheter. There are basically two inputs into a vein in my chest, one for chemo and the other for fluids. I was actually awake for the whole surgery, despite being medicated, but I was covered in what looked like some sort of tent, where only my surgery area was exposed. I guess that helped me also not being able to see them cut into the skin above my chest, which could have been frightening.

Today also marks my first night being admitted into the hospital in the E1 unit, which is where all the bone marrow transplant patients stay. I'm sharing the room with another guy, which makes for twice as many nurse visits as they check us every hour. Hope I can get some sleep. One of the nice perks at least is having room service until 8pm, where I have a nice menu to choose from. In fact I was able to enjoy braised beef short ribs with rice tonight, which was very delicious. So tonight I'm just getting a bunch of saline pumped into me, going to the bathroom every hour for them to take samples, as well taking a bunch of meds to help prevent some reactions to the chemo I'm starting tomorrow.

Thankful that while in my youth (yes 41 is still young), as I fight this cancer, my body may fail me, (the side effects from my disease as well as the pending chemo), but to know that as I wait upon the Lord, He ultimately is the one who supplies me with the renewed strength I require daily to persevere
in this trial.

Isaiah 40:30-31
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

Going Treasure Troll