101 Degrees

The good news is that that is not my body temperature. The bad news is that's today's predicted high temperature in Philadelphia. Awesome. I'm waiting for my mom to pick me up and drive me to Pennsylvania Hospital, where I will have my very own port put in this morning. It's definitely a good thing for my veins (and anxiety level) and will hopefully eliminate anymore IV drama. So I'm trying not to be too nervous for it.

Now that I know what it's like to have an IR (interventional radiology) procedure where you are sedated, but not enough to be unaware of what they are doing to you, I know enough to be anxious beforehand. The first time I met my friends in IR, they did a CT guided biopsy on the mass in my chest. Basically this meant they placed (read: jabbed) a needle into my chest (8 times). And each time, the needle just stands there on its own while they slide you into the scan to make sure they have it in the right place. Plus my (sedated) arms had to be above my head, which was the exact opposite of where they wanted to be. Awesome.

I kept asking, "Can I put my arms down now?"
"No, not yet..." was the reply 7 times.

I distinctly remember the radiologist saying after the 8th time, "That's the money shot." Unfortunately, they were not able to show me the money as that biopsy was inconclusive for lack of a sufficient sample...

This morning should be different. They're not trying to get something out of me, but rather, get something into me. My biggest fear is that they won't be able to get an IV in me (since I had to get up and eat/drink at 5:00 am to try to hydrate my veins) and then how will they sedate me?? I'm hoping for a no-drama Tuesday.

Just as an FYI, Blogger (who runs this blog) is having problems with their comments feature. So if you are leaving comments, they are getting sent to me, but not appearing on the post. I am told this is being remedied, so you can continue to comment as you wish and someday soon, the words will magically appear on this site. :) Thank you to everyone for your positive thoughts, words and energy. I will post, if able, after the procedure.

xxoo