Port!

After a year and a half of plasmapheresis and now over a year of ever more frequent IV fluids, my veins are toast. I tried to convince my rheumatologist that I needed a port for easy iv access, because that's what every nurse says who tries to access one of my pitiful veins. I finally decided to bypass my rheumatologist and visit his wife, my internist. She immediately agreed to the port and set it up for me. I was immensely relieved. I did warn her about her husband's opinion. I hope she didn't run into any difficulty at home.

This is a picture of the port and its position, but imagine it under the skin. All went well. Although, the first nurse looked and looked at my veins and decided someone else should place my iv! Hopefully it will be the last one I will need for a long time. Everyone at the hospital was great except for the post op nurse who had no clue. She asked us how long I was to rest post op (shouldn't she be telling me that?) and didn't give us any discharge papers!

It was an uncomfortable night due to swelling. I hope this port is worth the trouble.

The nicest nurses are always Animal lovers. The nurse holding up this book sported two bandages from rescuing parrots the day before. She has 5 dogs, some sugar gliders, and several other species of pets at home.