Got up at 5:30am this morning, so that I could arrive at the hospital at 6:45am, for an 8:45am surgery. This was the same hospital/surgery ward I had my hemicolectomy just over a month ago (Mar 4). The differences were jarring. A month ago the surgery ward was bustling, with lots of people having surgery. Now, due to COVID19, only ESSENTIAL surgeries are being performed. So, it was much quieter, and a lot less hustle and bustle.
The surgery today is to install a Power Port by Bard. https://www.bardaccess.com/products/ports/powerport The purpose of this is to have a way to do IV infusion of chemotherapy drugs, blood transfusions (if necessary), and to draw blood for lab work. Before each chemotherapy appointment, I have a numbing gel to place over the port, then the nurses can access things quickly and conveniently.
The port is installed just under the skin of my chest, and is about the size of a quarter. It creates a raised surface on my chest, so it's easy for the nurses to find and work with. From the port in my chest there's a small tube that is inserted into a major vein that leads directly to my heart, so drugs go in and get distributed around quickly.
I was given ketamine and propofol for anesthesia. I like propofol in that it's quick to go out, and quick to come back to consciousness. That's the only drug I had for my colonoscopy back in February, and that was a nice experience. I didn't have any post-procedure drowsiness, or other issues. Ketamine, on the other hands, makes most people (including me) loopy. So, i say stupid stuff, and am generally more entertaining than I usually am.
The surgery itself went fine, and my port is now ready to go. I have two small incisions in my chest (about 1.5 inches in my chest, and a 0.5 inch small incision near my neck, to guide the tube into the vein). I can shower with it, etc... But I can't submerge in bath or swimming pool for 7 days. I can't lift anything more than 20 lbs for a week, and I'm trying to keep my right arm from doing any crazy maneuvers. The concern is that the port could slip around, and if it breaks loose from my vein, I could get some serious bruising and/or internal bleeding.
Got home before 1pm. However, the ketamine was still impacting me, and I ended up snoozing the rest of the afternoon. Ugh.