Day 27, Tuesday, 09:15pm

Hello everybody,

Today was a long one. Anne took R/T at 8:45M on schedule, then we drove to town to Mercy Hospital for the installation of the Mediport.

Perhaps I made the implant sound easy when I described it yesterday. That is however how it was presented to us. Like there was nothing to it. I know it will be a good thing in the long run, but Anne is hurting tonight.

She of course couldn't have anything to eat after midnight last night. This morning she didn't get up as quickly as usual. She watched the news in bed as she had to break her routine of having something to eat shortly after getting up. I could tell she was anxious about the procedure that was scheduled for 10am.

We arrived at Mercy at 9:30. The nurses were very gentle, calm, and informative. They made Anne comfortable, but it was a long wait before things finally started to happen. At 11:30 they finally took Anne into the operating room to install the device. At 12:30 they came out to the waiting room to let me know the job was done, that she was resting, and that I would be allowed back in when she woke up. Anne had a good snooze after the port was installed, and they came for me at 1:30. They fed Anne, and we rested and finally left around 3pm.

There are two incisions, one on her neck where the plumbing was piped to the vein. The other as I described yesterday, near the collar bone, where the device is implanted. These incisions are a couple of inches apart. Anne tells me the one up on her neck hurts the most.

Anne hasn't moved from the recliner since we got home at around 4pm. It was a long day for her, and knowing that she is very sore, it may be a long night. Actually, the area will be sore for several days, up to a week. The port can be used however as soon as tomorrow if need be. I expect it will be used for the first time on Friday if chemo starts again. I am concerned about the pain she is feeling, and the night ahead. We're treating the area with ice, and we're using pain killers as needed. I'm sure you are getting the point, as we are certainly learning as we go, just how difficult it is to go thru cancer treatment.

Anne has been thru alot today, expecially considering the anticipation she was feeling, and then the wait, and then the procedure, recovery, ride home, etc..

We pray for manageable pain levels, and of course that no infection will set in.

We go back to R/T again first thing at 8:45am tomorrow. Hopefully we can come straight home from that for a change. It hasn't usually worked out that way. The next morning, Thursday, we see Dr. Ebrahim right after R/T. As we've said, Friday brings R/T and maybe C/T starts up again. In order to get thru this we must continue to look past this tough treatment, further down the road to the bright spot when Anne is going to feel better. The first two days this week have been tough, and I know that Anne is anxious about Friday next.

Your thoughts and prayers help !! Thank you so much.