Port Replacement

Well it's now August 2003 and I have a date to get my new port done, it's August 5th and I have to be at the Hospital at 6.45 am which means getting up at 4 am to get there on time,

On The Day
4 am I get up shower and wake dad up as he is going to drive me home after my operation is done. we arrive at the Hospital at 6.40 am and I let dad leave for my sisters place where he will wait for a call to come collect me later.  I go from saying bye to him to the pre admissions and get all the paperwork sorted out and get told I'm number 4 to be done so will have a wait of about 5 hrs before they take me in to get changed.

12 noon comes and they take me in to get ready and at 1 pm I'm wheeled down to be operated on - I point out to Professor O'Brien a small lump where the old port was last year which he starts to worry about it being an infection on the tube from the band, and warns me that I may not get the port today is it is.  Well I guess you can figure out I didn't get that port done but the good news was it wasn't the tubing causing it either but an old stitch from the old port that was still inside me and cause granulation and the slightest infection, which stopped the port op from happening.

I get the wound cleaned out and packed with a dressing and allowed to stay open for the next week as I was already pre-booked for the following week to get the port. A week passes by fairly fast and I have a nurse visit daily to change the dressings and make sure it stays clean which it did

The Next Week
Its Tuesday morning and yet another early morning drive into the hospital through the forests full of kangaroo's getting to the hospital on time once again,  this time I'm number 1 to be operated on.   I get taken straight away into a ward to get changed and then  to the operating room where I meet the Dr's once again and soon..... I'm in recovery - but a lot later than I thought I would be --  some 2 1/2 hrs later, when they went in to get the tubing for the port they found a hernia that had come up through the incision from my band repair in 2000 so they had to fix that first which they did so that involved some muscle cutting and repair work. Once that was done they where soon back on track and placing that new port and getting me all stitched up again.

I woke up in recovery and was told there,  that they found the hernia and that they had to fix it first, and that I would be very sore for a few weeks due to what they had to enable the repair. I spent that night in hospital and they came and saw me the next morning and said I could stay 2 or 3 more nights till the pain had gone away more but at that time I had, had no pain killers since the night before and I was feeling great so went home -- well the 2 hrs drive home with my dad was hard as there was no smooth road at all in that whole trip.

At Home
Tried to lay down -- bad move -- the pain was so bad I nearly passed out from it,  so sat up and decided that I would take a few pain killers and try again later,  once they had begun to work well they kicked in,  no that didn't work..  so decided the best place for me to sleep at home was in dad's recliner so that is where I slept the first night home.   first full day home have still got a hell of a lot of shoulder pain and not known why.

Have the strongest pain killers I can get and taking them every 3 hrs they have dulled the pain but it's still there.  Day 1 passes by fast enough watching TV and had the Nurse visit and change dressings all looks good.  I still hadn't had anything but water since before the operation tried so soup no luck.

Its's now bedtime -- again this time I tried for that bed as it was calling my name -- I didn't get much sleep in the recliner.  I sat up on the bed and over about 1 1/2 hrs slowly slid down to a flat position on my back.  I was sore but OK, and yes I went to sleep quickly I think with the amount of pain killers and lack of sleep it was a sure bet I would get some.

Its getting easier now I'm up walking around early in the morning and made a hot cup of tea for breakfast and yes got it all down allbeit over an hour or more.  Well soon enough it was lunch time and tried that soup yet again  -- got about 5 oz down and kept it down.

The Nurse visited after lunch and re did the dressings that was great as the adhesives where starting to get itch on me.  Dinner came and went -- no food for me -- still full from that soup.  Retired to my bedroom early and tried to get some well needed rest,  it took a little longer to get to sleep but I did..... in the end.

I found out from the nurse the day before,  I had to change my own dressing for next two days as their boss wouldn't put a nurse on to come and do them even after my Dr called and demanded that they do. hmmmmmm  So I did my dressing today,  not easy,  trust me,  laying on your back peeling the old ones off and then washing and cleaning up the wound with no help, but I managed even after destroying several lots of tape trying to apply it. LOL.

The biggest wound has healed well it has 12 staples in it and I can see between them that it has healed up.  The new port wound site also has healed almost full in the short time but the wound from the first operation over a week before was still open and wet,  but was looking good from what I could tell from my angle of view LOL.

The weekend went easy enough,  struggled through the dressings but got them done.  Monday I had an appointment to see my PCP,  who wanted to check the wounds as he knew that I had to change the dressings myself and was just making sure they where OK, they where and the Nurse at the clinic dressed them for me and I was soon on my way home.  Got home around lunch time bought some 3 minute noodles and decided to see if I could eat some of them, which I did almost all of them to my shock, but hell was I feeling very full after.

Dinner time came and tried a little chicken and got it down -- about 3 mouthfuls --thats all I needed.

OK that's it for now will add some more over the next few weeks as I completely heal.

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