Health Update: Medi-port comes out tomorrow

As I mentioned in a post awhile ago, the medi-port, which was "installed" August 30, 2005, so that my chemotherapy would not play havoc on my arm veins, is coming out  Tom Faranda’s Folly: Today’s appointment with the Lymphoma Guru. When the chemotherapy was being scheduled the suggestion of the medi-port was made by the physicians at the satellite office of Sloan Kettering in Sleepy Hollow.

I decided to have it put in, and it was definitely a very smart move. It made receiving the chemo much easier, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone.

Taking it out will be the reverse of when it was put in. It will be done as a same-day procedure by an "Interventionist Radiologist" (that’s "IR") at Sloan Kettering in Manhattan. You are awake for the procedure (although I suppose they would knock you out if that’s your preference), but mildly sedated. It’s put in under the guidance of a CAT scan – under the skin about three inches south of your clavicle, with a tube going into the vena cava. You can make out the tube under the skin if you look hard enough. And it will be taken out the same way – under the guidance of a CAT scan. The whole thing takes about 45 minutes.

I am going to put up some "before and after" pictures tomorrow. The medi-port creates about a one inch wide, small lump under your skin, which is generally only noticeable if you point it out. And it’s pretty easy to live with. It didn’t restrict my activity at all, although I was a little worried about what would happen if I dropped a weight on it or whacked it with a dumbell in the gym (Eventually I mentioned it to Dr. Zelenetz and he said "You know what would happen if you banged it with a weight? Nothing.").

Very occasionally there was a tiny ache around the port, which after about a year and a half disappeared. But it sure beats the pain of messing up your veins with the chemo.

Judy Anderson is taking me down and driving me back – it’s the first day of school for the boys so Brigid will be doing that gig. Judy also took me down when I had it installed.

Even though having it in is no big deal (although it has to be flushed about every six weeks), I’m glad to get it out. It’s kind of like a milestone, and indicates to me that the very conservative medical staff doesn’t think I’ll be needing chemotherapy any time soon.