Yesterday was a big day for me. I had a port installed in my chest when I was first diagnosed in 2006. I have had two Stem Cell Transplants, 9 major hits with chemo, and over five years of VTd maintenance. In February, I was MRD negative for the second year in a row, and I finally feel I can put the last physical reminder of my myeloma in the past. My chemo port must go. To quote the members of the rock group The Who, "I'M FREE!".
I have had my chemo port in for a little over 9 and 1/2 years, and my doctor said he had never had a patient with a port in that long. Just for your information, removal is accomplished with just a local anesthetic. For me it did not hurt too much, however he mentioned mine was the hardest of any he had ever removed, and it took a long time to get it removed. I took a page out of Pat Killingsworth's playbook and took a few selfies. I think Dr. B did a great job, and I thank him for the care he took in removing it with the least amount of pain. He mentioned that most ports have a coating on them which prevents your flesh from attaching to the port material. Mine was in for such a long time this material was no longer present and was the cause for the difficult removal.
Dr. B mentioned that I got a lot of good use out of it, because it appeared to be heavily accessed. Well now finally, I'M FREE.
Good luck and God Bless your Myeloma Journey/ editor@myelomasurvival.com
For more information on multiple myeloma CLICK HERE and you can follow me on twitter at: https://twitter.com/grpetersen1
Good luck and God Bless your Myeloma Journey/ editor@myelomasurvival.com
For more information on multiple myeloma CLICK HERE and you can follow me on twitter at: https://twitter.com/grpetersen1
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