Abort the Port!

Most often, things only make sense in hind sight.

We went to St. Mary's in Galesburg for Tammi's port to be put in. (A port is a small device that sits under a chemo patient's skin, and connects to a major vein. It allows doctors access to her veins, without having to poke her every time. It's weird, and amazing.)

We weren't feeling real positive about this procedure. It had just been put on the calendar the day before, when the surgeon (who will remain nameless...) met us in his office with blood stains down his scrubs. (This, friends, is never a good sign.) We would have ran, but his bedside manner is great, and he had done mom's port procedure 6 years ago.

We were waiting now, for mom to have a PET scan, and the port placed right after. She couldn't eat or drink for 12 hours, as the port surgery required her to be NPO for the night. All the time, no food or water sucks. When you're really sick, it sucks even more.

So imagine our disappointment (re: incredible anger), when the surgeon found us in the waiting room to let us know he wouldn't be doing the procedure that day. The PET scan was taking too long, and there wouldn't be time.

Tammi emerged from the PET scan fifteen minutes later, not late at all, proving the surgeon had received misinformation. 

So, we were leaving with no port, and an extremely tired, hunger, thirsty Tammi. 

Enraged, Hallie called the oncologist and demanded an appointment for the same procedure at St. Francis.

We realized only after going to St. Francis that mom's initial surgeon was planning to use the same kind of port device she had 6 years ago, and was planning to put her under general anesthesia. This new team at St. Francis used a new, up-to-date, much better port, and kept her only lightly sedated while they did the procedure. They were quick, and good, and even funny. (Read other entry, "Mike.")

So we're grateful for the misinformation that caused us, Tammi's family, fly into a crazy rage, and got Tammi exactly where she needed to me.

Sometimes, mercy is very frustrating.