Ethel the Wonder Pump

So it was decided today that I should call my "man-purse" (pump & 5FU) companion "Ethel." So Ethel it is. Stephen has given her some personality with a loving face looking up at me. I feel so loved!!!

I went to work today for a few hours. It was good to keep some normalcy and see everyone. After work I hung out with my girls, introduced them to Ethel, and played a couple of board games. It was great to see them.

I was able to muffle Ethel enough last night that her pumping noise (her way of talking to me!) didn't keep me awake. She consistently speaks to me around every 3 minutes. She makes a sound like a small receipt or label maker printer. So muffled she was!

Anyway, the 5FU continues its way into me to work its "magic" and forge to the cure. I am feeling pretty good so far.

Extra Parts - The Power Port

Last week I had a "Power Port" put into my chest just below the skin. Here's what it's supposed to do. It provides a convenient location for injections. In my case, it allows my chemo crowd to inject me through my skin without having to go directly to my arm veins with the needle (save the arm veins!).

Here's what it looks like. Picture a triangle the size of a quarter or so on its face. It's about a 1/2 inch thick and its purple. In the middle of the triangle is a circle which is the pad where the needle goes in to. Coming out of the triangle is a tube the size of a spaghetti noodle. If you should be able to see my chest on the upper right hand side, you may notice a bump on my skin. That's where it is!

So the tube that comes out of the triangle is the "pipe" that takes the injection from the "PP" to one of the main veins to the heart. Then the injected stuff makes its way through the entire body.

How cool is that!?!?!

Anyway, this is supposed to make chemo easier. I figure I'm that much closer to being a bionic man!! We'll see how it works tomorrow.