Nurse Maria using my newly installed PowerPort for the first time.
OK, I admit it: at heart, I’m a total techno-junkie. I’m all about any new hardware that takes care of the tedious, repetitive tasks taking up so much of life. If it’s latest and greatest, I probably own one…particularly if it has an Apple logo on it.
Before Wednesday, all my chemo was being administered via needle-stuck-in-my-hand. Unfortunately, the drugs used for chemo scar the walls of the veins, narrowing and possibly collapsing them over time. Enter the PowerPort, a device that routes drugs directly into the big vein going to my heart. It can also be used for dye-injection in upcoming CT scans, and for the mandatory blood-draw prior to chemotherapy.
Unlike the PIC line I wore earlier this year, the PowerPort involves no dangling tubes and little risk of infection. Once the small incisions made to insert the device have healed, I’ll be back to boogie boarding, long bubble-baths, and all the other summery sports involving beach and sand I’ve been enjoying this season.
Long live technology! Now, if only Apple made these things, it’d probably have on-board video AND allow me to phone home. Mr Jobs…could this be your Next Big Thing?
Posted by Joyce Croker 