The Port is in.

Doug, Andrea and I arrived at the hospital at 8am (Tori started school today and couldn't join us), shortly after 9 I was getting an IV hook up and prepped, by 10:30 got wheeled to the operating room, and by 11:30 wheeled back out, and then an hour later was riding home.

While in the OR, small talk brought us from Broncos (the antisceptic was orange), to that the surgeon is from IL, a Bears fan, AND knows where my hometown of Walnut is!!, and that I and his assistant were Packers fans, neither of us happy about Favre's move to the Jets. That conversation calmed me down a bit. Then they draped a big blue tarp over me with a hole for my upper chest area, started my drip which calmed me down even more. I was aware and could feel discomfort as they prodded and pushed it in, but I just didn't really care.

Back in recovery I was finally able to drink liquids, and eat some crackers Andrea had brought along. I was quite sore so Coleen the nurse gave me a percoset. I couldn't leave until it kicked in. It FEELS like I got pounded with a hammer on my collar bone. It LOOKS like I have a stack of quarters imbedded under my skin. I thought I was going to have a device sticking out of my skin, but evidently the needles will go through the thin layer of skin into the port. With the help of numbing cream, I shouldn't feel it much.

For the next day it's important that I stay propped up so the blood goes down instead of out. And I have nurses orders to take it easy for the next few days, as if I hadn't already done that the last couple of months. I'm being well taken care of at home, and thank you all for sending your thoughts and prayers (again), as I get through the first of this LAST stage of the journey.