CHEMO DOCKING STATION

In Mr. FOG’s Star Trek mind, getting a chemotherapy port is much like having a docking station  to bring supplies to a mother ship, or in Mario’s case a “lord ship”.  The port is to be implanted in the Laird’s chest just under the clavicle

This reminded Mr. FOG that his cousin had caused him to break his clavicle, the left one he thinks.  Probably when he was 5 or so, he was standing on a toy rocking chair to look over a porch railing.  His older cousin pulled the chair away saying it was hers.  It probably was her rocking chair since they were visiting.  In any event he fell, breaking his clavicle.  This triggered memory, may mean that he never truly forgave his cousin.  Perhaps it is about time he forgives her.  

On today’s agenda is installing a chemo port, a stop at Mario’s office and back to our strong hold, Vining’s Mountain Castle.

A Chemo Port

Having a docking station in Mario’s chest will make it easier to deliver the medicines/poisons and draw blood. Although the heart is on the left side of the chest, the port was placed on slightly right of chest center, just under the right clavicle.  The port is implanted and secured  into the muscles of the chest—probably the pectoral muscle- and a tube smoothly leads up from the port up to the jugular vein and fed down into the vena cava, a major vein leading into the heart.  According to Mario’s nurse, not Nurse Sherry, but Nurse Kathy, a port helps to eliminate multiple sticks to draw blood, lessens the chance of infections, and makes it much easier to deliver chemotherapy infusions.  A port can stay in place for many months.

Mario got through the process very well.  He was in and out in about one hour.  He actually looked better after the procedure than before.  Now at home, as the local anesthesia is wearning off, Mario says the chemo port hurts. 

No Mario pictures, but below is a picture of the port and catheter outside the chest.  First seeing a thumbnail-size of the picture, Mr. FOG thought the port was laid on a man’s chest to show how it would be implanted.  But larger-sized, one can see  it is really on a piece of wood.  A ring or knot in the wood looked like a human nipple on a chest.  Strange, was it just Mr. FOG that saw this??

The next photograph is of a man presumably from Hawaii or a Hawaiian-phile with an installed port.

                                      

Our Laird would never wear such a shirt although Mr. FOG does have one or two of these, although in more sedate colors.  Bought during a fit of tropical lunacy, it seemed appropriate at the time.

Hail Mary

Father Morrow visited the Laird while he was in outpatient surgery for the port.  He was a very nice friendly priest with a sense of humor.  He has been in Atlanta for many years.  We prayed together, saying both the Our Father and Hail Mary.  An altar boy for many years, the visit helped Mr. FOG probably more so than Mario.

Mr. FOG was surprised that we also said the Hail Mary.   Are Catholics the only Christians who say/pray the Hail Mary?  Mr. FOG does not remember the Hail Mary being part of the worship service of other Christian faiths, except for perhaps the Episcopalians, which are almost Catholics and vice versa. 

The Lord, Nurse and Butler will be going to church this Sunday at St. Thomas the Apostle.  Was he the doubting one?  This is the Catholic Church near Vinings Mountain Castle.  Mass options for us appear to be the Saturday vigil at 5:00 pm or four services on Sunday.  Mr. FOG will see which one these the Laird and Nurse Sherry prefer, but we are going.