Chemo #1 Day 7 - The Port Saga

Ma has diarrhea again. But it may be due to lactose intolerance. She had milk with her cereal. Why she used the milk when she knows she's lactose intolerant, I don't know. Other than that, she's able to eat solids now -- breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She gets gas pains though from not moving around enough. She can't walk to the bathroom yet but can use the bedside potty and is able to stand up briefly. She was also able to sit up in a chair for over an hour. Her breathing is much better although she's still on oxygen.

Ma's blood counts are all low. She was given two bags of blood (6-packs?) and a jumbo pack (10 units?) of plasma. Her chest tube is still in. Only 100 ml of fluid has drained out since the night before.

As I mentioned before, Ma has a port. When I arrived at the emergency room the other day, she already had an IV line in her arm. She said she had mentioned she had a port, but the nurse didn't use it. Every time a tech came over to draw blood, I would ask why she can't use Ma's port but couldn't get a straight answer. Poor Ma kept getting poked with needles over and over again. Her arm is all bruised because of her low platelets. When I first arrived this morning, the house doctor was making his rounds. I asked him why they can't use his port. He said it's because the nurses aren't trained to access it, it's too close to her heart, and there's a risk of infection. I asked if a nurse from the Cancer Center can come over to access the port. He said it's too much trouble for them to come over.

Later in the day when Ma was receiving her first unit of blood, it was flowing too slowly into her vein. The charge nurse came over to start a new IV line, but she couldn't find a vein in Ma's arm. Despite the doctor's discouraging words, I asked again why she can't use Ma's port. The nurse didn't even know Ma had one and said sure, they can use the port. In no time at all, a couple of nurses from the Cancer Center were in Ma's room and stuck a needle in her port. Her IV was transferred to the port, and we were in business. No more needles in Ma's arm. Yey! I love that charge nurse!