That's right folks, yesterday, I had my pesky catheter yanked. Quite literally. It only hurt for a moment. No more contortions while trying to bathe/shower; no more fear of infection; no more daily flushing of lines and weekly dressing changes; no more worrying about tugging on lines (ouch) or worse, accidental cutting of lines (which would involve a lot of blood); no more Frankensteinian feelings (even though Halloween's around the corner and I sure could've scared people by exposing the lines hanging out of my upper chest). Goodbye Catheter, ye served me well, but I will not miss thee, even though I now have to face the needle for my weekly blood work.
Catheter removal means my blood counts continue their upward climb, and that it's very unlikely I'll need any more transfusions. This is a major milestone, and obviously I'm thrilled to have taken another step on the road to Normal. Or to Kinda Normal, which is where I'm headed. Now that I don't have to worry about my catheter becoming infected, I have more time to worry about being accidently exposed to live-virus vaccines, breathing in an aspergillis spore, relapsing, or developing acute or chronic graft versus host disease (GVHD). Fortunately, I have many strategies for keeping my mind off of these nerve-wracking possibilties. And I always have my poetry to protect me.
Sha-la-la-la-la-la live for today.
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1 comment:
Yipee! I remember getting mine out and it was Heaven. Enjoy your freedom and try not to think about the crazy spores putting a hit on you. Life's too short.
Ann
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