P & P
P & P – Port and Privacy. Yesterday, I had outpatient surgery to have the port put in. It was done at the hospital where I will also be doing my chemotherapy. Everything went great. I’ve got some soreness on the left side of the chest where they put the port, but that’s it. They also had to take 4 biopsy samples of the tumor for the clinical trial study and I feel absolutely no soreness or pain on the right side. The nurses were great and the one nurse who came with the vials for the biopsy samples was very appreciative that I was participating in the trial.
One thing that struck my husband and I as strange is that there’s all these patient privacy rights – correct? For example, when you sign in for a doctor’s appointment you can’t see the name of the person who signed in before you. The pharmacy we go to asks that you stand several feet behind the person in front of you to give them some privacy should they be having a discussion with the pharmacist, etc.
But, those same “privacy” guidelines don’t seem to apply in out-patient surgery settings. As my husband sat waiting for my surgery to be over, the door would open and the surgeon would say, “Family of (last name)” and go on to discuss details of the procedure. My husband learned more about someone’s uterus than I think he cared to know. As a result, my husband carefully positioned himself by the door, so my surgeon would see him when she opened it. You can’t miss my husband – he’s a big guy at 6′ 3″.
I don’t know about other hospitals, but maybe hospitals should think about using paging systems like they do at restaurants.
When I got home my son surprised me by picking up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for PS3. I’ve loved playing video games since since the days of “pong”.
I think he wants me to hone my skills for my upcoming battle.
3 Responses to “P & P”
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Your blog is wonderful, informative, and insightful. And it is likely therapeutic for you. Thanks for sharing your journey and know that, though it will feel lonely at times, you are not alone!
Your son is being too cute!! He seems to be preparing you both for the battle. I’m glad to hear he if being so thoughtful.
David wants to know if you play World of Warcraft….he’d love to play with you he said.