Yesterday I got a port implant. A port is a little subdermal disc on my chest that can be used over a long period of time for blood draws and connecting to IVs. Last month, because my chemo started in sort of a rush, I was given a PICC instead of a port. The PICC allowed for access to my veins via two plastic access tubes that stuck out of my left bicep. Both ports and PICCs are connected to thin catheters that go through a vein and end near the heart (ick), both minimize needle pricks on my wrists and inner elbows, and both allow for delivery of chemo drugs through the larger veins by my heart (apparently smaller veins would get destroyed). I hated the PICC because the adhesives made me itchy, and I felt like the plastic tubes could get pulled out accidentally. Hopefully the port will be less annoying since it’s under my skin. I should be able to take off the bandages in a couple days.

Meanwhile, my preliminary bone marrow results have come in, and I am most likely in remission (!) because there are no visible cell mutations. We are just waiting for genetic test results to confirm that my DNA is now cooperating. Supposedly we’ll know by Monday.