The port placement was definitely my eye opening, slap on the head transition into Cancer World. This conversation reminds me that it was indeed painful for the first week or two, but I eventually got used to it and then concentrated on getting through the infusions. Definitely use the lidocaine before infusions, but even without it the needle stick isn’t much worse than getting a vaccination or blood draw. And the chemo nurses were all wonderful. These are special people who are called to this field of work.
One thing that I did right at this time was to put myself first and not give in to other people’s expectations. As women, we tend to put other people’s needs first, and this was a change for me that really helped to get through the physical and emotional stress.
Sending my best wishes to all of my sisters who are here reading this.