SOME ASPECTS of the Myeloma patient experience are so odd or new that they merit sharing.
So it is with The Danglers.
My brand-new Central Venous Catheter was just implanted in my upper chest yesterday (Friday, Sept. 12). It connects to my superior vena cava, a major vein close to the heart. It will be used to administer medicines and withdraw and deliver blood and cells for my autologous stem cell transplant.
The “installation” was an outpatient surgical procedure at the University of Arizona Medical Center. It took about an hour. I was awake with just a little sedation, but I think I remember pretty much the whole process.