Bow Ties and Surgeons

Today I met with a surgeon to decide which kind catheter to insert into my body so that I will be able to receive IV antibiotics daily. The surgeon, a gentle man wearing a bow tie and crocks on his feet that proudly displayed his alma mater, carefully described my different options. As he talked about one of the options that would involve tubing sticking out from my shoulder, I felt uncomfortable and I just wanted him to stop talking about that option. I don't want a weird tube sticking out of my shoulder for a year or more. I would rather have to endure a needle stick every day than have tubing coming out of me. The mental discomfort of having weird tubing attached to my body far out weighs the physical pain of piercing my skin to access the line every day. Maybe I surprised him when I told him that I do not mind the needle but I have become accustomed to needles and pain ever since I started my bicillin shots. With about ten percent of the surgeons help and ninety percent of my fellow Lyme patients help, I choose a mediport. I will have to have surgery to have it installed into my chest but I believe that it will be the best option for me. I absolutely love to swim and I will be able to swim with the port. I feel confident in my decision to go with the port. Now that I have finally come this far along with my treatment decisions, I am ready to have the surgery. I am tired of talking about it and I am ready to get it over with and to move on to flooding my body with antibiotics.