Portal to the heart (Day -5)

Minor Surgery Day

Yesterday, everyone in Group 1 went to the hospital for a short outpatient procedure: the placement of a hemodialysis catheter. This device is a pair of tubes inserted just under the clavicle, each about the size of a large vein. Together, they allow blood to flow out of the body, through the apheresis machine, and back in again — a key step for the treatment process.

No, this is not a Jamaican hospital ;)The Hospital Experience

And no, this was not a “third world hospital.” Quite the opposite — the facility was modern, clean, and professional. The waiting room bathroom was huge, with a marble shower. Staff were consistently courteous, and housekeeping even checked in during my short stay, asking for initials on their rounds sheet to confirm the cleaning.

Having been through several surgeries before, I wasn’t nervous. The anesthesiologist kept everything completely pain-free, and the procedure itself took just 15 minutes under general anesthesia. No complications, no issues.

Afterward, I rewarded myself with corn-flour quesadillas — my first cheese in almost a year.

Life Outside the Hospital

When we returned to our apartment, we requested a move to a quieter unit. Our first place was across from a disco club blasting music until 5:30 a.m. twice in a week, followed by a jackhammer at 7:30 a.m. — not ideal for recovery.

The hospitality company was very accommodating. They helped us move during a thunderstorm, even providing a shopping cart and guiding us through the basement garage to stay dry. The new unit is spotless (we may be the first to stay here), though it’s missing small things like toilet roll holders and a reverse-osmosis water system. Felipe kindly brought us a 10-liter bottle of drinking water. Last night was blissfully quiet.

Recovery

Later in the evening, I felt some expected soreness from the surgery, but nothing more than what could be handled with Tylenol (Tylex here). This morning I was up at 7 a.m. for my filgrastim injection (a stem cell mobilizer), took another Tylenol, and managed two more hours of solid sleep. By mid-morning, I was pain-free again.

All in all, not bad at all — especially since this was the only surgical procedure in the protocol.

Extras

I’ve also gone back and added photos to some earlier posts for anyone following along.