“It’s not a purse. It’s a European carry-all”

Tuesday, 12/14/10

The nurse at the oncology office had given me a shoulder bag to carry my pump and chemo. The pump is about the size of an old Sony Walkman and the bag of 5-FU is almost the same size. The IV line is connected and pumping 24/7 so I had to make a few adjustments, e.g. sleeping, showering, etc. The first day was a little awkward, but I got the hang of it soon after. The nurse had suggested covering my port with Saran wrap and tape, which I attempted once, but it didn’t work. I have trouble getting Saran wrap to stick to anything except itself and I don’t think I’m alone here. For me it’s like trying to fold a fitted bed sheet, I can’t do it no matter how times I try. After quickly abandoning the Saran wrap idea I decided to use a sandwich bag instead. I split the bag in half along the sides yielding two pieces of plastic that hold their shape and are just the right size to cover the port. I covered the port using one half of the bag and tape in place using Transpore tape, which sticks well, but removes easily unlike the Durapore tape the nurse gave me that might as well have been duct tape. I was wearing my European carry-all with the strap going diagonally across my chest, but it was starting to rub my neck raw. My wonderful wife sewed a sleeve out of some scrap fabric to cover the strap and the chemo cozy was born, which literally saved my neck. 

5-FU chemo and pump