#power port

[contentment-of-cats]

Cancer: The Journey

First Steps

I can't say anything as brave as 'battling cancer' or 'fighting cancer.' I think that the best thing I can say is that I am enduring cancer. Pronounced to be in remission the last week of December, I understand that I am not cured. Instead, I have what I have chosen to call Schrodinger's Cancer - they don't know if it's there or not, but we are choosing to proceed as if it is until blood tests and imaging indicate otherwise. Even after five years, when they pronounce one to be 'cured' - there is always the chance of recurrence or a new type of cancer altogether. There will always be a sword hanging over my head, as my chemobuddies taught me.

I found out about my cancer by reading my discharge papers from a place I will call Asshat Central Hospital. They referred me to Asshat specialists who from my calls in the middle of February could not see me until the end of march, and in some cases as far out as May. I needed to see an oncologist and a urologist urgently. Over the next two weeks, I was stumbling and fumbling as I tried to get care out of my HMO network, two more visits to the ER got me a shot of morphine and a CT scan, another list of referals, and finally pain meds.

I woke up on the morning of March 3rd in so much pain that I thought I was going to die. I knew if I went back to Asshat Central, Dunno Medical Center, or Clowncar General that even with my PPO, that I would die. I got my ass in an Uber and over the hill to Cedars-Sinai. I was upstairs and in a bed in a matter of hours, I had painmeds and that first night I remember sleeping so deeply. I was safe and getting care. Within two days, all the care that was weeks or months out started rolling in. Colonoscopy. Nephrostomy and stent. MRI, CT, ultrasounds, x-rays. Cardiac, oncology, urology/nephrology, and all the ologies rolled through my room and them me all over the hospital - it hurt, was terrifying, and in the end the platform needed for care.

Killing the Cancer Instead of the Patient

On March 18th, I had a power pump installed in my left arm for drawing blood and administering chemo.

Five weeks of chemoradiation began shortly after. Radiation Monday through Friday, with a chemo pump Monday through Saturday, a Monday infusion of Emend, Kytril, and dexamethasone, followed by Wednesday and Saturday fluids with Kytril and dexamethasone. Here is what I will tell you about this phase and how to survive it.

This will knock you down so hard that you will not know which way is up. Radiotherapy and oncology like to point fingers. Fuck the fingerpointing. You will be so fatigued that sleeping 12 hours per day will be about all you can do.

You must stay hydrated and it's hard even with two hydration bags going in twice a week I ended up in the hospital with dehydration twice and a whopping kidney infection. Enterade is a drink that helps calm everything down after radiation and chemo and helps to limit the GI damage both can cause. Get Ultima drink powder, make up two gallons and put them in the fridge and pre-fill four one liter bottles - keep them next to you so that you can see them. When you wake up, down one.

Kiss your appetite good-bye. You still need to eat. I found that baby-food stayed down the best. Once upon a Farm is a good national brand, and so is Yumi. Kate Farms makes tasty nutritional shakes that don't give you explosive diarrhea.

I could not stomach meat or dairy, and managed to take only gummy vitamins and gummy pre/probiotic supplements. Spices hurt my mouth and throat and my stomach kicked them right back out.

My doctor prescribed Zofran sublingual, compazine, and Ativan - compazine in case the Zofran didn't work, Ativan when the nausea and vomiting was driven by anxiety. I spent a lot of time carrying around a one gallon ziplock - they came in handy. Saltines and plain soda water do help!

You'll have a break after chemoradiation - at least two weeks. Sleep.

About Power Ports

GET THAT PORT. INSIST ON THAT PORT. It will save you endless bullshit with collapsing veins later as chemo and radiation both make your veins brittle. Insist on anyone drawing blood or giving an infusion use that port. Get ready to call bullshit when they say that they can't. I had bruises up and down my arms until I told them to get someone to access the fucking port or I would damn well walk to Cedars if I had to.

Be aware of the increased risk of blood clots. Your arm may swell and that needs to be seen and treated right away, usually with a three-month course of Eliquis or other blood thinner. You could take aspirin as a preventative with your doctor's approval, but I'm allergic to that and other NSAIDS. Turmeric, ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, and cayenne all have blood-thinning properties, but I could not keep them down. Likewise, grapefruit juice or supplements can enhance (not in a good way) blood thinning medications.

About Nephrostomy Bags

They fucking suck. A nephrostomy should be reversed six to eight weeks after the surgery, and the stent in the ureter (not the urethra) takes over. You cart your piss bag everywhere, wake up to make sure it's not overflowing. You're at an increased risk for kidney infections. Here's my tips for living with the motherfucker.

Order only name-brand bags from Amazon. You'll want to change out the bag once per week. Keep the big bag for when you're at home, the little bag for when you have to go out. Coloplast, Bard, and Medline are all good to use. There are bag covers, bag carriers, and even clothing to keep your bag concealed, catch leaks, and stop punctures. You might want to tape your connections to prevent accidental decoupling. Also, insist on a home health nurse to change that dressing - the angle is such that you can't do it yourself.

Friends

You will make friends in radiation and infusion waiting rooms. You'll share space with them in infusion clinics. You may lose them. It will hurt. At the same time, you'll be happy and heartbroken. You'll share tips and tricks, highs and lows, and a fellowship that can't be described, only experienced.

[yaolmao]

au; Mori wants to stabilize Q so he makes Elise befriend them

[nobllite]

Save a horse, ride a what?? 💥

[the-guy-in-the-chair]

This isn’t Misha Collins’s nipple, just to clear up any confusion

That’s a deaccessed central line (the bump with the scars located just below the edge of the band aid). It’s not explicit. It’s the honest to god medical truth.

What the band aid covers up, though, that’s censored, for nobody needs to see the huge bloody crater of a skin infection right next to the port that gives me life.

It’s random; we don’t know where it came from; and nothing can really be done to prevent or cure it.

So we wait. With the ow. But meh, shouldn’t be a problem. I already have lots of experience there.

[qwakque]

♪ POP MUSIC CLUB ♪

YAAAAAAAY

[sugarcarnation]

love love love how similar these two panels are. makes me insane

[reality-detective]

International Longshoremen Association President Harold Daggett on the Port Strike:

“I will cripple you and you have no idea what that means, nobody does.”

It's going to get real folks, this is NOT a drill, it's NOT a time to procrastinate 🤔

[capndragn94]

Perfuma: *to Catra* Oh, you haven't held the baby yet! C'mon here you go.

Adora: Uh, I wouldn't do that!

Perfuma: Oh, relax.

*hands Flora to her*

Perfuma: See? She's doing fine!

Adora: I... Ugh...

Perfuma: Alright Honey, come here.

Flora: *swats her away*

Perfuma: Flora...? *tries to pull her off Catra*

Adora: She's... She's good with babies...

[project-sekai-facts]

okay this is driving me crazy and i need to tell people this. i've been looking at the ocs's bedrooms and noticed that fucking none of them have power outlets visible anywhere. unless im blind none of these kids have anywhere to charge their phones or plug in electronics

There are exactly TWO rooms with a power outlet visible. Riho's and Mafuyu's. Mafuyu's annoys me immensely because she only has an air pump plugged in. Which also caused me to realise that this tank has no light and no filter. How are those plants alive. What the fuck.

Yeah in every other room the cords seem to just trail away into nowhere. Nene's room especially is weird because there's a window that goes down to the floor which #1 that's just a weird place to put your setup #2 where are those cords plugged in?? Also fun fact not pictured here but Mizuki and Ena's computers just. don't have wires. How do they even work??

An's room is really weird to me because she has an extension lead with two things plugged into it, one of which is obviously the lamp and one of which... trails off in the same direction but doesn't seem to be plugged into anything? And then her neon light is also plugged in somewhere but the cable just disappears behind the table. Also the extension lead itself is not plugged in. What the hell is going on here???

[sskk-manifesto]

Like, uncalled???

[redvinylkitty]

So at yesterday's surgery, the anesthesiologist asked me "Where's your leash?" And it took me a quick minute to figure out he meant my PORT IV LINE! Nobody has called it that before and I had to try sooooo hard to keep a straight face. 😆

[smashwolfen]

I'm here to yell and love Okami all over again!!!! I LOVE OKAMI VERY MUCH AND AM SO EXCITED SHES COMING BACK BABEYYYYYYY!!!!!

(that okami case is in fact bought from a blockbuster its that old XD)

I didn't start playing Okami back when it released on the playstation but when it had come to the Wii I was instantly hooked. The artstyle, the story and just being able to run around as a DOGGO was amazing for my young teen brain!! It got me into looking up myths and legends when I was in school and now I love reading about them still to this day, its fascinating seeing what was used in the game and seeing other instances of the real myths in other games thanks to Okami getting the ball rolling for me! Then of course Okamiden came out and THAT IS THE ORIGINAL OKAMI 2 WE CANNOT FORGET ABOUT THE LIL OUPPY HIMSELF CHIBI!!! I'll admit I may have only played thru Okamiden once.... only because I HAD a complete file and lent the game for a family friend to play on... and they deleted the file and I had been so discouraged to replay it again, maybe with the new game being teased I may play thru it again along with OG okami as well to 100%

Back when I first played Okami initially, I managed to make 2 things just because I loved the game so so much, first being this old clay figure I made. Its missing a leg sadly but I'm still so dang proud of how well younger me managed to even get it so well shaped! Her mirror is a lil worse for wear too but its flames are hanging on by a thread (its removable too!)

Then I forget WHEN I made this but I think I just wanted to paint something small on this tiny canvas I found at the time, and tiny it was! Again probably to broaden my skills as a kid XD

And then in 2019 during one my sisters batchelorette outings we did for fun, we went to this ceramics cafe where we could pick something and just go buck wild and paint whatever we wanted on it. I decided to make the coolest mug ever, and of course did Ammy! Itty bitty Issun to boot XD

Now something cool folks may not have seen that I gots! I didn't use the internet like crazy as a kid so I didn't know about looking things up for games and whatnot, so how did young me even stumble onto Okami to begin with? Well with THESE two books right here!!

NINTENDO POWER BABEYYYYYY!!!!! Back when I had been getting a subscription, these were my introductions to Okami! The One with Sonic on it was the original one that had this section for Okami in the issue, and man when I saw the art for it I fell so hard in love adsfsgdhfj

LOOK AT THEM ARTS IMAGINE HOW COOL THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN TO SEE AS A KID XD

Then the Kingdom hearts one was the one that told me about Okamiden!

I had to go digging for those when I remembered I had them at all, the only other cool things I owned that I didn't make or was the game themselves XD

I'm so hyped Okami is getting a third game and from the trailer alone it's gonna look amazinnnngggg. With how far graphics have gotten today, who knows how much stylization were gonna get that's essentially what they wanted from the original, how far can they push the Sumi-e now that we have the graphic capabilities? I can't wait for news and PRAY it comes to the next gen nintendo console, we got the other two for the nintendo, one being a DS exclusive, so it would be insane if it didn't come to nintendo again.

We must wait and seeeeeeee

Time to continue to be deranged and look at peoples pretty asf art, OKAMI RESURGENCE LETS FRICKING GO FELLAS!!!!

[cffeine]

the majority of the public don't know about or have never seen ability users. the ones who know they exist fear them. of course the ada and pm have so many kids and teenagers employed, where else would they go?

[rosesandalfazemas]

Feliz Aniversario, Portugal

Prince of The Sea

Dragon of The Deep

First and last land

[reashot]

Jaune Phone Call with Papa Arc.

Team JNPR Dorm Room.

Jaune: I'm gonna fail this assignment because my dad won't open up.

Ren: Me and Nora going to fail because our parents were killed because of a Grimm attack.

Pyrrha: Wow I didn't knew that Ren. I'm sorry to hear that. And are you doing Nora's homework?

Nora: Fo'sho. What? You expect me to do my own homework? Please think even less of me.

Ren: Look Jaune, back on topic. A lot of people feel more comfortable talking about personal things when it's not face-to-face.

Nora: Maybe you should try calling your dad.

Jaune: I guess it's worth a shot...

*ring* 🎶

Mistralian Restaurant.

Papa Arc: Hello?

Jaune: H-hey dad. What'chu up to?

Papa Arc: Eating lunch. I just needed a break from work you know. Lately I've been thinking about all the people I've had to kill...

God. The first, five, ten times you take a life it's eerie you remember every detail. I can see all their faces. One had a beard. Each time I pulled the trigger I tied a little knot in my memory no amount of whiskey could loosen...

Nora: *Scoots away from the phone call*

Papa Arc: Of course eventually I stopped caring. Now I can put a bullet through a man's head while figuring out how much VFC to pick up on my way home. It's usually no more than a bucket.

Pyrrha: 😱

Papa Arc: The sick part is I've come to love it. Snuffing out lives. I crave it. I feel like an angel of death, the messenger of eternal darkness, a merciless demon with an unquenchable... Oh! They just put more orange chicken on the Buffett gotta run. *phone ended.

Nora: *Hiding under the bed*

JPR: *Stunned in place*

Back in the Dorm Room

Jaune: I can't turn this in. It's all about my dad killing people.

*someone enters into the room*

Yang: What is this about killing people?

Pyrrha: Hey Yang, it's nothing we're trying to finish our assignment.

Weiss: I already finished mine ages ago. What took you guys so long?

Ren: We're trying to get Jaune's dad to talk about what happened during his time, but so far he's being "uncooperative"...

Blake: How is he being "uncooperative?"

Nora: *shivering* You don't want to know....

Ruby: Oh, maybe I can help you with your dad? 🙂

Jaune: *rub Ruby's head* It's okay Ruby. It's my assignment after all. You don't have to do anything to help me.

Ruby: *purr* 😸 (Oh yeah, that's the stuff... Run my head like you own me. 😚)

Ren: Call your dad again and get him to talk about something else.

*ring* 🎶

Papa Arc: Hello?

Jaune: Hey dad.

Papa Arc: Son, glad you called. I was kind of bumming thinking about your mom.

Jaune: W-what, why?

Yang: (Isn't she the hot one?)

Papa Arc: *sigh* I feel like our lovemaking has lost all its intimacy. We're not attuned to each other's love energy, we're just slamming away...

Jaune: Dad! I'm here with the girls on speakerphone.

Blake: (Don't interrupt him! 😾)

Papa Arc: Hey girls! So, Lovemaking sure can turn into sex without you even noticing it. And why not sex with your mom feels great!

*Team RWBY starts circling in to listen closely.*

Papa Arc: It's easy to think, maybe there is love and then there's the performer in me always trying to get your mom turned on.

Weiss: (Scandalous...)

Papa Arc: I pull her hair, choke her lightly or not so lightly.

Ruby: (I wish Jaune will do that to me one day.🥵)

Jaune: Dad! When you were my age. What was the cost of a loaf of bread.

Papa Arc: The focus becomes how hot she gets. How many times I can make her shudder with pleasure.

RWBY: *giggling*

Jaune: Allright this is enough... *gets tackled to the ground*

Ruby: Don't, disturb your dad! 😠 *gag Jaune's mouth*

Jaune: *muffled scream*

Yang: Dad. What do mom boobs look like?

Papa Arc: I'll tell you Yang they're perfect. Creamy, twins with faint blue veins running over them like cooling streams I can wash my face in it...

Yang: Oh that's hot.... *starts rubbing herself.*

Blake: Hmmph! You never get this hot when you're with me...

Yang: Really? Maybe I should change that then... *long sensual kiss*

So how do you like it my kitty cat?

Blake: ... It's a start. *return kiss*

Ren: Shouldn't we stop this?

Nora: What! No I say we join in and turned it into an orgy.

Ren: Wait, what? *gets mounted by Nora*

Papa Arc: Of course it still wasn't enough for the both of us...

Ruby: So Jaune... Now that everyone are enjoying themselves. Maybe you want to do it with me too? 😊

Jaune: Ruby I...

Pyrrha: You can't! b-because Jaune is mine... *kiss Jaune*

Ruby: *gasp* (How could Pyrrha NTR Jaune away from me? He's mine I saw him first!😫)

Papa Arc: ... And even then we still weren't satisfied. It got so bad your mom decided to bring another woman into our bed to spice things up, as she puts it. Oh, the looks on your mother's face as I plow the other woman in front of her. Turns out your mom likes to look.

Ruby: (Could that be the solution. Me, Jaune and Pyrrha? I mean I do find the both of them to be extremely hot... Ah, who am I kidding. YOLO.) Pyrrha. Can you let me join with you and Jaune? 😇

Pyrrha: Well since you ask nicely...

Jaune: Wait, what do you mean by that? Pyrrha, Ruby why are the two of you looking at me like that??! No, no, no, stay away!!!

Weiss:

(No one wants to be with me 😢)

Papa Arc: And that's why Jaune you probably have another half-sibling running around right now... Oh, you having an Orgy in there? Don't let me stop you, son. But do remember to use protection. Unless you want to have an unexpected surprise like me. But seriously use a condom or I will castrate you... Oops. Gotta go Jaune. My egg fooyong is finally here.

Beacon Academy.

Cardin: ... That's why my Dad walked out of his Dad's funeral & I will walk out of my dad's funeral!

Peter: Great presentation Cardin. Now Jaune you're up. Show me your report on your father.

Jaune: I-I'm sorry, Professor Port but my dad wasn't really willing to answer the questions.

Peter: Nonsense young man. I give you an entire week. What were you even doing all those time?

Ruby: More like what haven't we been doing? 🤭

Pyrrha: *giggle* Stop it Ruby, you going to get us into trouble.

Ruby: I can't help it Pyr. So. Same thing tonight? 😉

Pyrrha: Most definitely, we're not going to let Jaune get any sleep tonight. If you know what I mean.

Peter: Why if I don't know any better, I think you are trying to get out of this assignment?

Jaune: Okay. Is that what you think? Okay professor Port here we go.

*Walks up to the front of the class*

Jaune: *click* Hey dad, I'm calling in front of my history class. So who was the councilman when you were a kid?

Papa Arc: Oh, I don't know but I guess I think about killing myself pretty frequently. And why not. What so great about living? You know when I'm happy? For about five seconds when I first wake up. Before I remember who I am and what my life is about. Anxiety, disappointment, diarrhea more often than not. I don't know if there's an afterlife. But who cares. Nothingness couldn't be worse than my meaningless March through my empty days.

Jaune: You see professor Port... Professor Port?

Peter: He's right, it's pointless, Salem will kill us all... Life Dismissed. *jumps through the window*

Nora: I guess class is over?

[moongothic]

Kinda started rereading Dressrosa and... Although I always chalked up the similarities between Crocodile's plan to take over Alabasta and how Doflamingo took over Dressrosa as nothing but Oda reusing similar plot elements but in a slightly different way (just to show us what could've become of Alabasta had Croc gotten away with his schemes, what Luffy helped prevent from happening to begin with)...

Robin's reaction to hearing the story of Dressrosa and HOW Doflamingo took over the country, that simple little "...!!", actually does kind of speak volumes

Like if you wanted canonical evidence to Crocodile having been "inspired" by Doflamingo, then yeah, Robin would be The Person who would pick up on that, she'd be the person who'd be like "hey, that story sounds awfully familiar to what Crocodile did", since he was her boss

Do want to note that, timeline-wise, Doflamingo only took over Dressrosa 10 years ago, where as Crocodile had been Scheming and establishing his position as the Hero of Alabasta for 16 years. Like Croc's intent to obtain Pluton and create his military nation utopia absolutely pre-dates Doffy's takeover, so that wasn't and can't have been inspired by Doflamingo at all. It's more just the plan and method Crocodile ended up going with (framing the king (through a bloodbath) and putting the country in a position without a ruler where he could just yoink it for himself with ease) where the similarity becomes more obvious. But it is also kind of where it ends. Doflamingo wanted Dressrosa because he felt like he was entitled to the island (as his family had been its original rulers and he was a Tenryuubito), and was using the island for his own gains (Smile manufacturing etc, for his dealings with Kaidou), all while having a great distain and hatred of the world and how he had been "wronged" (=Tenryuubito rights revoked). Meanwhile... yeah, Crocodile wanted to create a "utopia", only targetting Alabasta because he believed Pluton was there and because Pluton would be needed for his ideal military nation. That minor difference and Crocodile's clear and great distain and hatred of Doflamingo combined...

Yeah, I dunno, this is just interesting to me. God I need Robin and Crocodile to have a lil reunion chat