Hi, Just recently my doctor (finally found a good one!!!) told me that he wants me to have a groshong port put in (http://um-jmh.org/body.cfm?id=1578) so that i can have iv rocephine.
I'm pretty freaked out about this. The whole idea of having it in scares me. Do any of you have any thoughts or advice?
Thanks. Naomi
Posted by Monica (Member # 224) on :
First of all, don't freak out. It may seem scary, but the "not knowing" is worse than it really is.
You will have to keep it dry and not lift anything heavy with the arm where it's inserted (I'm assuming it will be placed in an upper arm as mine was).
There are plastic sleeves available (I got mine on line) that keep it dry while showering.
My dressing was changed weekly by a visiting nurse.
You will no doubt learn how to use the picc line to admit the antibiotic into your system. It's not that complicated. Easy for me to say. I once dumped an entire day's Rocephin on the rug by not making sure the clamps were closed!
Good luck. I'm sure everything will go well.
Posted by arg82 (Member # 161) on :
There is another topic going on about this. Another person to start Rocephin soon with a Groshong put in place. You can see the topic here.
A Groshong is placed in the chest but is similar to a PICC (as far as what I've read goes). I've never had one but I do have a chest port so I can comment on chest lines. There are much fewer restrictions on lifting and movement with a chest line and I believe sometimes doctors don't require a dressing to be on a chest line like a Groshong, but that's not always so don't take my word for it. I do know that if I'd decided to go with an external chest line (Groshong, Hickman, etc.) my surgeon was going to let me shower with it after it healed a bit.
There are links on the other post for more info on Groshongs and other IV lines.
I had a groshong picc line and it was very easy to manage and keep clean. Why does he want it to be a port? Just curious, not being critical. Hiker
Posted by treepatrol (Member # 4117) on :
Hey if you dont want to do abx via a IV pic port you dont have to. Just go with orals at high doses.Good Luck.
Posted by Naomi (Member # 4846) on :
Thank you for your reply's! I guess maybe I have my terminology wrong? What I'm having put in is a groshong Catheter or central line. Its where the tube comes out of your chest.
It's comforting to read that a lot of people do fine with these. The whole thing really freaks me out. I HATE being sedated and everything about having it put in freaks me out.
Off to do some more reading...
Posted by lymeloco on :
Annie I've never heard of grohong pic, so I went on the internet to get info and there was only one sight.
I think it's a porn site! What's with that? All I did was type in grohong pic! I couldn't believe it!
Posted by arg82 (Member # 161) on :
I didn't say Groshong PICC. I said a Groshong is LIKE a PICC in that it comes out from the chest. I don't believe there's anything called a Groshong PICC. Search for "Groshong" or "Groshong Catheter" or "Central Line" and you should get some info. Or go to the other post about Groshongs here where I posted some sites with info about Groshongs.
Oh, and it appears you spelled it wrong. It has an "s" in it. That could be why you brought up a porn site (probably thought you were searching for a picture of someone).
[This message has been edited by arg82 (edited 29 July 2005).]
Posted by lymeloco on :
Thanks Annie, I probably did spell it wrong! I should've written it down first...memory is real bad!
Posted by paulscha (Member # 6334) on :
You're just confusing terms a bit. A Groshong line is coated with heparin, so you don't have to flush it with heparin to keep it clear - that's the distinction, it has nothing to do with placement. Standard PICC's aren't coated with heparin so you flush them with it regularly.
