My doc wants me to try IV Tygacil. Is the PICC line painful? Is it dangerous? I have read about it on the net and it sounds unpleasant.
Posted by ktkdommer (Member # 29020) on :
My son found it uncomfortable for a bit but nothing horrible. The procedure goes pretty quickly. He didn't have any dangerous issues with his PICC during the 10 months it was in. He had a great nurse that came to the house once a week to clean the site and rebandage it. Good luck!
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
I honestly could never do it. I was in the hospital once for two weeks with An iv and I cried every day. I can barely tolerate shots. No pain tolerance at all
Posted by Amanda (Member # 14107) on :
IT should not be painful. If it is, itcould be a sign that the viens in your arm are small and/or close to nerves.
They should look at the viens in your arm right before the procedure. You can try consulting with teh person who puts it in before hand, asking that if your viens looks small, that they either put in a pediatric picc line, or consider having a port put in.
Don't let them tell you that your viens "look ok" by just using their eyes, or summing you up size wise. They need to use x-ray type equipment. I am a good size person, and my viens are small
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
i found out later that i have to have a pediatric needle, or baby needle..
they blew my veins using too big a needle.
Posted by sammy (Member # 13952) on :
The PICC insertion is not bad. You will feel the stick but that is to be expected. They will try to numb your arm with Lidocaine, that might help. After that initial stick, all you should feel is slight tugging sensation as they thread the catheter inside. It is weird but not bad or painful.
Afterwards my arm did hurt for several days. Be prepared for that. Use warm compresses to relieve the pain. Ask your doctor if you can take advil. You can and should use the arm, just baby it a little at first. It will heal.
I slept with a pillow tucked under my arm for several months because if I allowed my PICC arm to rest on my ribs all night I would wake up in pain. This also kept me from sleeping on my PICC arm. Two very helpful things for me!
Once your arm is healed you won't feel the PICC line at all. It will annoy you having it there on your arm every day. You will have to flush it and maintain it and keep it covered and answer questions from nosey people in public... But it is there for a purpose, to help you get better.
Take care.
Posted by jmb (Member # 18338) on :
I had no pain when the line was installed. Was a little sore for a week after. After that, no pain. I took some chances with it; with exercise and ocean/river/pool exposure. But the home nurse came every week to change the dressing, and the line was fine.
To be a little anxious is natural. I was a little at first too, but I decided that I would rather be anxious a little now, than still sick later.
In the end, the IV worked well for me. Not perfect, not even fine. But I am off all abx now for the first time in 3.5 years and seem to be stable.
Posted by dmc (Member # 5102) on :
A PICC line should be placed by an Interventinal Radiologist under a X-Ray TV to insure proper placement. The line goes from your upper arm to the heart.
The llmd should set it up w/ a hospital or vein type clinic.
If it is done this way it is virtuslly painless. Sterile enviornment & numbed arm.
I didn't feel a thing. Only was slightly sore later that night.
Had a midline (not as far up to heart) by a nurse...painful.
Tigecyl was the "ticket" for me. Others here had hard time tolerating Tigecyl. I found after 1st month nausea only came in dribs & drabs.
The first couple weeks I lived on ginger-ale & crackers. I never did any anti-nausea meds while on it.
By the 3rd month was fine (eating while infusing).
Would have loved to do more than the 4 months but I did too much w/arm & developed a clot alongside the PICC line.
Good Luck.
Posted by Life+Lyme (Member # 33568) on :
My doctor and I decided for me to get a Port. If I am not mistaken, it is more "permanent." I think you can have it for longer amounts of time because it isn't as exposed. I have had mine for a year, and when I have to go off antibiotics for one reason or another, I just have to access once a month to flush. If you aren't accessed, you can take a shower as normal. Just a thought!
Posted by bv (Member # 9578) on :
Thank you for all your replies. The pediatric size is not something I would have thought about. Also, I will check with my Doc about using a radiologist for the procedure.