posted
For about the past month or so, I have developed an itchy rash with my PICC line...and...it doesn't seem to go away with different dressing changes, antimicrobials, etc., which we have tried. It seems to be around the statlock and dressing itself, but is all around the dressing, both inside the dressing and outside of it. It is driving me nuts! I have tried hydrocortisone, as recommended by both my visiting nurse and my LLMD and that doesn't really provide much, if any, relief.
Any ideas on what will help? The itching is REALLY bad.... Ugh....
Thanks in advance!
~tri
-------------------- ? date of bite/no rash 10/09 symptoms, 4/10 diagnosed, after 6 mos. ER visits, tons of docs/tests CDC+ 23/39/41/45/58/66/93 currently on oral plaquenil, doryx, rifampin, pyrazinamide, nystatin, numerous supplements Posts: 718 | From Pennsylvania | Registered: Jun 2010
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posted
Hey there, too foggy/weak to think straight but I went nuts with the Tegaderm so we switched to Mepilex (sp?) with one dressing on top of another to hold the lumen in place.. no tape..
Is your R.N. allowing the area to dry well during a dressing change? Any moisture would make things worse. Sorry you're going through this, it is a challenge to see what works and I take it one day at a time!!!
Posts: 394 | From Southeast | Registered: Oct 2012
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posted
Ditto on the bandage. I am so sensitive to adhesives. What ever they are using to cleanse before dressing can cause an allergic reaction.
Also if you are not allergic to the cleanser whether it be chloraprep or betadine, it can still cause a rash and itching if it isn't dry before dressing.
I have a port but have had the same issue if chloraprep isn't dry before the bandage goes on.
Also, I use sorbaview bandages. Anything else causes itching and takes the skin off.
-------------------- Faithful
Just sharing my experience, I am not a doctor. Posts: 2682 | From Colorado | Registered: Oct 2009
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Mathias
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5298
posted
Have you considered a seeing a dermatologist?
-------------------- Mathias Posts: 1242 | From New Jersey | Registered: Feb 2004
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Haley
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 22008
posted
Do you use Chloraprep? I had a reaction to that. I switched to iodine and never had any problems.
Posts: 2232 | From USA | Registered: Aug 2009
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posted
For my son we used no tape, and we held the statlock in place with only pressure and wrapping gauze and an ace bandage. We stuck the statlock to a piece of gauze so it didn't touch the skin.
We changed it and cleaned the area every night.
PM me if you want the instructions.
-------------------- Son, 26, Dx Lyme 4/10, Babs 8/10 Had serious arthritis, all gone. Currently on Valtrex Daughter, 26,bullseye 7/11 arthritis in knees, cured and off all meds. . Self:Lyme, bart, sxs gone, no longer treating. Posts: 496 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Jul 2010
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posted
Bio patches have Chloraprep too. My daughter had the itchy burning rash.
We switched to betadine and alcohol. No rash.
We waited a month and then tested Chloraprep on her leg. It broke out in red itchy bumps.
She now uses only the cover which is Tagaderm and no Biopatch or Chloraprep.
Certain tapes also make it worse.
Good luck!
Posts: 333 | From Lyme Here Too | Registered: Mar 2010
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blinkie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 14470
posted
If those things didn;t help, it's likely yeast. I had them bad and frequently over the course of 2 years. Get on diflucan.
Posts: 1104 | From N.California | Registered: Jan 2008
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'Switched to betadine for cleaning and Sorbaview dressing, which is seeming to help. Rash not gone yet, but definitely better! Thank goodness!
~tri
-------------------- ? date of bite/no rash 10/09 symptoms, 4/10 diagnosed, after 6 mos. ER visits, tons of docs/tests CDC+ 23/39/41/45/58/66/93 currently on oral plaquenil, doryx, rifampin, pyrazinamide, nystatin, numerous supplements Posts: 718 | From Pennsylvania | Registered: Jun 2010
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posted
i also had a terrible itching, burning rash...after much trial and error, i have found complete relief by not using chloraprep and using a bandage called iv3000 by smith & nephew. good luck!
Posts: 43 | From new jersey | Registered: Jul 2010
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CD57
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11749
posted
Can you get a hold of silver patches? I had that rash and they gave me colloidal silver patches and it worked like a charm.
Posts: 3528 | From US | Registered: Apr 2007
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ktkdommer
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 29020
posted
The key for my son and picc area rashes was to let it dry REALY well after the cleaning and before putting on the new bandage. Once our nurse did this, the rashes were so much better.
Thinking of a port for the next round.
-------------------- Things are never dull. After 3 fighting Lyme, 2 are in remission. Youngest is still sick, age 22. He has new diagnosed Chiari Malformation and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Posts: 1366 | From Perrysburg, Ohio | Registered: Nov 2010
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posted
I never got a rash with it, but my PICC line itched LIKE CRAZY. All of the time.
I'm really sensitive with adhesives - whenever they stick medical tape on me after a blood draw, I get a rash there. So we weren't ever able to find anything to make it not itch.
I did find that putting an ice pack on it gave me more relief than benadryl, or any of the sprays they recommend for usual itchiness.
Posts: 306 | From Brownsville, PA | Registered: Jul 2007
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blinkie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 14470
posted
Try yeast treatment
Posts: 1104 | From N.California | Registered: Jan 2008
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Razzle
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 30398
posted
If steroid cream doesn't help, either the trigger for the allergen is still present, or the rash is infection related (i.e., yeast).
When I used chloraprep with my PICC, I had to make sure the nurse waited for it to completely dry, otherwise it was horribly itchy all week.
For me, the Betadine was fine at first, but then I started having mild itching with it. Switching to chloraprep helped, and so did using the biopatch.
I also got pressure rashes wherever the lines of my PICC were coiled up against my skin...not so much itching as just really dry & flaky skin.
-------------------- -Razzle Lyme IgM IGeneX Pos. 18+++, 23-25+, 30++, 31+, 34++, 39 IND, 83-93 IND; IgG IGeneX Neg. 30+, 39 IND; Mayo/CDC Pos. IgM 23+, 39+; IgG Mayo/CDC Neg. band 41+; Bart. (clinical dx; Fry Labs neg. for all coinfections), sx >30 yrs. Posts: 4166 | From WA | Registered: Feb 2011
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posted
Hey there... I have had SEVERE picc line dressing rashes that lasted for months simply from having a dressing I was allergic to on my arm for less than 5 minutes.
I even had to have a PICC removed just so my arm could heal because the irritation was so extreme.
It was a nightmare! I fantasized about having my arm removed. It was that bad...
Tegederm is the worst... I don't think they should use that stuff on ANYONE as most people are allergic to it!
Sorbaview was a little bit better than tegederm for me, but still untolerable.
I now use a dressing called OPSITE made by a smiths&nephew
I get it through walgreens..
Its awesome and has been life changing for me!!! I definitely reccommend it!
Also, you may need to ask for a stat lock made out of a different material.
The ones that come in my kits are full of adhesive and different than the foam ones...
I have to request the foam kind and they send those on top of the ones that come in the dressing kit that I can't use.
You may already be using foam ones...
Whem my arm gets irritated I will skip on the statlock and use steri strips under the dressing to hold the line in place.
Also, with my last bad rash it was a nighmare recovering... (I could kill the nurse who covered my arm with 2 HUGE tegederm dressings despite knowing how allergic I am)
For over a month my husband would have to trim my opsite bandages to the smallest size possible...
He would make the bandage just big enough to cover the line...
Then he would change the dressing every 3 days and move the bandage over to a different spot so a new part of my arm could breathe.
For example, Sometimes the bandage would be veritcal, sometimes horizontal, sometimes diagnal.
It was very important for new bandages to be rotated so more irritated skin could have air and heal.
At night I wore a wrap around cloth bandage over my dressing since it was so small and I didn't want it getting messed up from moving in my sleep...
During the day I took the cloth covering back off.
Now that I am healed from allergic reactions from bad bandages, I use my beloved opsite bandages every week and my arm looks and feels fine
Also, like everyone said, its crucial to always let the cloraprep dry completely before putting on a bandage to prevent issue.
Ice packs were the best relief from the horrible itching...
The best cream for me was florasone. Even so, it still took months to fully recover from my reactions. I don't think there are any miracle creams unfortunately.
I especially reccommend that if you get another picc line (I'm on my 3rd) to get a doctors note saying they can absolutely NOT use tegederm on your arm for even a second.
Every single time I've gotten a picc the nurse who says shes never seen anyone more allergic that tegederm than me, STILL puts tegederm on me!
She says "it doesn't matter since it won't be on very long" and then I go home and suffer for 2 months straight.
I've gone through so much unnecccessary torture because of ignorant care.
Its crucial for anyone with sensitive skin like me to avoid all bandages that may be irritable, because once the irritation occurs, it can take FOREVER to heal, even after you start wearing bandages you aren't allergic to.
I highly reccommend OPSITE bandages and will never put anything else on my arm ever again.
Anyone with sensitive skin and bad reactions to adhesive really should try opsite!!!
Anyway, hope I helped Posts: 442 | From usa | Registered: Oct 2010
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