Can you swim with one of these?
Posted by lymex5&counting (Member # 7202) on :
Yes, if you purchase a Xerosox. You will need to measure your bicep and it can also be trimmed. You can call and they will help you with size.
I boogie boarded on Spring Break and I use it everytime I shower. I have had my PICC since December and I have only needed the one. It ran about $54 including shipping but worth every penny.
I would use saran wrap, etc in the beginning to shower. And it would always be wet under my Tegaderm no matter how much I used.
I hope this helps. I have no affiliation to this company. I just happen to be a satisfied customer. Dr Jones actually gave me a flier on it about 2 years ago and when I finally got my PICC and was so tired of it getting wet or trying to keep my hand out of the shower, I ordered it.
If anyone says I need a tinyurl or something like that I have no idea how to do it so please don't ask. But feel free to help me by changing it if you can.
Best wishes with your PICC,
Lyme x 9
Posted by WildCondor (Member # 434) on :
I wouldn't swim with a PICC line due to the risk of infection. Not a wise idea.
Posted by timaca (Member # 6911) on :
Most I ever did with my picc line was stay near the edge of the pool, with my arm out of the pool on the ledge. It was wrapped in towels so it wouldn't get wet.
You don't want to mess with getting any kind of infection in the line.
Which raises another question....are you getting monthly blood cultures done on blood drawn from the picc line to check for sub clinical infections?
It was one such blood draw and culture that caught a fungal infection in my line, before it bacame a fungal infection in me!
Timaca
Posted by AP (Member # 8430) on :
I went swimming with the aformentioned PICC protector and didn't have any problems...
Posted by seibertneurolyme (Member # 6416) on :
timica,
Sounds like you have a very cautious doc. Hubby has never had this type of test and he has had a PICC in place continuously for almost 4 years now.
I sure would not advise swimming with one in. I do all the bandage changes for hubby and he has never had any problems, but even if he was physically able to swim I think I would keep him out of the water -- I just think that would be an avoidable risk factor.
Bea Seibert
Posted by timaca (Member # 6911) on :
HI Bea~ Yes, I have a very careful doctor. He took over my care from another doctor. I had had the picc line in for some time (4-5 months). He insisted that if he was going to be my LLMD, and I was going to have a picc line, that I HAD to have the monthly blood cultures done.
The first one I had done was positive for a fungal infection. I called my LLMD and he called me back within 10 minutes. He was concerned for since this was the first culture ever done on the line, and it was positive, he didn't know how long the line had been infected.
The line got pulled. The tip of the picc was cultured, and LOTS of blood was taken from me over the next several days checking for a fungal infection in me (which can be deadly).
I felt fine the whole time. I never knew my line was infected. To be honest, my LLMD likely saved me from having a serious problem due to his careful screening of my picc line.
If I had another picc line, I would have it checked monthly.
Perhaps you could look into your getting your hubby's picc line checked out.