I go in for outpatient surgery tommorrow to get an external catheter where home health will show me how to administer my own antibiotics. Not sure yet what kind of anti's but I will be doing this for 3 months. Nervous. Anyone else have one of these?
[ 03-08-2011, 03:30 PM: Message edited by: IndyColtsFan ]
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
PICC line??
Quite a few here have PICC's. I'll move this to Medical so you can get some support and info!
Good luck with the surgery!!
Posted by IndyColtsFan (Member # 30785) on :
Thank you Lymetoo!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
I thought some would be able to give you some tips that would help .. esp in the days following.
Posted by karatelady (Member # 7854) on :
Indy, I had a picc line put in which was set up at a hospital (outpatient) near my LLMD's office. I never felt a thing and they were very professional (I was so nervous). I had the line in for about 9 months and had no problems at all. The home health nurse came and changed the dressing every week. It was nice being able to administer the antibiotics from home. Sandy
Posted by blinkie (Member # 14470) on :
Yep...mine just passed the one year mark. I had the first one pulled due to a hole in the line but my second one has worked like a champ.
You will have some pain and discomfort at the site for a day or two after the insertion but nothing too bad.
You may get a line clog at some point. Not to worry, though. Your body might naturally try to encapsule the foreign invader and produce a fibrin sheath around the end of the line. They can use a medication called cathflo to clear the line. Some places freak out and pull the line but that is usually not necessary.
I had a home health care compan ythat was a joke. Now, I go to the infusion clinic at the hospital.
Also, keep up on your probiotics. I sometimes get yeast infections under the dressing and the itching is enough to send you to the madhouse. If I keep up on my probiotics and move the statlock each week at my dressing change (to let the skin breathe) then I have no problems.
Also, I cannot tolerate chloraprep so if you end up with anykind of allergic reaction it could be the cleaning agents they use.
It is a learning curve to have a PICC but well worth it.
ps you'll want to invest in some Glad Press N Seal...it's exceptional at keeping water out while you are showering.
Posted by sammy (Member # 13952) on :
Think of the PICC line as a long sturdy IV. A specially trained nurse or radiologist will place it for you. You will not need to be sedated and the procedure only takes about 10min. After the PICC line is inserted you will have a chest x-ray to verify the placement. Then you get to go home.
Your arm may be sore for a couple days after the procedure. Rest your arm, use a warm compress over the site, and take some ibuprofen to reduce inflammation and relieve pain.
Invest in a PICC line cover or cast cover to keep your dressing dry in the shower. I like the Drypro PICC cover. http://www.drycorp.com/ I can put it on and take it off without help. I found the Glad Press N Seal difficult to put on by myself and it did not always keep the water out.
If you can, ask a friend or family member to go with you to the hospital tomorrow. They will help you relax and help you remember your home care instructions for caring for the PICC.
Good luck tomorrow Posted by racer (Member # 30438) on :
My 14yo has a picc line (5 weeks). It has gotten easier to deal with, once we got used to it.
She hated the pressNSeal - it pulled on the little arm hairs too much... sensitive kid though. So we cover well with ace bandage, and wrap - and carefully take baths. I do the hair washing part.
racer
Posted by lyme987 (Member # 22148) on :
I've had three piccs in the last three years. The procedure is pretty easy and pain free-then again I think my pain threshold has been boosted since lyme and Co.
It becomes part of you after a while. things that were so scary at first, 4 days later you can do in your sleep.
The press and seal is a great product to use in the shower. I still held my arm up in the air though to not get it wet and put an old sock over it (cut off the toes) for extra protection
Good luck
Posted by IndyColtsFan (Member # 30785) on :
Well it went well guys. I will type more later but kind of woozy right now!
Posted by IndyColtsFan (Member # 30785) on :
Today I feel like I've been stabbed in the chest. Trying to keep it under control with pain meds and home health care came today and changed the dressing. They told me they would have to be the one's who changed the dressing once a week but Monday they are coming to teach me how to administer the antibiotics. I'm super stressed today because of the expense I'm going through and the missed time off work. I think stress can aggravate the pain too
Posted by blinkie (Member # 14470) on :
I don't think you should be having chest pains wit ha PICC line. Have you told this to the hospital staff?
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