The difficulty will be getting them to okay more than a month's IV treatment. That is a journey that is new to us.

My son got to choose between a mid-line catheter and an the inch hep-lock one.

He is pulsing the rocephin (4 days on/3 off) so he chose the catheter that isn't permanent but he was so very worried he would lay on his arm and cause it to come out of his arm. (Don't think he slept much).

He has been sick 6 years and on oral abx only for the last two years.

I am sure more experienced people will post or send you an email.

I have had a few mishaps in the 9 months...due to an accident my line came out too far so it had to be redone...also I got a blood clot on the line very close to my heart so had to get that line removed and put in the other arm. I have just pulled the darn thing out 2 inches but we are just working around that for now.

Would I recommend it...absolutely if symptoms warrant it. I have major neuro symptoms and although progress for me has been very very slow, I support the theory that perhaps an IV is best for brain issues. I am convinced that SOMETHING is holding back my progress but we can't find that something as of yet. Very frustrating! Still trying!

The picc line, drugs, home healthcare are very very costly. My insurance has been great and I feel very blessed with that. I reached my whole year's out of pocket in January. Make sure you do the homework first...you don't want to be surprised by a $10,000 or so denied claim for ONE MONTH!

Downsides to picc lines....can't do much in the way of aggressive exercise....bathing is a problem as it can't get wet....my skin is raw where the sight is with the constant adhesives.....rocephin has caused some gallbladder problems....risk of blood clots

What I have put through my picc line to date...rocephin, zithromax and vancomycin. Also..weekly vit c and magnesium.

quote:

---

Originally posted by liz28:

The big question with IV rocephin seems to be whether it kills all the Lyme, or chases them into dormancy. That's a question for more knowledgeable people on the board.

---

I would suggest something other than Rocephin....like maybe Claforan.

I took 1 gram of Rocephin everyday for 13 months. I was also on Flagyl towards the end to break cysts.

Vitamins, mild exercise, eating habits and positive attitude had something to do with my getting better as well, but I owe it mostly to IV.

It wasn't an easy journey, but I will go through it in a heartbeat if I ever get Lyme symptoms again.

E-mail me and I'll share more of my story with you.