posted
The doc was talking about my 'small' veins and then said I'd have to do this: a picc line or a mid line. Does anyone have any experience with zithromax and a mid-line or doxycycline a picc line???
Is this the ONLY methods to get these antibiotics? I don't get it... Why do I have to?
Thanks!
-------------------- Be well, SAK Posts: 371 | From Up North | Registered: May 2005
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NP40
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6711
posted
Hey Sak,
I'm assuming the doc wants to treat with IV abx because he/she feels it would be more effective. Doxy and zithromax can be taken orally but many people respond better to IV treatment.
My son did zith through a PICC line for months, no problems at all. Well, except for the herx's.
Posts: 1632 | From Northern Wisconsin | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
I am into my fifth week of doxy with picc line (a few more weeks of doxy then I think I am switching to Rocephin). Like you I was nervous. It is really quite easy. I can continue to do just about anything with the picc line. The main problem with doxy is that it needs to drip in over a long period of time. I am injecting 300mg (in a 500ml IV bag) over a three hour period. They give you a portable IV stand so you can walk around, but I have found that if you stay in one place then the drip speed remains constant. If you stand up the drip speed slows due to less gravity.
I am feeling better now than the six weeks before the picc line, so I am hoping the doxy is working.
Although the IV doesn't sound attractive, I know lots of other lyme patients that found the IV was what really made the difference for them. I have babesia, bartonella and lyme.
Posts: 34 | From Colorado | Registered: May 2005
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posted
To answer your other question, the picc line and the main line are the only way to go. There is one other IV port...I forget what it is called. It has to be surgically placed under the skin. I have read that doxy should only be administered through a main line due to the possibility that it destroys the veins (rather strong abx), but my LLMD has me on the picc since I was only going to be on the doxy for 6-8 weeks. Ask your LLMD about doxy potentially damaging veins, and how long you will be on it. The picc line goes in your arm and a small tube travels up your vein where is then branches into a larger vein. This is where the doxy actually gets released, since it is traveling in your smaller vein by tube. So by spilling the doxy into a larger vein, it won't damage the vein. This is what I was told.
Posts: 34 | From Colorado | Registered: May 2005
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arg82
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 161
posted
Here's some info on the different kinds of lines.
Basically there are a few different types.
- Peripheral line - This is the kind that's a needle that just goes into a vein in your hand or arm (or somewhere else sometimes). This is what you get if you're in the hospital. It can last for up to a week before needing to be changed (sometimes it needs to be changed more frequently) and isn't a good option for people on IV antibiotics. It's also not an option for IV Doxy (or IV Zithro if I remember correctly) as they are caustic to the veins.
- Mid-line - Goes into a vein in your arm (usually around the inside of your elbow) and goes up to about your shoulder. It is usually good for 2-4 weeks but some last longer. It's like a PICC line but shorter. It can be placed at home or in a doctor's office and requires no X-ray to check placement since it's not going all the way to your heart.
- PICC line - Goes into a vein in your arm (usually around the inside of your elbow) and extends all the way up your arm and over to your heart. Generally supposed to be good for 3 months but I know many people who have had ones that have lasted much longer than that (I had one that lasted six months and was still fine when it was removed). It can be placed at home, in a doctor's office, or in the hospital but requires an X-ray to check the placement of the end of the line around your heart. [i]Both PICC lines and mid-lines limit the use of your arms as far as lifting is concerned.[i]
- Chest Catheter (Hickman, Broviac, Groshong, etc.) - Similar to a PICC line but placed in the chest. The catheter goes in through the skin and there is always a line coming out. Placed in the hospital but doesn't require surgery. Can be removed without any surgery (just gets pulled out). Some doctors don't require dressing to be on these lines but many do to be more cautious about possible infection. Can last for a year or more.
- Port-a-Cath - It's a small port (about the diameter of a quarter) that is surgically placed in the chest completely under the skin. It's accessed with a special pre-bent needle (called a huber needle) which can stay in for up to a week before needing to be changed. When the port is "accessed" (when a needle is in place), it is covered with a dressing (the same as used for other lines). When it's "de-accessed" (the needle is removed), the port is completely under the skin and you can shower and swim and everything normally. It's placed with minor surgery and minor surgery is required to remove it. Can last for years if there are no problems. When it's de-accessed for long periods of time, it only requires montly flushes with saline and heparin to keep it working. There is also another kind of port called a PAS Port that is placed in your arm but I unfortunately don't have much info about that (although I know someone who has one and really likes it).
I know it all seems overwhelming right now but I feel it's very important to be well informed before making decisions. The actual IV antibiotics aren't hard to learn to do yourself and there are a lot of people on here who can help you through it!
By the way, I did IV Zithromax for two months a few years ago (after four months of IV Rocephin) and I did feel it helped me a little and wasn't difficult to do, although it took longer to infuse than the Rocephin I had been on before it. I've never been on IV Doxy but I know people who have and who have made a lot of improvement on it. I have a port-a-cath and I really love it but I've been on IVs for a long time and when I had it placed I was pulsing them (four days on, three days off) so the port made sense. They're not for everyone but they can be great.
posted
Thanks everyone! I know I don't have the easiest veins to access, and it's true I saw greater improvements with IV.
I am just AFRAID of this picc line though. I hear infections, thrombosis etc. I wish I didn't HAVE to . . .
Can insertion of IV really be done by me?? I didn't know I can do it.
-------------------- Be well, SAK Posts: 371 | From Up North | Registered: May 2005
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arg82
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 161
posted
No, you can't insert your own IV. When I said it can be done at home, I mean that an IV nurse (home health nurse) can come to your home and put the line in.
With a port-a-cath, the accessing and de-accessing can be done by you if you learn and are very careful (I've been doing all my own port care since May and was alternating weeks with a nurse coming for about six months before that).
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Why do I have to? 
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