posted
For 3 weeks, off and on everything under the sorba view bandage has been itcy as hell. I do not itch yet it gets very red and oozes yellow crud. It has been so bad that putting a stat lock down is useless, because the skin that it is attached to will peel off, leaving it floating.
I guess this is common cause it does not seem to worry my llmd to much, they told me to take benadryl and the other day I was in there office and they did not offer to change it. Since this is a common issue maybe someone here can tell me how to deal with it. I am about this close to pulling the line out of my arm, after 6 months I have not seen any improvment anyway!
[ 30. November 2005, 08:51 AM: Message edited by: Bothrops ]
Posts: 208 | From Greenville SC USA | Registered: May 2005
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timaca
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6911
posted
I would NOT think that this is a common occurance with a picc line, and I would see if some other kind of dressing can be used, for what you are going through seems unreasonable!!
And, if you haven't seen improvement with 6 months IVs maybe it is better to try a different route anyway....
I have a picc line in, and I'm not experiencing what you are. So sorry!
Posts: 2872 | From above 7,000 ft in a pine forest | Registered: Feb 2005
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trueblue
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7348
posted
I've had a similar experience. After being on IV for a few months I started getting a very, very itchy red rash under the dressing (Tegaderm, I think). It seemed allergic, like hives, and my skin peeled off.
The nursing service gave me some of every kind of clear dressing they had to try. All of them made me itch, the best of the lot for me was Bioclusive(sp?).
I still was getting the hives but had my nurse put on the smallest dressing possible even if we had to cut them in half. I also had her rotate the spot slightly, moving them slightly to one side or the other to let the worst parts heal.
I had to have dressing changes every 2 or 3 days to keep myself from going completely insane.
I also had problems with the tape, I could only use a certain brand of paper tape. I used to put a piece of plastic tape over a part of the dressing and tape the cap to that when I wasn't infusing so I didn't have anything else stuck to my skin. That way it wouldn't pull up the dressing.
I have no idea if any of that made sense.
Finding the brand that was least itchy helped (I bought them myself after a while). As did more frequent dressing changes.
Bug them to change the dressing more often, it seemed to be good for a couple of days after a change.
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Bothrops: For 3 weeks, off and on everything under the sorba view bandage has been itcy as hell. I do not itch yet it gets very red and oozes yellow crud. It has been so bad that putting a stat lock down is useless, because the skin that it is attached to will peel off, leaving it floating.
I guess this is common cause it does not seem to worry my llmd to much, they told me to take benadryl and the other day I was in there office and they did not offer to change it. Since this is a common issue maybe someone here can tell me how to deal with it. I am about this close to pulling the line out of my arm, after 6 months I have not seen any improvment anyway!
Jake developed a rash under the stat lock. It was red and had some drainage. The home health nurse put a gauze dressings on it. The dressing had to be changed every 2 days. Since the rash got better, the nurse uses Op Site dressing.
They tried a few things to clear up the rash. Jake got a script from his dermatologist and it worked really well. The med is Triamcinolone and it is in a cream form.
If you have a gauze dressing, you can put a thick layer on the rash. Jake's rash is basically gone but he still can have some itching or red spots where the tape touches his skin. The home health nurse puts a thin layer on the rash and uses Op Site dressing.
Good luck!
-------------------- Peggy
~ ~ Hope is a powerful medicine. ~ ~ Posts: 2775 | From MN | Registered: Apr 2001
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posted
I had this happen. It is not good or normal, for me it was an allergic reaction to the plastic bandaging material that developed after two months, we switched but the second type was the same. It ozzed it itched it wouldnt stickright. This means if it gaps, that germs can get into your insertion site, it is no longer sterial, which is bad.
They took it all off and heavily rapped my arm in gauze, which did not hold it on well enough, the gauze slipped around. I need to bend my arm to drive etc.... which made it come loose. I live in the country, we have goats, horse, chickens, I couldnt take the risk of the germ exposier into the insertion site and had it pulled.
Anyway, an ozzing infected site is no good. If you cant get a solution to fix it while keeping it sterile, you are right to want to pull it.
Posts: 222 | From Santa Cruz Mountains, CA USA | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
The redness could be an allergic reaction. BUT, it could also be an infection! You should never have "yellow" oozing from your PICC line site. Definately have it checked out immediately!! Tootie
Posts: 114 | From Seaside, Calif. | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
I get it checked one/two times a week and no one seems to be worried about it but me. Maybe I am over reacting, I just dont want to end up in the ER.
Posts: 208 | From Greenville SC USA | Registered: May 2005
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mlkeen
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1260
posted
It could well ne a yeast infection. It goes with abx.
Talk to the nurse about using monostat cream on the rash not under the bandage for a few days to see if it improves.
posted
Yellow crud oozing sounds like an infection. I've had two lines put in. The second began itching and then started burning like h@ll. MRSA. What literally saved my life was when I picked up a silver bandage with silver in the pad. Don't want to be graphic but at one point I could actually see my chest muscles. It took about 2-3 weeks to get it under control. Hospitals should also carry this type of bandage. Best of luck.
Posts: 731 | From Humble,TX | Registered: Feb 2005
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quote:Originally posted by brentb: Yellow crud oozing sounds like an infection. I've had two lines put in. The second began itching and then started burning like h@ll. MRSA. What literally saved my life was when I picked up a bandage with silver in the pad. Don't want to be graphic but at one point I could actually see my chest muscles. It took about 2-3 weeks to get it under control. Hospitals should also carry this type of bandage. Best of luck.
Posts: 731 | From Humble,TX | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
It looks to me like you are having an allergic reaction to the tape...That's just my opinion. I think you should ask your doc for some benadryl and hypo allergenic tape.
Hope this helps,
Julia
-------------------- Please consult your LLMD before making any changes to your treatment regimen. Posts: 641 | From NJ, USA | Registered: Oct 2001
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quote: Yellow crud oozing sounds like an infection. I've had two lines put in. The second began itching and then started burning like h@ll. MRSA. What literally saved my life was when I picked up a bandage with silver in the pad. Don't want to be graphic but at one point I could actually see my chest muscles. It took about 2-3 weeks to get it under control. Hospitals should also carry this type of bandage. Best of luck.
[/QUOTE]
Posts: 731 | From Humble,TX | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
I had the identical problem...everything you describe and my rash looked just like your picture.We determined that it was a reaction to all that adhesive and plastic....your skin just can't breathe under there. My nurse put the smallest bandage possible, gauze pads, neosporin (away from the hole)and she rotated the position of the bandage. All of that helped some...but total relief did not come until I got the darn thing out after 12 months! Hang in there!
Posts: 107 | From VA | Registered: Mar 2005
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riversinger
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4851
posted
Looks very much like the allergic reactions I had to tape, too. I could tolerate the tegaderm, but not the tape, and the rash looked like what you have.
Insist they try another type of dressing and tape!!!! It may be that simple, but once you have a rash, various things can infect it.
Also, your dressing is pretty dirty. Dirt will aggravate everything. Are you keeping it open to get air?
Dr. B has now changed the protocols for rocephin, so that a PICC line is not neccessary. It is only given 4 days a week, but higher doses. the patient can do without a PICC, and just use a peripheral line. Can't remember what they are called, but very temporary. It might be easier on you. It is only in for the four days each week.
posted
Hey brentb, I dont mean to change my subject, Humble Tx just caught my eye. I grew up close to Lake Houston in Atascocita development. That was way back in the 80's when the oilers, astros and rockets were all good, back when there was still swamps between the subdivisions. We caught like 20 snakes a day in them swamps.
I still pull for the stros and the titans.
Back to the topic, It has only oozed the yellow junk a couple of times and my nurse has said that she thinks it is a yeast infection. Regardless I have not run a fever and if it were infected I would run a high fever, right?
Posts: 208 | From Greenville SC USA | Registered: May 2005
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posted
Riversinger, it does look pretty dirty and even though that is after a full week it looks dirty after a couple days. normally the skin comes up with the adhesive on the bandage and I guess the fabric from my clothes stick to it. I am a clean freak and have been so sence the begining. I change the stocking daily, use a shower arm gaurd when I bathe and use alcohol wipes on everything that is not bathed. I frequantly let it air out without the stocking.
For the first three months everything was good. I know this is a coincidence but the day I started laviquin was the day the itching around the picc started.
Posts: 208 | From Greenville SC USA | Registered: May 2005
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