Hope you are feeling well, and zapping those bugs. I just had my picc line placed on Monday. It was kind of traumatic as they tried my left arm and hit my brachial nerve. So they moved to the other arm, but the picc kept going up my neck. Finally it was in place, but I started having a dull pain in my chest. I told both my nurse and the picc line staff, but they said it was probably just irritation. They said there are no nerve endings in your vascular system. I have had the same kind of chest pain on my right side, but it was never constant. Now, it is as though I can feel the line going across my chest wall. There are no signs of infection, no dicharge at site, no fever, no chills, just this dull pain. Is it possible that my rib wall was just irritated from the Lyme, and the picc line is just rubbing against the vein? Anyone else have this?
-------------------- Mountaingirl
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson Posts: 138 | From West Virginia | Registered: Sep 2007
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cactus
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7347
posted
Hi Mtgirl,
I had chest pain with my first picc line, too.
Like when they placed yours, the tech who placed my picc line had some problems. It was very uncomfortable, and everyone I spoke to kept telling me that it was just irritation, that it would go away. It hurt a lot worse than they seemed to think it did! Even made sleeping almost impossible.
Finally, they figured out I was having some kind of vasculitis, and the vein was spasming. I can't remember all the details, but it sounds similar to your description.
After a week of this pain, they pulled my picc line and placed it in the other arm. The hospital's patient advocate happened to be in the waiting room when I arrived for the second time, heard what had happened, and made sure that a radiologist - not a tech - placed the second picc line.
The difference was astounding! There was no pain. Amazing.
If you keep having problems, don't sit it out quietly - keep calling your doc and anyone else who is monitoring you. They need to know that it still hurts.
Hoping you feel better soon, Cactus
-------------------- �Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?� - A.A. Milne Posts: 1987 | From No. VA | Registered: May 2005
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posted
Yes, I have had the same problems with my new PICC line. It was also placed in the left side.
I also had pain in my shoulder and heart from it. They also told me it was a mechanical phlebitis or vasculitis.
I put up with it for two weeks, trying to be a good, brave patient and wait it out. Bad idea.
When I finally agreed to let them re-x-ray me, they found the line was placed way too low, and sent me immediately to the hospital to have the line backed out.
In the hospital, they backed the line out 3 centimeters and it felt much, much better. (Although I've had an incident with it since, I don't think it's related).
Generally, the nurse who takes care of me said that if a patient has pain or palpitations more than a week after placement, she backs the line out a few centimeters. It usually helps.
Moral is, don't wait. Go for a chest x-ray, or ask them to back your line out a few centimeters.
Don't try to be a good patient. My doc told me that a PICC line is supposed to be 'silent' - you're not supposed to feel it.
Posts: 194 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
For about the first week or 2 after my PICC was placed, I would be able to "feel" it in my chest cavity, especially when bending forward.
The doctor had no problems placing the line, I couldn't believe how fast it was (20 minutes or so). They did it in the Cath lab, so they had the proper imaging equipment in place to monitor the placement of the line.
I agree - if the discomfort lasts more than 10-14 days, I would make a call to the doctor that placed the line.
Robin
Posts: 276 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2006
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Foggy
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1584
posted
Ditto, call the MD. Mine turned out to be the PICC, according to the MD. It was startling, so I can attest & sympathize.
Posts: 2451 | From Lyme Central | Registered: Aug 2001
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Dawn in VA
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9693
posted
I agree with the others- that you should go back for a chest x-ray. Better to be safe,.
If you develop pain in the arm or around your clavical area, please don't hesitate to call your doc or go to the ER. I ended up getting blood clots in three places from the PICC- it had to be pulled early, and was very glad I went in when I did.
Also, check if your blood runs thick (maybe ask your doc to to INR or protime). If so, inquire about either low-dose warfarin as a prophylactic method, or some type of natural anti-coagulant.
(I personally think that should always be part of the pre-PICC-op.)
-------------------- (The ole disclaimer: I'm not a doctor.) Posts: 1349 | From VA | Registered: Jul 2006
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posted
I had a dull achy pain in my chest when my first PICC line was inserted too. It lasted like a week and was different then my normal chest pain. I didnt have any complication upon insertion though so I would check with your LLMD.
-------------------- "One day at a time"
Current: -1.2 IM bicillin three times a week -1.25 IV Vancomycin every day -IV glutathione and IM B12 -Byron White since Jan. 2011 -ALA, Yasko protocal, Adapten-All, thyrosol, Pekano, phosphalipid exchange, probiotics, oregano... Posts: 390 | From FLORIDA | Registered: Jun 2007
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posted
I am going to give it until next Monday. That will be one week from the day my picc line was placed. The first day, I had bad palpitations, but my home health nurse accidentally pulled the line out just a hair on day two. She didn't notice it, but the writing on my line at the enterance site is now outside the site. Anyways, since it was pulled just a tiny bit, I haven't been having as many palpitations. I talked to my doctor about this and he said it was a text book example of when the end of the line brushes against your heart. Your ticker will try to kick the line out by beating rapidly or by palpitating.
As far as the chest pain goes, it is not getting better. I'm going to try my heated buckwheat pillow as a compress. BTW- that little buckwheat eye/sinus pillow is the best thing I've purchased in ages. It is great for stinging headaches, and nerve and joint pain. It smells lovely, too.
-------------------- Mountaingirl
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson Posts: 138 | From West Virginia | Registered: Sep 2007
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posted
Great. I'm at work today. The picc line is still hurting, and now I am bleeding from the site under the tegaderm. I'm waiting for my doctor to call me. I am scared they are going to pull the line. My left arm had nerves "like tree roots" wrapping around the only usable vein on that side. Arrggghhhh! I just want to get better, and this is not helping.
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson Posts: 138 | From West Virginia | Registered: Sep 2007
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posted
Well, it's offical. They are pulling the picc line. The doc said it was just a speed bump and that they will let me heal and then reinsert it in a couple of weeks.
-------------------- Mountaingirl
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson Posts: 138 | From West Virginia | Registered: Sep 2007
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lymeladyinNY
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 10235
posted
Good luck Mtgirl. I just got a PICC placed, and I hate having one.
I'm always nervous something will go wrong.
Will be thinking of you.
Lymelady
-------------------- I want to be free Posts: 1170 | From Endicott, NY | Registered: Sep 2006
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posted
Some of these guys that work on our PICC lines are complete boneheads.
For Example:
Last January, I was hit by a car while crossing the street. Not wanting to lose the use of my legs, I stuck my arm out to protect myself. Bad idea. The arm I stuck out was the one that my PICC line was in.
As you get more and more used to your PICC line, you'll find that it can "tickle" your heart. This is what the radiologist said happened - there was no way it could have penetrated a wall in my heart and create the pain I was feeling... The most the "spaghetti-sized" line could do was "tickle" my heart. (the radiologist wasn't willing to let me jab her in the heart with a spaghetti noodle)
Right after the car accident, I was diagnosed with a heart murmur. You think that doctors would put 2 and 2 together - no! Even though I'd had a complete cardiovascular workup just a couple months earlier (which demonstrated my 25 year old heart to be in perfect working order), this murmur was completely unrelated to the jab I felt when the car struck me (btw, my line wouldn't flush/aspirate after the accident).
I had pain in my heart for months. It had the ability to completely take my breath away and bring me to my knees. I waited patiently to see a cardiologist.
His input - I have a valve that's not closing properly and the wall on the other side of said valve has a small chunk missing. He believes that the PICC line could have done this damage (the only way to confirm this 100% is to do exploratory surgery). I mean, only a complete moron would say it was something else. My options to repair the damage are to wait it out or have open heart surgery - I've chosen to wait it out, though the pain is unmanagable...
The moral of the story:
GO WITH YOUR GUT! It's your body, your heart. If you have a feeling deep down that something isn't right, most likely something isn't.
I'd rather look like a worry wart if there isn't something wrong than have something go wrong and make myself more sick. Be persistent. Someone will get tired of listening to you and finally do something to help.
-------------------- Sometimes when I say �Oh, I�m fine� I want someone to look me in the eyes & say �tell the truth�
Sorry you are going through this. Be sure to PM me the name of the person who inserted it so if I ever need one I know WHO to avoid. he he he
I was thinking of you the other day because I got a last minute appt at the WVU Eye center at Ruby and was up there on Monday. Had my mom take me up and bring me back because I knew I would be all dialated and blind. So, its not like I would have had time for coffee or anything anyway. Definately next time.
Just so you know...if you get your floaters checked in your eyes if you have any...I wouldn't bother mentioning Lyme to the eye center. My "doc" was an associate professor of opthamology and while she was nice to me and all, she looked straight through me when I mentioned Lyme...the tech actually scoffed.
SCOFFED!
I was NOT a fan of the tech at all. She was not a people person.
I was there because Dr. P wants to put me on Plaquenil and wanted my eyes tested first. May as well have gone upstairs to Neurology and gotten scoffed at there!!
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quote:Originally posted by Mtgirl: Well, it's offical. They are pulling the picc line. The doc said it was just a speed bump and that they will let me heal and then reinsert it in a couple of weeks.
My reply came in a little late... It's good that the line is coming out and you can get a fresh start soon.
Hope all goes well next time!!!
-------------------- Sometimes when I say �Oh, I�m fine� I want someone to look me in the eyes & say �tell the truth�
posted
I thought I had already posted here but can't find it.
Anyway, I already had a pre-existing heart condition, so when I went into the hospital for picc, a doctor did it with a bunch of high tech equipment.
But I told EVERYONE I came in contact with that I had Ventricular Tachycardia. I probably even told the janitor when she came in to empty a waste basket!
I was so freaked about anything going anywhere near my heart. Doc took note-and reassured me throughout the procedure that the picc would be placed so that it in no way could irritate my heart.
She even showed me the sonogram of it's placement. I have not had any problems heart related because of it.
I did fall over a floor fan and landed fairly hard so that the whole arm hurt-and I wondered about calling the nurse. But by next morning it was okay.(the fan however broke in two places!)
cactus
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7347
posted
I'm glad they're listening to you - it really shouldn't hurt!
When you get it put back in, tell them all (just like cobweb) that you had problems with another picc. Insist that a radiologist insert the next picc, not a tech.
I have one friend who needed a pediatric line because she is so tiny. You might ask if they can use a smaller line, or even a pediatric line, if you're small or your veins are small.
Hang in there and heal, Cactus
-------------------- �Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?� - A.A. Milne Posts: 1987 | From No. VA | Registered: May 2005
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quote:Originally posted by cactus: I'm glad they're listening to you - it really shouldn't hurt!
When you get it put back in, tell them all (just like cobweb) that you had problems with another picc. Insist that a radiologist insert the next picc, not a tech.
I have one friend who needed a pediatric line because she is so tiny. You might ask if they can use a smaller line, or even a pediatric line, if you're small or your veins are small.
Hang in there and heal, Cactus
The size of your veins isn't related to your body's size... I'm not tiny but needed pediatric PICCs because of my veins.
-------------------- Sometimes when I say �Oh, I�m fine� I want someone to look me in the eyes & say �tell the truth�
posted
Thanks so much for your support. The picc was pulled on Friday, and within about 6 hours the pain in my chest was completely gone. Of course the picc line nurse (as far as I can tell all the people who insert picc lines at Ruby are RNs or Nurse Practitioners) said that I was just "weird" in that they had never seen this type of situation before. They said my pain does not make sense, and they have no idea why it hurt and bled. My doc said it was most likely a mechanical problem, although he did not talk to the picc staff, he just ordered them to pull it.
I took a long, well-deserved nap when I got home from the hospital, but was awoken(sp? tense-Lyme moment-sorry) by a sharp pain that traveled where the line had been across my chest, into my heart accompanied by a strong set of palps, and then out to the opposite arm. I'm starting to wonder if I had a blood clot. Of couse, the picc staff would not x-ray the line. They just pulled it. Also, I noticed a really weird looking bruise yesterday. It was about a half an inch across from the enterence site, and ran down to my elbow. It looks like a deep bruse, is slightly raised, and is yellow with speckled broken capalaries. I honestly wonder if maybe I had a clot at the enterance site of the picc that had backed down my arm. I actually took pictures of it on my phone so I could show my doctor.
My doctor is supposed to call tomorrow to discuss the next move. I am NOT looking forward to going through this again, and am freaked out that the picc people will hit my brachial nerve again. I am still having nerve pain and tingling all the way down my arm from their last attempt. I hate sounding like a whinner, but have I mentioned that this is not fun at all?
-------------------- Mountaingirl
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson Posts: 138 | From West Virginia | Registered: Sep 2007
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Saw your thread too late - I had an ache the first week, they did an ultrasound and all was well. The insertion was uneventful, I went out of state.
Line was removed late August and I worked out some `stiffness' in my arm & chest. IV meds were an experience and I am so thankful that so many people took so much risk to treat me.
I met some great home health nurses - one is now a very good friend and also fighting Lyme.
If you want some local support, please PM. I am in Motown! There is talk of starting a support group in the area.
I've been dx'd almost a year now. I had no idea - so much to learn and piece together - so many brave souls.
BTW - my MS has been `cured' by IV abx!!! I'm just a tad `ticked' about neurologists' CW - Avonex sucks bones and I have a few opinions about Biogen...
Robin
Posts: 47 | From morgantown, wv | Registered: Feb 2007
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posted
Robin, I just PM'ed you! Woohoo for Morgantownies!
-------------------- Mountaingirl
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson Posts: 138 | From West Virginia | Registered: Sep 2007
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