posted
I am starting IV abx in a couple weeks. My LLMD said that most people prefer Hickman/Groshongs over chest wall ports because you don't need to be "poked" every time.
I have had a PICC line before and I hated it beause after only 5 weeks, my skin was completely raw. I would cry during the dressing change. So, we are going with a Port so I don't have to worry about that.
My confusion is...can you get a Hickman/Groshong wet? Does it need a covering over it (tegaderm, etc.)?
Keep in mind I'm 17, and although I'm not active, I am going on a couple vacations this summer, and would like to be able to go in the water if I feel okay enough to do so.
So, anyone have any experience? Or a preference?
Posts: 215 | From Student | Registered: Oct 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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Wow, you are very smart. You have picked up on the fact that you'd have a bunch of people jump all over you if you were to have said you want to swim the English Channel or join the water-skiing team.
Well phrased with your "keep in mind . . ." just want a little recreation note.
I can't answer your question (and I've never done IV), but can pass along one piece that may be of help.
Remember that if you cover an area with plastic it can sweat as you become active or the heat/humidity of the day builds up. So, waiting until you are ready to face the water before you apply the final stage of a waterproof barrier will help keep the salt from your sweat from irritating your line insertion point.
you might be able to have a cotton gauze between your skin and the protective barrier.
I would assume to let it breathe and wipe away the sweaty/salty area soon after you exit the water. There may be a special solution to do this with to balance the pH of your skin. Others will surely have hints for you.
- One other note is to be sure to ask your doctor about sun exposure while on the particular meds and if, in the shade, that would be okay, too, if you are near a lake or reflective surface that might have bounce-back rays.
Wearing a hat and tee shirt in the water, if needed, is better than not going in at all. I learned the hard way, though, that the tee shirt should be a tight cotton weave, not a loose weave as is common with some cover-ups.
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I remember when you first posted here. I am so very glad you have a good doctor and are getting treatment. I hope you have a marvelous recovery and that you can enjoy yourself some this summer.
Summer of teen years is so very special. I have such fond memories, much of them from a swimming pool.
Maybe a fancy beach umbrella would be fun - they are all the rage now.
My Dr said the one thing to make sure I don't do is waterski! LOL! I told him there was NO way in h*** I would EVER do that...Lyme/port or not!
I don't think I will be on anything that will make me sun sensitive...I'll be on Rocephin and maybe something else. He knows I'm going on vacation and that I will be in the sun and he didn't say anything about the sun and sun sensitivity.
I just did a lot of reading, and I think I am leaning towards a chest wall port rather than a Hickman/Groshong. I don't want something hanging off of me all the time! At least with a central port, I can de-access it if I want to for an event, etc.
Anyone else?
Posts: 215 | From Student | Registered: Oct 2007
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posted
I had a port (Bart) a few years back; and there are pros and cons as with all else. First, most people access it only once a week. I did i.v. from Mo-Fr 3x/day. Accessed the port first thing Monday morning and removed the line after the last i.v. on Friday night. At first a nurse helped me accessing it, but I was soon ok on my own. It`s not too difficult. Depending on the med and how many i.v. treatments per day you have to do it is simply not feasable to access it every single time. It`s also not painless. I was glad I could go to the beach on weekends though. The infection rate is supposedly lower with ports than with the other options. I used my port for about 9 months, then went back to orals. During that time my LLMD and I agreed that I would leave it in place just in case the orals did not work out. While it`s just sitting there it still has to get flushed every 30 days. Now comes the nasty part though. At some point I developed pain around the port site, most likely due to a pulled muscle, but since I was not using it the surgeon suggested removing it. I went along. The problem only was that half of the port was missing. I don`t know if you have seen one, but it`s a round stainless steel gadget the size of a small watch with a silicone dome and an adapter to which the tubing (which leads into the vein) is attached. So in my case the surgeon could remove the metall part, but the about 6-8" of silicone tubing had gone missing. I was sent to the radiology department, where they found the missing piece half in my vein, where it had attached itself somehow, but the rest of it dangling in my heart. The radiologist went in through the vein in my groin and worked for a looong time. Finally was able to detach it and retrieve it. Needless to say, if that piece had not attached itself to my vein, I would not be sitting here writing this. I would be DEAD. If the radiologist had been any less patient, it took him about 90 min to just get it detached, I would have a big scar now. As it is I have one anyway, there is the scar from the cut (1") of course, but quite a deep hole where the port was once sitting. I`m very slim, not much fat on me, which is the reason. If you are bigger the body fat will fill the hole. I`m not writing this to scare anyone, but you need to know what can happen, even if it`s rare. Personally, if there is a next time, I will choose something that I can see and hold onto at all times. Not ports for me anymore, thank you very much. Not being able to swim for a summer or two won`t kill me.
Posts: 210 | From VA | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
Kathi, Wow! That's scary!!! I agree about not being able to swim not killing me, but at the same time, I've been there, done that with a PICC and it was no fun.
Part of it is where I live too...it's over 100 degrees here in the summer, and with my PICC line I had to wear special, long shirts to cover my arm and that would be horrible during the middle of summer.
Also, someone once said, when you have a PICC with the dressing, etc. it's harder to do things like epsom salt baths, saunas, etc. These are all really important for detox, and getting better. I wonder if the benefits would outweigh the downside.
More experiences?
Posts: 215 | From Student | Registered: Oct 2007
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posted
Somewhere in the archives, I think, there is a thread with a description of various types of IV devices. Do a search, see if you can find it.
I was given a hickman, not asked what I wanted, and told it could not get wet. Consequently swimming was out, likewise other water sports. Yes, it is a pain to have that tubing dangling there, but you get used to it. Be sure you have all the facts about the various ports if getting wet is important. It also means baths are easier than showers with a hickman. Don't know anything about other ports.
Posts: 8430 | From Not available | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
I live in SC ... tell me about heat. A few years before the port I had a different device. It was just tubing hanging out of my chest, no idea how it was called. It was not so easy either. I only had it for 3 months, but the skin was often inflamed around it and I could not have kept it any longer. I think there is no perfect solution here. With a port just watch out; if you get heart palps get a chest x-ray asap. With me there was no warning though. It even flushed ok, which should have been impossible. Go figure. For now I`m doing well all things considered, so I hope I will never need i.v. again. I really hated it. I can still taste the saline and it has been years... Good luck to you.
Posts: 210 | From VA | Registered: Mar 2002
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