posted
I have been advised by my LLMD in NY that I will need to go on Ricephin due to my serious eye involvement.
I have been wanting this for some time now. I have no problem with getting the meds and training and line care here at home. The problem is getting the PICC put in.
Can you get a PICC put in privately in the US an if so , how much would it cost? I of course would have a referral from my US doctor.
Any advice would really help me here. I am flying over Jan 12th to 17th and staying with family. I could have it fitted then.
Thanks.
Take care.
Neil
-------------------- Pos BB and Bart(Q & H IGG pos) Began treat 1 year after start of illness. Diagnosed Feb 2007. Posts: 648 | From Ireland | Registered: Jan 2007
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Kathy Boss
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3062
posted
It depends on where your insurance wants you to go and pays for you to go. If you are paying out of pocket then you need to see what clinics are available in the city you will be in.
A picc line not a mid line needs to be done at an imaging clinic where a trained radiologist inserts the line watching it on a screen.
I just had one for the first time and a RN did it in room that was not what I would call sterile by any means.
She tried for 4 hours on one arm stick after stick. She then went to the other arm which is when I told her she had one chance maybe two I couldn't take it anymore.
She got a midline in not a picc the second time. It was hell and did not last 5 days and had to come out. This time insurance sent me to an imaging clinic where it was done by a radiologist in less than an hour, no pain and done right. In a surgery room with assistants.
Now after reading about all the complications I can't believe I was sent to the "hatched" shop to start with.
The tip of the line drops down into a small chamber in the top of your heart. They must be looking at this to see it is positione correctly.
The RN just threaded you like a needle then tells you to go to the hospital (which you would have to go thru ER) to get the x-ray to make sure it is in position correctly.
are you kidding me? Guess what if it's not? It has to be done all over again. They can pull back on it a little bit but it can not be pushed back in. And what if is too far into the chamber.
OMG!
Make sure yu get all the information you can on who does it and how. You risk infection or worse yet air in the vein.
Piccs are great, if the right person is doing it for you. And, trains you. You don't want to run an IV with air in the line either.
Best of luck with your rocehpen, it helped me allot. Call or write if I can help at all.
Posts: 1092 | From CA | Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
My ins. co. denied my daughters first picc line, even so, we were able to go to the local hospital and have one put in....for $2,000 or $3,000 (I forget). As long as we had a prescription from our doctor for the picc and made an appt. with the radiology dept. beforehand.
My daughter now has a Port, which ins. payed for, and it worked pretty much the same way.
Where in NY is your LLMD? My daughter see's 2 NY LLMDs and had the PICC put in at a NY hospital, who did a great job...
Good luck!
Posts: 371 | From CT | Registered: Jun 2008
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posted
Hi Kathy, JKM...thanks for the info. I am not a US citizen so insurance will not be covering anything. I am on my own in that regard. I also don't have 2 or 3 grand to pay for it. God I was afraid that would be the case.
Who the **** prices these things anyway. Its not brain surgery.
I will talk to my LLMD on 05th and see what he suggests. Anyone else have any ideas?
-------------------- Pos BB and Bart(Q & H IGG pos) Began treat 1 year after start of illness. Diagnosed Feb 2007. Posts: 648 | From Ireland | Registered: Jan 2007
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Angelica
Unregistered
posted
Save your $2000. to $3000. for mangosteen juice. Just kidding! if you are in Asia anyway couldn't you get a PICC line fitted in a hospital there for a lot less?
Thailand is suppose to have some good hospitals.
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posted
Well this is a tricky situation!! I would do one of two hings! I would either try to get it piut in at a hospital in NY and ask them if they can work with you on the amount! I know like someone mentioned before it was $2000 to $3000 for the procedure. I know for a fact insurance does not pay that much! They pay half of that to the Hopital so with that said see if you can work it out so you would only have to pay what insurance does and possibly make payments!
Also I know some LLMD's have facilities you can go to to have it put in. I see an LLMD in Ny- Manhattan and they can put it in for $700.00! I am not sure though if this might me the place that jkmmc09 was talking about or not. If so don't do that! I have always had mine done at the hospital b/c it is very important that they x-ray you after it is put in! They need to make sure it is not in too far! If it is in too far it will make your heart flutter!! Then they will have to back it out!
Why can't you take the order back to Ireland and have it done at the hospital? As long as you have an order for it!
I wish you the best of luck with that but it is very important that it is done correctly!!!
Take Care and God Bless, Onmyway
Posts: 131 | From Georgia | Registered: Oct 2008
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posted
My LLMD is up in Hyde Park. Its a sizable clinic and they did do a gluthatione push last time I was there. I know its a bigger deal of course but they had enough nurses around.
Hi Angelica, The truth is I would not get much xango for 3000 grand
-------------------- Pos BB and Bart(Q & H IGG pos) Began treat 1 year after start of illness. Diagnosed Feb 2007. Posts: 648 | From Ireland | Registered: Jan 2007
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posted
Thats some good advice onmyway....thanks for taking the time. Happy thanks giving to all of you by the way. I gotta wait another month for my Turkey.
The yeast free diet will be thrown out the window, the gloves are comin off!!
-------------------- Pos BB and Bart(Q & H IGG pos) Began treat 1 year after start of illness. Diagnosed Feb 2007. Posts: 648 | From Ireland | Registered: Jan 2007
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posted
My son was treated with IV antibiotics for Lyme and ended up with a PICC line infection. Fortunately, he spiked a fever rapidly and we were able to recognize that there was a problem before he became septic and faced serious medical problems.
As some of the previous threads have noted, the insertion of the PICC line requires great skill. In addition, great care must be taken while the PICC line is in place to prevent infection. For these reasons, I would not recommend trying to bypass protocol for the insertion or maintenance of a PICC line. Highly trained and qualified individuals must be used, with all instructions followed by the patient.
-------------------- Audrey Posts: 19 | From East Lyme, CT | Registered: Feb 2007
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are you kidding me? Guess what if it's not? It has to be done all over again. They can pull back on it a little bit but it can not be pushed back in. And what if is too far into the chamber.![[Frown]](frown.gif)
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