Darn, I can't do the injections myself. I would need three hands. The picc line is in my arm, and I have to hold the line while I connect it to the syringe. Yes, I am having a push syringe.
So the nurse has to come every day. I want to take this late at night, so maybe I can sleep through the herx.
Seems like a huge waste of money, to have the nurse come every day.
She is going to eventually train my 14 year old and wife, but they are going to Europe for three weeks.
And they deserve it.
Oh well, Any ideas?
-------------------- Jeff Posts: 533 | From CA | Registered: Mar 2006
| IP: Logged |
trails
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1620
posted
Anyone can do it. Do you have a neighbor or a friend that could come over and do it? My parnter pushed my rocephin in my twice a day. She had no training whatso ever.
good luck and so glad to hear you are getting this treatment!
Posts: 1950 | From New Mexico | Registered: Sep 2001
| IP: Logged |
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
| IP: Logged |
trueblue
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7348
posted
Jeff, It's been a while but all my picc lines had extension tubing on them, it was changed once a week along with the dressing change.
Ask the nurse if they can put one on. The extra 7" (or whatever it was) was enough for me to be able to reach it. (granted, I had to bend my wrist at an odd position but it was do-able)
My very first treatment was Rocephin and I did the infusions after work and made something to eat and had supper while infusing. Eating seemed to help with the nausea I had in the beginning.
Afterwards, I would just go lay on the couch and watch the muscle twitching show. Heh, the funny part about trying to cook was the suspence of what I might accidentally fling across the room while the infusion was running.
I also did the Rocephin IV push last time, sure was nice and fast. A lot less flinging if I remember correctly.
Anyway, good luck and do ask about an extension tube, k?
-------------------- more light, more love more truth and more innovation Posts: 3783 | From somewhere other than here | Registered: May 2005
| IP: Logged |
arg82
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 161
posted
Like trueblue said, you should have an extension tubing on the line so it's longer and you can easily grab it with the hand of your picc arm. This makes things LOADS easier. Then you should be able to do it yourself. If not, like trails said, you can get a friend to do it if there's someone willing to come to your house everyday for the push.
Hope you're able to figure this out and avoid daily nursing care!
This is the third day. I get sleepy and very achey within an hour of treatment. And nauseous.
I have also noticed that tinnitus, which was minimal for a while, is back.
I got a huge scare today when Dr.s office called -- insurance wants justification in order to continue. S**t.
I am doing the push, my daughter has to do the drip. I am only allowed to push it in over a 20-30 minutes period and have to take benadryl just before.
I am going to try that lemon juice olive oil concoction.
For the first time in over a year I have experientially-based hope that I can get over this. I am hoping that my daughter can, too.
-------------------- Jeff Posts: 533 | From CA | Registered: Mar 2006
| IP: Logged |
timaca
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6911
posted
Jeff~ If you continue to feel poorly after your push, you might consider switching to a longer infusion.
I did the infusion. The first time it was done to me in the hospital, they did it over 30 minutes and my heart did NOT like that.
I learned at home that if I infused over an hour (which is what the pharmacist insisted I do) I didn't have any issues.
Timaca
Posts: 2872 | From above 7,000 ft in a pine forest | Registered: Feb 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
I don't have any evidence that my heart does not like the IV push.
It's that I develop a herx within an hour. That's a good sign. The herx is nothing as bad as I had with ketek. It is just increased fatigue and acheyness.
But enough to make me go back bed (nights are usually my good time) and go to sleep earrlier.
What I "got" yesterday is that this home health is in lieur of a hospitlaization. I am really on home hospital. I am tied to a time when the nurse comes, and to a worsening of my symptoms.
Rats. I was enjoying feeling better for a week. LOL
This is a small price to pay.
I hope the herx's don't get worse.
-------------------- Jeff Posts: 533 | From CA | Registered: Mar 2006
| IP: Logged |
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Just kidding!![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic