Picc Lines

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geckley

geckley

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 9, 2008
Messages
311
Location
Frederick Maryland USA
I don't know if this is usefull or not. But if you're facing surgery and have a fear of needles. My fear is on the verge of being a full blown phobia. That at the request of my surgeon they put a PIC line in so I wouldn't have to go through all of the blood sticks and IV changes. It's very simple and it only happens once during your stay and lasts the whole time. It made the unbearable bearable. Just something I thought would help people facing surgery. Just a way of getting rid of 1 of the most annoying rituals in the post op stay.
 
Be ware, they will buck you about it because of the risk of infection. To me, it's an acceptable risk. I have nothing left to stick.
 
My first OHS, they left the line in my neck in for days which was great. They took the draws from there and I only had regular sticks for one or two days at most.

My second surgery, (same hospital, same surgeon, same step down unit and some of the same nurses and PA's), they took out my neck line day two post op. That was a bummer!
 
The reason they put my picc in was they took my main lin in the neck out after4 days. They said the pick was better and wasn't an infection concern. Funny on how different hospitals view these things. My only problem was they didn't understand why I was so terrified of the sticks because I have a bunch of tattoos. They caused the phobia in the first place. In 05 I was uneasy about them but dealt with it for 3 days. After that they started using me for target practice and they weren't very good marksmen. They kept missing and it would take 2,3 and 4 sticks to get it. After that I was terrified of it. They came in just before breakfast and dinner and after they left I was so messed up in the head I couldn't relax or eat for an hour. So now I have to take anxiety meds just to have a blood test.
 
I asked the nurses about that. I looked like a pin cushion. Both of my arms were black and blue. They said they could not do that. They needed fresh draw???
 
Yeah, I had a dual line in my neck they were supposed to use for draws, too. Every time the vampires came in my room I insisted on them using the line, and I got flack every time. "WE can't do that, a nurse has to do that." I told them that was what it was there for, and to send someone who could use the line or give me a damned good reason why the line was not usable for this particular test/draw. I only got my way about half the time. After nearly 3 weeks in the hospital, I was a pincushion, and black and blue all over.
 
hall said:
I asked the nurses about that. I looked like a pin cushion. Both of my arms were black and blue. They said they could not do that. They needed fresh draw???
Click to expand...

Horse crap, that is what those things are for. The only time they can't draw from them is if it's being used to give you a heparin drip. They cannot draw from the line they give it to you with or it screws up the lab results.

They tried to buffalo me when I had cellulitis. My PCP said no to the PICC line. Once I got in the hospital, I told them no PICC line, no treatment. My doctors stand in authorized AND authorized drawing labs from it.
 
The lad techs got a little aggravated at me too when they found the picc line and had to go get the nurse. They were just in a hurry to get it done and move on. I also had to remind the nurses how to treat the line before and after a draw. I was instructed by the nurse that put the line in to do just that. I loved mine and will go that way again if I'm ever in the hospital for any length of time. It seems like a small thing,but,having all the needles pushed into you time and time again is very traumatic.
 
I too was a pin cushion and for fear of infection they pulled
the pic line but then had to call a team of experts to do an
I.V. on me,man these people sure knew how to do an i.v
mostly males,but i have to say they could do alot better at an I.V.
than anyone (what is it about the male sector?)
Oh boy i likely started something now.:p

zipper2 (DEB)
 
Yeah the lab rats would come in and I showed them the line and they said they couldn't draw from there a nurse had to. So I kicked them out and had the nurse do it. The cool thing for me is my surgeon is GOD of the cardio world at Hopkins. He came in a few times and told the nurses under no circumstances would he let them hit fresh meat with me. And he always ended those conversations with "Do you understand" and "Are we clear". It kinda gave me that feeling like Dad has spoken. He understood my phobia. Also I showed him pictures of my arms from the last time. He actually cringed.
 
Go Neck lines

Go Neck lines

I had 3 neck lines in during my OHS.

I thought this was great as I too am not keen on the shiny sharp things.

Everytime they wanted to extract or give me anything they used these.

They didn't hurt. In fact I did not even realise they were there for the first few days as I could not feel them actually doing anything.

I had them for the full 17 days in hospital.

I will definatley make sure they are left in (at least for a bit) at the next OHS

Lotti
 
Brian's hospital will only let lines stay in for a certain amount of time because of the infection risk. They write the date that it was put in on the bandage around it and have to take it out after the prescribed number of days. I think an IV was 3 days and a PICC line was 7.
 
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