Finally had the IV picc-line today April 28 2009. I was so not looking forward to this but since no improvement in my CD57 numbers I finally felt resolved and went through with it. The toughest part up until now is the emotional roller coaster, were on then off, thinking I was doing better and finding that I wasn't really. Since my CD57 numbers did not improve there were not many other options for improvement, I could have opted for the painful injections but after talking to many nurses they all suggested a picc-line would be best and less painful.
Emotionally it is pretty hard not to be freaked out, imagining a line is going into a vein on your arm then threaded through your chest into a main vein just above your heart. The advantage of having the rocepcephin administered this way is that I will benefit 100% from the antibiotics instead of only partial absorption. 12 hours old - so far so good
The procedure was done in ICU, everything was sterile, I had a GREAT nurse (Val) she studied at Stanford and now teaches other nurses how to apply picc- lines. The only thing I felt was the Linacane to numb the area, it was no different than having my other IV's with the advantage of this one being much more effective. The hardest thing about this was the emotions leading up to it and the unknown limitations, how to take a shower, how much time would be involved taking all of my other drugs along with this IV, fear of infection etc.
After it was done I felt like I was released from a leash and since I feel so good I just have to remember I do have limitations and there is quite possible an upcoming Herx reaction. Meaning a die off of the bacteria that can make you feel horrible. But today is good and if anyone else is in fear about having one of these, it is not as bad as it has been built up to be. - (so far)
Picc-line information
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