Guest guest Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 So...I will start with the ending. 1 sick me, 1 distraught, totally falling apart husband, 1 capable daughter (thank God), 3 teenagers and 5 (yes five) EMTs all in my small room. Reason: A mishap while changing tubing on the picc line for Flolan delivery. I have dual lumen caps on the access to the tubing. One is for the medication and one is a flush line. When we change tubing, we hold onto the cap, sanitize it and then hook the tubing on. Well, Lucian was shaky and I was so tired that I was not being alert. He dropped the tubing and let go of the cap to try to catch it. Then we realized we had no way of knowing which lumen was the Flolan access line and which was the flush line. We called the emergency number and was told there were no nurses available to help us, but to stay on the line till one did become available. Keep in mind that Flolan has a half life of 3-5 minutes in your body, then symptoms return.....in a big way. It is life threatening. I won't go through all the details, but it was 30 minutes getting me hooked up and back on medication. It was such a jolt that I turned beet red and felt like I was on fire. My heart felt a lot of pressure. My not medically trained daughter has to draw blood up into a syringe, then replace it with either Flolan or solium chloride. We had to make the determination whether we had the correct lines. Turns out we did not. But, at the end of it all, I called the doc and the charge nurse in the unit at the hosptal where I stayed....they assured me that once I had survived the ordeal that it did not matter which tubing because both went to the same place. It is just that the Flolan delivery is never supposed to be interrupted....especially for 30 minutes. The EMTs had recieved the Flolan information packet. One out of the 5 had even read it. None were allowed to touch the picc line. All they did was take my vitals and offer me a ride to the Big House. I declined. Whew!!!! All I can say is that I must be part cat! Hugs, Joyce D.Pulmonary Fibrosis 1997 Bronchiectasis 2004 Pulmonary Hypertension 2008 Mixed Connective Tissue Disease (Lupus, RA, Sjogren's, etc) Rejected for Transplant 2006 .....I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palm of my hands. Isaiah 49: 15-16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.