Re: PICC line

July 14, 1999

happened to me a couple of times relay pisses me off

July 14, 1999

>From: McDermott <pattymcd@...>

>

>Hi ,

>

>What you're experiencing is very similar to the way my that my

>problems with the PICC line began. My left arm ached from day one

>and continued to get progressively worse. The pain spread

>into my shoulder & sometimes into my chest.

> Hugs,

> Patty

Hi Patty,

I have these problems. No pain upon infusion. Just itching and

that is a ... & %#@!

My fever was gone today. So I must have been Herxing. So much for

Herxing on the 4th week. I think I Herxed on the 2nd & 3rd weeks for short

periods. Now it is happening AGAIN!

Kiana Rossi

mailto:bornfree@...

Northern California

May 23, 2000

In a message dated 5/22/00 10:48:22 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

conniek@... writes:

<< ....the first week is

hell..............don't use the arm, despite everyone telling you can >>

every person is different I know of many who had lines in for 3 months

without any problems at all...you can use the arm...but care and caution will

do everyone just fine....if you wonder if you should be doing

something...errr use freaking common sense and don't err on the side of

caution...Bernadette

May 23, 2000

In a message dated 5/22/00 10:48:22 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

conniek@... writes:

<< .....or you'll find the arm getting

sore........and swollen..............if that happens use a heating

pad........NEVER ice. >>

i personally refused to use warm compresses for swelling of any

kind...because if one had a swelling due to a blood clot formation...(which

one cannot possibly see due to any such clots being internal)...warm

compresses could dislodge a clot and send it traveling to the lungs and cause

death...so..

..no matter what my nurse said,,,i would prefer pulling the line to using warm

compresses....I did though ....make sure to use Motrin if there were any

spasms in the area which is common in the first week of insertion...the body

attempts to " flush out " the foreign object in the arm so it causes annoying

spasms Bernadette

May 23, 2000

Connie, Ken and all others with mid or picc lines. this product i

ordered really keeps the line dry when bathing, showering or whatever

you are doing that can get you wet. its called a picc line cover and

made of a special kind of waterproof soft plastic. its very

comfortable and comes in 2 sizes - have a measurement of your upper arm

handy when you call to order. they have a website www.brownmed.com,

but they only sell this product by phone. there # is 1-800-843-4395,

it costs around 16.00 and usually comes to your home in about 2 days.

this has been a God send. i can shower as long and as often as i want

without making a project out of it. just slip it on and slip it off.

hope this helps.

roe

--- ConnieK <conniek@...> wrote:

> I've had a picc line in for over 3 months.........the first week is

> hell..............don't use the arm, despite everyone telling you can

> ..........after about a week you won't even know its

> there..............then

> use the arm but don't over do it........or you'll find the arm

> getting

> sore........and swollen..............if that happens use a heating

> pad........NEVER ice.

>

> I've tried all the saran wrap, plastic bags, etc........and it still

> got

> wet...........when that happens you have to get it

> changed...........so I

> have resorted to holding a hand spray......with the arm that has the

> picc..........seems to do the trick little difficult to wash with

> just one

> hand. The key is to not let your hand with the picc to get

> wet.......keep a

> towel near by to dry that hand...........the place where water gets

> in.........is where the line comes in.........so keep your arm

> positioned

> down........until you can dry off that hand if it gets wet, then you

> are

> able to raise it.............works for me

>

> An important lesson I learned...........if for some odd reason the

> line is

> severed...........pull it out immediately the body will pull it

> inside..........and you will be having surgery on your heart to

> remove

> it..........don't let that scare you ............I let someone change

> my

> dressing, and they used a pair of scissors............never scissors

> around

> a picc line.............I learned the hard way.

>

> Cut the end of a sock off...........and us that to keep it

> covered.........especially the tubing, you don't want to catch it on

> something and have it ripped out of your arm.

>

> I don't mean to scare you..........if you follow the nurses

> directions

> everything goes quite smoothly..........really

> Connie nwnj

>

__________________________________________________

May 24, 2000

connie thats weird......in 12 weeks of iv i had no pain

.....discomfort...swelling any thing....i forgot it was there most of the

time.....cept when i was infusing........got some looks from people when they

saw it but that was all and i explained what it was for they were

intreqeud....and i answeered their ???? also mine never got wet.....cept from

sweat.....just goes to show we are all differant ....also i believe placement

is the key here.....Reid

May 24, 2000

cindy from homed was my nurse also.......she was great but i now make my own

decisions based on my own research......i use to beklieve everything a

professional or doc said....look where it got me.........a complete chronic

lyme experiance.....i question everthying and everyone now.......its my life

and health i must be the one in charge.......my feeling is that if ur llmd

does not want to have an intelligent discussion with u and wants to dictate

treatment ...can him.....i am truly blessed that my llmd and i have a team

approach to lyme something i never had with my other llmd's.....i learned

the hard way..

Reid

May 24, 2000

In a message dated 5/24/00 1:55:24 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

rmcmur3194@... writes:

<< ...i use to beklieve everything a

professional or doc said....look where it got me......... >>

you know Reid.... I know EXACTLY what you mean...

..if I accepted Gaito's husband telling me I had " post-lyme syndrome. " .I would

have never left and gotten tested for co-infections and found babesia..

he is the same man who was against using T3 thyroid instead of T4

alone....yet the endo I went to wholeheartedly approved it and it has made a

great difference in my health....

if I accepted his baseless prejudice against the med, I would still feel way

horrid...

if I stayed with my original doctor, I would have also never found the

babesia....

if I stayed with the 3rd wonderful doctor I had ( I am serious when I say

wonderful..not snide....in many ways they were incredible...) I would not

been treated for my lyme exacerbated thyroid problem......

if I stayed where I was, I would never gotten treated for babesia..

..so Reid..you are so right..noone lives in our bodies or cares for us as much

as we do for ourselves....

I mean after your doctor visit is over...the majority of times the doctor

doesn't waste another thought on you till you return for more

treatment/consultations because of a problem....

we have all had to research and become our own " medical detectives " in order

to be active participants in our own health care....

the day I went to the OPMC, I came home whipped..

..today I was all over NYC with a group of 27 kids..Rockefeller Center, St.

Pat's, French resturant, Broadway show...oh yeah the Friday b4 I went on a

one day DC bust trip ...

..got home 6:30 PM and I do not need to collapse in bed...and I will be up in

the am at 6.

..I may not be 100%....but I am a far way away from the woman who was pricing

wheelchairs in the spring of 98

and NOT because I chose to complacently listen to my doctors opinions as the

only reality/option there was available,,,,

and for the record... was a wonderful nurse to me and my husband..I just

happened to disagree with her on this one point....if you consider she was

with us 24 weeks worth...to personally disagree with only one thing only

speaks very well of her....bernadette

May 25, 2000

b......one of the reasons i think cindy understood so much is that her

boyfriend /fiancee has chronic lyme ......such as my llmd....his wife and

daughter have it....when a family member or close friend of the practicionar

suffers from lyme or they themselves have it....it makes for a much better

doctor or nurse i feel.......little idbit.....my oldest had a lecture in

health class yesterday on lyme......much misinformation....i am sending her

teacher some up to date stuff......desiree and a girl who we are friends with

who has lyme ....both stood up and set the teacher straight ....this 13 yo

friend of ours w/ lyme just had to give up her love .....competetive roler

skating....she is nationally ranked at her age.....now needs a cane to

walk.......think the teacher was shocked that 13 yo's know more than her

about lyme......thats what happenens when u live with it.....

Reid

October 18, 2001

In a message dated 10/19/2001 1:21:44 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

henson2@... writes:

> I had a really good experience w. my picc line.

>

> Can you get yours inserted in a hospital where they insert it under

> fluoroscopy/xray? I watched on the monitor.

>

Dear Marie,

I had my PICC line inserted by an experienced IV nurse in my LLMD's office.

Simple & quick, not painful at all for me. Hospital not necessary.

It is necessary to turn your neck to the side during insertion of the line so

that the line goes where it is supposed to, near the heart, not up to the

neck.

The monitor is merely a check, not a bad idea, but not absolutely necessary.

Hugs, a

October 19, 2001

To All:

My picc was inserted in the hospital. I had a good experience there (if you can

call getting a picc a good experience!) It was done in radiology and I got to

watch through the xray machine as it was inserted. I have had my picc line for 3

1/2 years. It was just removed last Friday. They would replace it every 8-10

months but I had one that went for almost a year. It was in my dominant arm.

To shower I used the wrap they use for moving that comes from uhaul. It is on a

roll and it's like a saran wrap. It works great. Keeps the picc dry and I

could use my arm while showering. I always followed the directions from the

nurses

and flushed regularly and kept it dry. They said I was their record case for a

picc at 3 1/2 years! It was not a problem execpt for the first two weeks, I

was really in pain and had to take medication (I have to take meds anyway so

what is one more). It did not keep me from doing what I wanted or needed to do

except swimming, couldn't do that. They are easy for the nurses to repair. In

fact now I have to get used to not having the picc! It just became a part of

my everyday routine. Good luck to you. I know it made a tremendous difference

in my care and my recovery to this point.

Rhonna in OHIO

GOODGIRL95@... wrote:

> In a message dated 10/19/2001 1:21:44 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

> henson2@... writes:

>

> > I had a really good experience w. my picc line.

> >

> > Can you get yours inserted in a hospital where they insert it under

> > fluoroscopy/xray? I watched on the monitor.

> >

>

> Dear Marie,

>

> I had my PICC line inserted by an experienced IV nurse in my LLMD's office.

> Simple & quick, not painful at all for me. Hospital not necessary.

> It is necessary to turn your neck to the side during insertion of the line so

> that the line goes where it is supposed to, near the heart, not up to the

> neck.

>

> The monitor is merely a check, not a bad idea, but not absolutely necessary.

>

> Hugs, a

>

October 19, 2001

In a message dated 10/19/2001 1:28:22 AM Central Daylight Time,

GOODGIRL95@... writes:

>

as long as they xray it sometime afterwards before use, it does not have to

be done under flurosopy.... mine wasnt either. pj

April 22, 2002

Dear Sue B.

I tried to work 1/2 a day for a while, but it was really hard. I took 6 months

off. I was back to work after 6 months of IV therapy. After that, I continued

the IV either before, after, or

during work. If I was on an abx that could be put in the bard pump, I could

take it to work with me. Otherwise, I had to sit next to the pole for 45 min.

to 1 hour in the morning before work and

the same after work. I was also in bed by 6:30 pm! It really tired me out going

back to work, but it did help with my depression to be getting out of the house

and around people all day. I

continue to be on oral abx. I have been in treatment a total of 5 1/2 years.

FYI my job is teaching high school computer classes. I was so bad at one point

that I couldn't remember students

names. I had to have a seating chart with me at all times! I had tremendous

difficulty remembering simple computer terminology. I had to take the time off.

But I think going back after 6

months was good for my brain. It forced me to try to think and repair the brain

pathways on a daily (actually by the minute!)basis. At one point, I was walking

with a cane at school because I

hurt so bad. But things are so much better now. I'm not all the way back but

I'm constantly striving to get there. I can even take a walk in the evening

with my husband! (I wasn't able to do

that for 5 years.)

Good luck to you,

Rhonna

" rhbailey@... " wrote:

> Dear Rhonna,

>

> Thank you for the detailed information on PICC lines. You mentioned being

> back at work. Could you work before the 3-1/2 years of antibiotic

> treatment? Was (or is) your total treatment longer than 3-1/2 years?

>

> Sue B.

> upstate New York

>

July 26, 2002

In a message dated 7/26/2002 11:19:19 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

peacefind@... writes:

> I am considering getting a PICC line installed. Does this require

> anesthesia? I would prefer to endure massive pain if they can hold

> me down (even though I'm a wimp) than take anesthesia or lots of pain

> killers. Thanks

>

> Kell

>

Dear Kell,

I had my PICC line installed right in my LLMD's office by the IV nurse. No

anesthesia of any kind. I was advised by another IV nurse I know to take a

Valium or the equivalent beforehand to calm me & , more importantly, to

greatly lessen the chance of the vein going into spasm, which sometimes

happens, making the insertion either difficult or impossible.

I did this, and everything went totally smoothly, and I was able to keep that

PICC line in my arm for more than a year. Just be sure to keep it extra

clean always to prevent an infection.

It was no more & no less pain than getting a needle, such as to withdraw

blood from the arm. I'd say the whole procedure didn't take much more than 3

minutes, including cleaning the site. I would not call that painful, but

some people find needles/shots painful. I usually don't.

Good luck, Kell, and don't hesitate to ask for any hints, help. If the area

hurts, as it might after insertion & on & off unpredictably thereafter, just

use moist heat, or even a heating pad. This should be enough for now to get

you on your way.

Hugs,

a

July 26, 2002

i didn't have any problems at all - they numb you

before they put it in. other stories on this site

have not been so pleasant, it seems...guess it depends

on where you get it done. i had mine done in a

hospital and really it was quite painless.

--- pine108kell <peacefind@...> wrote:

> Hi

> I am considering getting a PICC line installed.

> Does this require

> anesthesia? I would prefer to endure massive pain

> if they can hold

> me down (even though I'm a wimp) than take

> anesthesia or lots of pain

> killers. Thanks

>

> Kell

>

July 26, 2002

Kell,

My son, age 15, had a PICC line put in by a great nurse at the LLMD's office

and said he didn't think it was any worse than having blood drawn or anything

like that. One thing that REALLY helped make his insertion go easier --- he

drank lots and lots of fluids (mostly water, some Gatorade) the day before.

The nurse urged him to do this, as she said it " plumps " the veins up and

makes her job so much easier and more successful. I just thought I would

mention this, as she said the patient before him had to go home and would

have to try it another day, and she felt it was sure it was because she was

somewhat dehydrated.

I wish you the very best...I am so glad you are getting a PICC line to fight

those spirochetes!

~Judie

July 26, 2002

In a message dated 07/26/2002 11:19:28 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

peacefind@... writes:

> I am considering getting a PICC line installed. Does this require

> anesthesia?

Hi Kell,

You do not need anesthesia to have a PICC line put in place.

The PICC line is inserted in the same fashion as drawing blood from your

arm. A special needle is used to tap the vein, just like drawing blood,

except the needle allows them to pass the PICC line through the needle into

the vein, and it is snaked up past your shoulder into the large vein just to

the side of your neck...under the collar bone area to be more exact. The

vein is very large at this point, allowing the IV fluid to move into the vein

with little resistance and because of the large diameter of the vein at this

point, with less irritation to the wall of the vein then you would get at the

smaller diameter veins in your arm. This is important due to the amount of

time it usually is in place (weeks to months) and for the volume of each

infusion, usually done twice a day for Lyme. THe antibiotic could irritate

the much smaller veins in the arm, minimal chance with the large vein under

the collar bone. THis is why the PICC line goes up so far.

The insertion is rather painless..all you usually feel is the needle stick

- no worse then having blood drawn. The snaking of the PICC line up your arm

you wont feel - so dont worry your gonna feel it going up your arm. Of

course, the skill of the technician who puts it in is the big variable - some

are fantastic, some are a bit mediocre. But usually those who put them in do

it a lot, so dont worry.

I had mine put in by the home health nurse who was gonna come to my house

each week to check it and change the dressing overlying it. She did it in my

LLMD's office and took about 5 minutes and i did not feel a thing. Nothing at

all. I thought i would feel it going up my arm, but no, nothing. This girl

was fantastic with it! She also gave me full instructions on taking care of

it,etc. The best part...for as long as i had it in place (about 6 months),

each time i had to have blood drawn, they did it thru the PICC line, so no

arm sticks for 6 months!!! Great side effect.

Dont worry about a thing... its a piece of cake. And like someone else

said, drink a lot of water to plump those veins before you go to have it

done.

Good luck.... your on the way to getting better.

DrSkip

August 16, 2002

In a message dated 7/27/2002 2:05:05 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

DrSkip2@... writes:

> In a message dated 07/26/2002 11:19:28 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

> peacefind@... writes:

>

> > I am considering getting a PICC line installed. Does this require

> > anesthesia?

>

> Hi Kell,

> You do not need anesthesia to have a PICC line put in place.

> The PICC line is inserted in the same fashion as drawing blood from

> your

> arm. A special needle is used to tap the vein, just like drawing blood,

> except the needle allows them to pass the PICC line through the needle into

>

> the vein, and it is snaked up past your shoulder into the large vein just

> to

> the side of your neck...under the collar bone area to be more exact. The

> vein is very large at this point, allowing the IV fluid to move into the

> vein

> with little resistance and because of the large diameter of the vein at

> this

> point, with less irritation to the wall of the vein then you would get at

> the

> smaller diameter veins in your arm. This is important due to the amount of

>

> time it usually is in place (weeks to months) and for the volume of each

> infusion, usually done twice a day for Lyme. THe antibiotic could irritate

> the much smaller veins in the arm, minimal chance with the large vein under

>

> the collar bone. THis is why the PICC line goes up so far.

> The insertion is rather painless..all you usually feel is the needle

> stick

> - no worse then having blood drawn. The snaking of the PICC line up your

> arm

> you wont feel - so dont worry your gonna feel it going up your arm. Of

> course, the skill of the technician who puts it in is the big variable -

> some

> are fantastic, some are a bit mediocre. But usually those who put them in

> do

> it a lot, so dont worry.

> I had mine put in by the home health nurse who was gonna come to my house

>

> each week to check it and change the dressing overlying it. She did it in

> my

> LLMD's office and took about 5 minutes and i did not feel a thing. Nothing

> at

> all. I thought i would feel it going up my arm, but no, nothing. This girl

>

> was fantastic with it! She also gave me full instructions on taking care

> of

> it,etc. The best part...for as long as i had it in place (about 6

> months),

> each time i had to have blood drawn, they did it thru the PICC line, so no

> arm sticks for 6 months!!! Great side effect.

> Dont worry about a thing... its a piece of cake. And like someone else

> said, drink a lot of water to plump those veins before you go to have it

> done.

> Good luck.... your on the way to getting better.

> DrSkip

Hi All,

I agree with Dr Skip.

The only difference in my case was that the type of PICC line used needed

heparin flushes twice a day, and that interfered with taking blood samples,

so whenever I needed blood drawn, practically every week, I had to get it

taken from my other arm.

Remember, heat or moist heat truly helps whenever you feel pain from the PICC

line.

I had my PICC line in for just a bit more than one year, ... yes just one

PICC line. I have no idea why, but suddenly, after all that time, it got

infected & had to be removed, but the year of IV ABX helped so much & the

discomfort was minimal. I even got very good at taking showers & baths with

it in place, not even needing any plastic covers. When in the bath, I simply

used the side of the tub as an armrest & took one-armed baths. As a bonus, I

hung my IV bag from either a hook near the tub or from the shower curtain

rod, and relaxed in the bath while my ABX were infusing. As for showers, I

simply held onto a towel-bar in the shower stall with my PICC line arm,

keeping it dry, and used my other arm to clean myself. It was a very easy

adaptation & well worth it.

Hugs,

a

April 20, 2006

There is a device called Xerosox that can be used to cover PICC lines to keep it

dry during showering or even swimming. Look on the internet. I can't remember

the exact web site. I believe you have to call to get the one for a PICC site.

Terry

November 7, 2009

Hi Lissa,

I had a PICC line for 8 months. You really won't have any limitations, just be

careful with it. I wouldn't do too much strenuous things with that arm. I use

to put a sock over it instead of the bandages because it was easier to take off

an on to do the meds. But I did the infusions myself 2x a day. I didn't have an

aid, and I think the aid will be better than doing it all by yourself. Just

make sure it doesn't get wet when you bath, CVS sells a plastic sleeve you can

put over it. Try not to even get that too went cause sometimes the water will

find it's way through at the closure. I was on rocephin first than the doxy. I

was real sick I believe from the abx and the die off. Make sure you DETOX it is

very important to get rid of all the toxins. And make sure you are on real good

probiotics. I discontinued the PICC because I had complicatons, I developed

blood clots along the line. It doesn't happen to everyone I just happened to be

one of the

lucky ones. But its all ok now. I actually did better on the pediatrics PICC

line but the draw back was it took sooooo long for the meds to get finished. So

I switched to the adult and it cut the time in half. All in all it is

inconvenient but the PICC itself wasn't really terrible for me on a daily basis.

Best Wishes,

________________________________

From: mammamia3x <lhkenkel@...>

@...

Sent: Sat, November 7, 2009 6:12:46 AM

Subject: [ ] PICC Line

Hi everyone.

I just found out on Monday of this past week that my doctor wants me to start IV

doxy. She wants to do 28 days to start (which my insurance is covering 100%,

thankfully). So this coming Monday morning I am to report to the hospital to

have the PICC inserted and then a nurse will come to my home on Tuesday to

administer the first dose. My husband and I checked our benefits and I am

completely covered to have a home health aide come to my home every day for four

hours. So, my question is...does anyone have advice for me? Should I take the

home health aide? I have three young children, what can I realistically expect

my limitations to be? Has anyone had the PICC and not felt worse before getting

better?

I have been on oral meds for almost a year and a half. I have taken the

following:

Zithro

Doxy

Biaxin

Omnicef

Mepron

Levaquin

Lyrica

Cymbalta

Oxycontin

Vicodin

Percocet

Cyclbenzaprene

Plaquenil

Testosterone

Unfortunately, I have had little improvement with the oral meds. So now, I am

going on the IV. I will start on Tuesday with one dose of 200 mg of the doxy.

I would appreciate any advice or input.Thanks much in advance.

Lissa

November 7, 2009

And, , you say you were sick in the beginning from the abx and die

off...how long were you sicker and are you better now? Did you discontinue the

PICC line because of the problems or because you were better?

Maureen

<Hi Lissa,

<I had a PICC line for 8 months. You really won't have any limitations, just be