Re: Celiac Plexus Block quit working

[Guest guest]

Suzi wrote:

>my husband got a nurse and told her my IV wasn't working/dripping right.

She agreed and flushed the line with saline. The meds hit me hard just as I

was getting into the wheelchair...I don't remember anything after that. I coded

in the X-Ray room. (snip) They suspect that when the nurse flushed the line, it

was like getting a bolus of pain meds,

So disappointed that the celiac plexus block quit working...I was hoping for at

least 3 months.

Suzi,

Good grief, you have so much to be grateful for! What a terrifyingly,

horrendous experience! I can just imagine what kind of " bolus " that could

have been, Suzi, and it sounds like you're lucky to be here to tell us about it.

Your poor husband must still be feeling pretty wacked about the experience of

almost losing you.

Not having any medical training myself, I'd like to know what should or could

have been done to avoid that type of situation. Can any of our nurse's out

there tell us what course of action should be done when they knew the patient

had had received " X " amount of dilaudid from the line within " Y " amount of

time and had felt no relief? Is there some way of checking first to see that

the

medication had already absorbed into the vein, or whether it was still in the

line?

I'm just curious to see if there's a way this could have been avoided, or if

it's

just one of those weird things that there's no control over.

Suzi, we're glad to see you here, and hope that you mend soon. I'm sorry that

you're celiac plexis block didn't work as long as you'd hoped for. When my

old doctor suggested one two years ago, I researched a long time before

deciding against it for that very reason, that there were too many instances

where it wouldn't work long enough to provide the relief I needed. Fortunately

my new doctor agrees with me, and has never suggested it as an option.

I hope you will have better luck with another one, as they do say that the more

you have, the more chance of longer relief there is. Or if you don't, that you

find some other means of getting the pain relief that you need.

Think good thoughts,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI

Note: All comments or advice are based on my personal opinion or

experiences only, and should not be substituted for a professional medical

consultation.

[Guest guest]

When a nurse is administering IV meds, depending on the specific

meds some require differering push rates, it also depends on how the

Dr. writes the order, IE: Demerol 75mg IV push or Demerol 75mg IV.

There are some meds like Lasix when given IV have to been given very

slowly like over 20-30 minutes because they can cause tinnus

(ringing of the ears)so it is hooked up to a little push machine not

like a pca. When administering IV pain meds I would always give it

over 2-3 minutes, pinch the tubing give med, let go of the tubing

let the primary like saline run a few seconds push a little more med

you get the picture, that way you can assess their response to the

meds. It is rare for narcotics to cause the heart to quit beating,

narcotics decrease the respiratory rate( which without air will

eventually lead to no heart rate) narcan ( a opoid reversal med)

works very quickly only problem is that it is cleared quickly for

those who have overdosed in an ER situation usually takes several

repeated doses. I am not sure what happened, but it sounds like

appropriate care after the situation was given. A nurse never knows

when patient will have an allergy to a med, I was taught that the

more times a patient is expose to a chemical the more likely the

next time they may have an allergy, and it is REAL scarey when you

take care of someone with their tongue swollen and so big it won't

fit back in their mouth. This is an example of an allergic reaction

where the airway and mouth swell, and this is life threatening.

Medication given through a vein, it is not like taking a pill, this

is fast method of medication adminstration and it depends on the

patients health, heart rate, liver and kidney metabolism. Medication

given IV is really not absorbed like when it goes thru the GI tract,

it becomes part of the systemic circulation, thus bypassing the

stomach, where it is absorbed and sent out thru the circulation. I

hope this answered the questions you had about IV meds and how and

why they are given they way they are ordered.

Atwell LPN

[Guest guest]

>I hope this answered the questions you had about IV meds and how and

why they are given they way they are ordered.

Atwell LPN

Yes, , you provided a very explicit and easily understood explanation of

how it all works. Now my inquenchable curiosity is satisfied......for the

moment, anyway. (grin)

Thank you!

Think good thoughts,

Heidi

Heidi H. Griffeth

South Carolina

SC & SE Regional Rep.

PAI

Note: All comments or advice are based on my personal opinion or

experiences only, and should not be substituted for a professional medical

consultation.

[Guest guest]

Suzi,

what a horrible thing to have happened. I hope they will be more careful

with your IV and meds in the future. It's probably better that you don't

remember what happened. I'm just glad they were able to revive you.

Kimber

--

Kimber

Vallejo, CA

hominid2@...

Note: All advice given is personal opinion, not equal to that of a licensed

physician or health care professional.