52 Week Blessing Challenge – Week 20 PICC line

I feel so blessed for both Emily and myself that she has a PICC line.  Seems a little harsh to wear an IV that is sort of permanent.  But this PICC line, which has been in for about 2 months now, has been an awesome and convenient help. 

 

Each time Emily goes to the hospital she generally gets poked a number of times before the IV team finally gets a line in place.  Then in a day or two the line blows and Emily needs a new line. 

When Emily was in the hospital at the beginning of June it took 6 needle sticks to get the second  (or was it her third?) IV in place and working.  It was 6 times of poking, digging, squeezing, holding and hurting for a single IV start. 

Those are the days during the hospital stays that are the most difficult for me.  I know Emily is in pain already and then she has to have more pain to try and stop the pain she is in….

After that hospitalization Emily came down with another bladder infection.  The culture results came back and it was decided that the best medication for the infection would be an IV antibiotic.  At this point Emily would either have to go back to the hospital (but she wasn’t really sick in any other way) or she needed to have an IV line inserted and our nurse here at home could help me take care of it.  I chose the latter. 

(Here I’m getting ready to start her IV antibiotic)

Inserting the PICC line is just like inserting an IV, but it has to be done in a very sterile way.  Everyone wore a mask, all the items to be used were sterile, they were opened on a sterile field, lots of gloves, and no breathing on anything.  The reason everything has to be so sterile is because the line goes directly to the heart. 

It didn’t take very long to get the PICC line in and tape it up.  Once it was in place Emily had to go get an x-ray to make sure it was in the correct spot.  The nurses in the Infusion clinic were so wonderful.  They made the time pass quickly and then trained Emily’s nurse and I how to use the PICC line, and how to use the infusion pump.  Emily had her first infusion of the antibiotic at the clinic just to make sure it all went well.

Since that day the PICC line has been used as an access site for the Lithotripsy procedure, blood draws, two rounds of antibiotics, and most recently Emily’s hip surgery.  No more needle pokes! 

(Hooking up the infusion pump)

Each week Emily has an appointment at Infusion Clinic to get the dressing changed on her PICC line.  This is still a sterile process, and the reason it has to be done at the clinic.

(Emily’s antibiotic running into her PICC line)

The PICC line can stay in as long as Emily needs it, and as long as she is infection free.  A nurse told me that some PICC lines can stay in place for as long as a year unless infection becomes a problem.  This little device has saved Emily and myself much pain and emotional turmoil, and I feel very blessed for the both of us.

Thanks for listening~