PICC line

annie4145

Is a Picc line painful?  Someone told me that it was and that I should ask for a Port.  Is a PICC line more painful than a port, or is it painful if you have had a PICC line?

pializ

PICC line

I had a PICC line for my chemotherapy. I didn't find it painful and the person who 'installed' it made it as relaxed as possible. It got flushed weekly for as long as it was in but removed very soon after I finished chemo. It was painless being removed. 

I bought a waterproof sleeve so that I could shower when the pump wasn't attached. I can't remember what it was called, but it could be used by people who are plastered due to fractures. 

Good luck for your journey.

Liz

Ottawamarc1234

pializ said:

PICC line

I had a PICC line for my chemotherapy. I didn't find it painful and the person who 'installed' it made it as relaxed as possible. It got flushed weekly for as long as it was in but removed very soon after I finished chemo. It was painless being removed. 

I bought a waterproof sleeve so that I could shower when the pump wasn't attached. I can't remember what it was called, but it could be used by people who are plastered due to fractures. 

Good luck for your journey.

Liz

I had pain when put in...

....and panicked on the way out...still have a scar there post 39 Days.

liberty67

Hi Annie,

Hi Annie,

I'm not sure if you've already had the picc line put in as of yet, but please do not worry about this procedure. I know I'm just speaking for myself, but the idea of having it in was much worse than how it actually felt. It was a little sore the first couple days for me, just on a skin level, but didn't take long to ease up, and the pain wasn't a horrible pain or anything. Taking it out was nothing.

I was also told that a picc line was better than a port because it brought the chemo line much further into your body (and you can't feel it inside of your body at all) than a port. The worst part was just that it was a pain in the butt to have the lines hanging, and to get baths, etc. It helped me to cut a narrow sock or stocking and keep it around the area which kept the lines firm against my arm and helped eased the discomfort because they didn't move so much when hanging. Flushing it out was no big deal either.

Really it will be fine and you won't believe how fast the time will go. The scars for me are so minimal, just a few little red bumps inside my arm that no one even sees. Stay strong with everything and keep asking questions here on the forum!!

annie4145

liberty67 said:

Hi Annie,

Hi Annie,

I'm not sure if you've already had the picc line put in as of yet, but please do not worry about this procedure. I know I'm just speaking for myself, but the idea of having it in was much worse than how it actually felt. It was a little sore the first couple days for me, just on a skin level, but didn't take long to ease up, and the pain wasn't a horrible pain or anything. Taking it out was nothing.

I was also told that a picc line was better than a port because it brought the chemo line much further into your body (and you can't feel it inside of your body at all) than a port. The worst part was just that it was a pain in the butt to have the lines hanging, and to get baths, etc. It helped me to cut a narrow sock or stocking and keep it around the area which kept the lines firm against my arm and helped eased the discomfort because they didn't move so much when hanging. Flushing it out was no big deal either.

Really it will be fine and you won't believe how fast the time will go. The scars for me are so minimal, just a few little red bumps inside my arm that no one even sees. Stay strong with everything and keep asking questions here on the forum!!

Thank you.  I am having it

Thank you.  I am having it done on Monday when I start treatment.  I hope that I have someone experienced put it in and that it goes smoothly.  I am sure that it somewhat depends on the person doing the procedure, etc....  But I am letting go over the things that I cannot change, and trying not to worry too much about what will happen.  I just want to get treatment started and get it over with.  

Barbara  

liberty67

annie4145 said:

Thank you.  I am having it

Thank you.  I am having it done on Monday when I start treatment.  I hope that I have someone experienced put it in and that it goes smoothly.  I am sure that it somewhat depends on the person doing the procedure, etc....  But I am letting go over the things that I cannot change, and trying not to worry too much about what will happen.  I just want to get treatment started and get it over with.  

Barbara  

You will be fine. I had the

You will be fine. I had the exact same worry, and one of my flaws is reading too much on the internet and then worrying over everything. When I went into the procedure room, it was full of scary machinery and looked like major drama, so don't let that scare you. Basically, you lie down and they put a sheet over part of you, tell you to lift your arm and they give you a shot to numb the area. That's all you're going to feel, basically, is the shot. They have a screen where they can see inside of you and how far to insert the picc. It doesn't take long, and when you leave you'll feel like you've accomplished this first step, so hurray!!

Hopefully this isn't TMI, but it's also good to start preparing for what you'll need during the chemo such as anti nausea meds. See if they'll give you Zofran, or whatever they think is best, for you. I got sick only once the first go-round, but I wasn't keeping up with the meds as I should have. The second time, I took Zofran and Ativan throughout, plus they gave me some steroids, because I have a phobia about nausea. I didn't get sick once, or have nausea. The main thing they might not tell you is that if you take Ativan, it is a great drug, but a pain to get off of, so try to only take it for a short time and taper is off as soon as you feel you can.

Ask any questions here that you need to. This time will go very fast!

 

Laurie

 

annie4145

liberty67 said:

You will be fine. I had the

You will be fine. I had the exact same worry, and one of my flaws is reading too much on the internet and then worrying over everything. When I went into the procedure room, it was full of scary machinery and looked like major drama, so don't let that scare you. Basically, you lie down and they put a sheet over part of you, tell you to lift your arm and they give you a shot to numb the area. That's all you're going to feel, basically, is the shot. They have a screen where they can see inside of you and how far to insert the picc. It doesn't take long, and when you leave you'll feel like you've accomplished this first step, so hurray!!

Hopefully this isn't TMI, but it's also good to start preparing for what you'll need during the chemo such as anti nausea meds. See if they'll give you Zofran, or whatever they think is best, for you. I got sick only once the first go-round, but I wasn't keeping up with the meds as I should have. The second time, I took Zofran and Ativan throughout, plus they gave me some steroids, because I have a phobia about nausea. I didn't get sick once, or have nausea. The main thing they might not tell you is that if you take Ativan, it is a great drug, but a pain to get off of, so try to only take it for a short time and taper is off as soon as you feel you can.

Ask any questions here that you need to. This time will go very fast!

 

Laurie

 

Thank you! They did give me

Thank you! They did give me Zofran and Compazine both for nausea, but they don't want me to take them unless needed.  But I will if I start to feel sick.  Stanford also gave me Atarax which does help take the edge off of worrying and allows me to sleep. 

liberty67

annie4145 said:

Thank you! They did give me

Thank you! They did give me Zofran and Compazine both for nausea, but they don't want me to take them unless needed.  But I will if I start to feel sick.  Stanford also gave me Atarax which does help take the edge off of worrying and allows me to sleep. 

No problem! That's good, it's

No problem! That's good, it's best to not take more meds than you need to. For me, the Ativan really helped me through the whole thing, but it's really not good for you. Let us know how it goes on Monday.

Laurie

mp327

annie4145

I want to wish you all the best on Monday.  You can do this!

annie4145

thank you!

thank you!

liberty67

Hi Annie, how did it go today

Hi Annie, how did it go today with the picc line/chemo? Just wondering how you're doing.

annie4145

liberty67 said:

Hi Annie, how did it go today

Hi Annie, how did it go today with the picc line/chemo? Just wondering how you're doing.

Hi, thanks for asking.  The

Hi, thanks for asking.  The PICC line went fine.  It wasn't  painful.  They just gave me three shots of lidocaine (which was what I felt the most), but then after that, just a feeling of pushing.  Some muscle soreness after all of it.  But all in all, not bad.  Struggled with nausea the first day, because I wasn't proactive enough with the anti-nausea medicine but I got that under control and doing much better days 2-4.  (Learned from that first episode not to try to "sleep it off" as far as upset stomach.  Take the medicine early.)

 

annie4145

For all future people, when I

For all future people, when I said "not bad", I really meant to say, don't worry about it at all.  It is not a bad procedure.  I have to get it done again once more later in treatment, because they take this line out tomorrow, and I am not worried about the second procedure at all.   

liberty67

Good for you! You can start

Good for you! You can start counting down now and time will move quickly.

Ouch_Ouch_Ouch

Port experience.

Just to round out the picture, I was given a port. It was one of the worst experiences of my life because the radiologist refused to sedate me as my pulse was about 39-40. I begged him to read the message from the cardiologist regarding a dose of atropine, which increases the heartrate, but he wouldn't do that, either. I was acutely aware of everything. I had a vaso-vagal episode: hot, profusely sweaty, tunnel vision, peeling off the ceiling. When asked later about my experience, I let them have it. When the port was removed, there was an anesthesiologist there - much smoother!

I'm told by multiple people that their ports don't hurt once installed, but mine always had a little pain associated with it, especially when I tried to sleep on my side, and super especially when my little furry caregiver insisted on using it as a springboard  .^_^.