PICC Frustration and anyone have this issue?

NJShore
NJShore Member Posts: 429 Member
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

On Tuesday morning Dan had his double lumen PICC line inserted.

On Tuesday night for 16 hours his first TPN ran over night, Tuesday morning, it flushes, it's put away until 4:30, when it doesn't work. It was blocked.

On Wednesday night, we try to flush the first line again, no luck. We run the 16 hr TPN in the second line with no issue.

This morning (Thursday) the nurse arrives. She attempts to flush line #1, and does so without issue, draws blood back, and flushes with two syringes. Then she disconnected the TPN for me before she changed his dressings. Then she takes his status, makes her notes, draws his blood, etc... then says, just for good measure let me flush the first line again.. and can't.

This afternoon, before the nursing staff goes home, I tried to flush line #2.. and can't.. and then line #1 and can't.. and now I have TPN warming on the table with no line to run it into. The nurses are calling the dr and trying to figure out a plan.. at least a nurse will be on her way (I hope). It is quitting time for them.

I thought this plan was going to work well! Afterall, the good news is that Dan has gained 2.5 lbs after 4 liters over 2 days! Yeah, we are headed in the correct direction! Hopefully we will be able to keep it up.

Has anyone here had issues with their Central Lines like this? or is Dan just as extra special as I think he is :) ?

Forlorn.. Kari

Comments

  • sassysrice
    sassysrice Member Posts: 117
    #2
    wow

    I have no experience with this, I had a picc once and it ran fine. Hopefully someone can weigh in.

    I just want to let you know I am thinking and praying for you and Dan. I follow your updates and am glad he has put a little weight on..keep up the good work Dan. I hope the nurse does come. Most places have night nurses on just for this issues.

    Keep your cin up and remember to breathe.

    Sue

  • Billie67
    Billie67 Member Posts: 898
    #3
    Kari
    I think I mentioned to you that my son had a PICC ffor a little over a year. His would block quite often and we'd have to go in for TPA, which is something they used for heart patients and stroke patients. They push it thru the line as far as it will go and then you sit fir an hour and they pull and then push the line and it usually unblocks the line. It happened to us enough that they finally started giving me heparin to flush his line with after each feeding, meds or every 6 hours to keep the line open.
    Ask your home nurse or dr about those two things.
    Good luck, keep us posted.
    Billie
  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,724 Member
    #4
    Forlorn Kari, My PICC was

    PIC of PICC

    Forlorn Kari,

     

    My PICC was hit or miss on when it would work.  For Erbitux infusions it always worked for weekly blood draws by rad nurse it some times worked and for hospital nurses it some times did not work.

     

    They even called in a PICC line expert to examine mine (she was known as the vampire) and it worked every time for her.  She said that is why they call her the vampire because she always draws blood.

     

    When it became too much trouble they simply looked for a vein.

     

    Matt

     

  • NJShore
    NJShore Member Posts: 429 Member
    #5
    CivilMatt said:

    Forlorn Kari, My PICC was

    PIC of PICC

    Forlorn Kari,

     

    My PICC was hit or miss on when it would work.  For Erbitux infusions it always worked for weekly blood draws by rad nurse it some times worked and for hospital nurses it some times did not work.

     

    They even called in a PICC line expert to examine mine (she was known as the vampire) and it worked every time for her.  She said that is why they call her the vampire because she always draws blood.

     

    When it became too much trouble they simply looked for a vein.

     

    Matt

     

    In need of a vampire..

    Matt,

    thanks, and great lines :)

    tonight the nurse came back out (80 mile round trip) -- and got one line working, but said not to be surprised if they need to come out again tonight.. The are awesome. They got one side working, and tomorrow they are going for an order to put in the meds that melt the occlusions. The we will probably start using heprin flushes too.. It's up to the docs again.

    Hopefully it's a quite night!

    Kari

  • VivianLee5689
    VivianLee5689 Member Posts: 546
    #6
    CivilMatt said:

    Forlorn Kari, My PICC was

    PIC of PICC

    Forlorn Kari,

     

    My PICC was hit or miss on when it would work.  For Erbitux infusions it always worked for weekly blood draws by rad nurse it some times worked and for hospital nurses it some times did not work.

     

    They even called in a PICC line expert to examine mine (she was known as the vampire) and it worked every time for her.  She said that is why they call her the vampire because she always draws blood.

     

    When it became too much trouble they simply looked for a vein.

     

    Matt

     

    Heparin flush

    I have to flush David's line with a heparin flush every day or his gets blocked as well.  Once I started running a regular and a heparin flush in the morning I haven't had any problems. 

  • VivianLee5689
    VivianLee5689 Member Posts: 546
    #7
    CivilMatt said:

    Forlorn Kari, My PICC was

    PIC of PICC

    Forlorn Kari,

     

    My PICC was hit or miss on when it would work.  For Erbitux infusions it always worked for weekly blood draws by rad nurse it some times worked and for hospital nurses it some times did not work.

     

    They even called in a PICC line expert to examine mine (she was known as the vampire) and it worked every time for her.  She said that is why they call her the vampire because she always draws blood.

     

    When it became too much trouble they simply looked for a vein.

     

    Matt

     

    Heparin flush

    I have to flush David's line with a heparin flush every day or his gets blocked as well.  Once I started running a regular and a heparin flush in the morning I haven't had any problems. 

  • NJShore
    NJShore Member Posts: 429 Member
    #8
    VivianLee5689 said:

    Heparin flush

    I have to flush David's line with a heparin flush every day or his gets blocked as well.  Once I started running a regular and a heparin flush in the morning I haven't had any problems. 

    Thank you!

    Vivian,

    thank you... You have no idea,... Ok, maybe you do!.. On how much hearing that means to me.. And I read it to Dan as I always do, and he smiled for the first time today.

    having both block after just two days with the lines, he's been rather discouraged.

    thanks again!

    Kari

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