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

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 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 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 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 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

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