I'm officially on my final week of the IV antibiotics (well, at least for now). Since I got some good tips from a few sources, I wanted to compile my experience and the things you can do in advance to help you prepare for life with a PICC line and the infusions.
Before hand:
Purchase the following items:
--Care + Wear sleeves (buy the smaller size if you're in between or at the very small end of a size range). I bought 3 so I could always have a clean one if I needed it.
--Shower sleeve cover (I got one by Libmo on Amazon - it wasn't the cheapest, but it has worked GREAT).
--Cloth tape (I got some that was pre-scored into ~1 1/2" strips) - you'll use this to hold lines where you want them, or I've used it on the edge of my dressing when it was starting to come up).
--Medical gloves (I mostly used these when infusing away from home)
--Request a bunch of caps from the line-installers - my infusion center told me I could leave the end of the line out - on my friend's advice I got the caps when they put in the line and I've kept one on there and clean it every time I infuse. Not sure if it makes a difference or not, but it makes me feel better to have that cover on there. The infusion center threw it out when they replaced my end each week though, so stock up when you get them!
During:
--Lots of advice about avoiding a lot of things. Let's just put it this way - I've been going to the race track (which includes loading my 450lb motorcycle into my truck, all my tool boxes, etc) riding, getting in and out of one-piece leather suits, racing my motorcycle, commuting on my bike daily, I MOVED (I did hire movers for the really heavy lifting part), etc. I have had ZERO issues with my PICC line since the first week. No pain, no discomfort, no movement - but I wear one of my sleeves 24/7, too. Lifesavers they are!!!
--Don't be afraid of activity. Sure, maybe a bunch of repetitive, heavy weight lifting might not be a great idea, but vacuuming or doing dishes? Unless that kind of activity is "normally" difficult, I have had NO problems with my day to day life, and have not avoided any "normal" daily activities. I haven't been the gym, but that has more to do with my leg than the PICC.
--BE RELIGIOUS about cleanliness when setting up for infusion and taking it off. Clean the surface where you will set things out, keep your hands super clean, etc. If I touch ANYTHING after washing (including unwrapping my syringes or any other surface) I re-clean my hands or put on gloves. Scrub the end of your line very well - I usually scrub with the alcohol pad for 23-30 seconds. Might be overkill, but I did NOT want any complications that I could avoid! Then be very careful that the end does not touch anything until it's a sealed system again. After infusing I always cleaned it again since it had been a good hour or more. Yup, not into taking chances.
A few caveats:
--My dressings were changed weekly at the infusion center, not at home or by myself.
--Other than the orthopedic infection, I'm an otherwise healthy adult (I do not have a compromised immune system and my body was not weakened by any other issues).
--I had to infuse 3 times a day (once every ~8 hours) so things such as a blocked line were less likely to occur since I was constantly pushing fluid through it.
No comments:
Post a Comment