When it comes to things being inserted into your veins, such as PORT’s and PICC lines, I’ve been around the block a time or two... dozen. I first got a PICC line when I was 17 for IV antibiotic infusions. I should have known then when it took the poor vascular technician two hours to attempt to put one in, then fail, that my body didn’t like to cooperate with them.
On Halloween my 3rd PORT started giving me major issues. It had been acting very finicky for a week or so, but by that Monday it had completely stopped working. After attempting to fix it three times throughout the next week with drain-o for human veins, my surgeon gave up. So Wednesday the 2nd I had PICC line #8 put in. Luckily I got the same guy that had put my last PICC in so he knew I was trouble. After two failed attempts he finally got one in and working. Then the next day it quit. I know my blood is thicker than maple syrup and all my previous PICC’s have short life spans but this was ridiculous. Back to the hospital I went. When I got there they told me they knew I would be back because the chest x-ray showed that the PICC line was curled up at the end, but the stupid radiologist that read the x-ray said it was fine and they have to listen to him. Idiot radiologist! I really have a grudge against most radiologists I know. They did another x-ray and fixed it. Then the next day it messed up again. UGH! I was really annoyed by this point. So they assumed it was a blood clot and sent me to have an ultrasound of my arm.
The guy did his thing, made my arm hurt like crazy then said “I didn’t see anything but I think I cleared it up for you. You can leave now.” I was confused. He didn’t see anything but he fixed it? I went and tried to flush the line to see if it would work and I got it to work. This was crazy! Went home did my nightly infusions, got up the next morning to do my morning infusions and bam... the dang thing had quit again! I knew it wasn’t me, so I came to the conclusion that this was the PICC line from Hell! I messed with it for a while and got it to where I could flush one of the lumens so I did my infusions anyway. Throughout my infusions my arm burnt like gasoline was being poured into my veins and started to swell. I kept it working even though it hurt.
My nurse came a few days later and I told her and she said “You and me both know it isn’t supposed to burn and make your arm swell.” So I told her I thought the line was infiltrating some and she agreed. Thank goodness it wasn’t just me losing my mind. Even though it’s the most annoying PICC I have ever had (well except the one that would randomly ooze blood out of the insertion site all the way down my arm) I have to admit I am impressed it has stayed alive this long.
Now I am trying to overcome the pneumonia so I can have PORT #3 removed and PORT #4 put in. Since I become attached to these things, in a literal sense, I usually name them. PORT #3 was Piper, therefore request of names for #4 will now be accepted. I’m thinking Paco or Charlie.We'll see how it goes. Hopefully I will be welcoming PORT #4 sooner rather than later!
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