We got to the hospital this morning at 9am and checked in. Not too long after, they took me back to get me prepped for the procedure. The nurse came in to talk to me and said they do multiple PICC lines a day and it’s not that big of a deal.

Easy for him to say!

As different people came into the room, they asked me why I was getting a PICC. When I said Lyme, they all asked me if this was my first one. So I got the idea that some people have to have this done several times….which made me wonder about the whole strict timeline I was told for treatment. They asked me about who my doctor was and when I told them, every single person said I was in good hands. If anyone could help to get me over this, it was her. So that made me feel much better about things.

I was doing okay relaxing as the team who inserts the PICC was running a little behind. But when the doors opened and they rolled in their cart, my stomach instantly started doing flip flops. I made sure to remind them that I’m allergic to adhesive and there was also suspicion I was allergic to ChloraPrep as well (what they use to clean/sterilize the skin). They questioned me on that because they didn’t know anyone with that particular allergy. But she agreed to use alcohol and betadine just in case. She said she was going to do a test patch later with the ChloraPrep.

So the team got all dressed out basically in OR gear and made my husband do the same with a mask. They draped me with a sterile sheet, covered my hair and then got started. They used an ultrasound machine to find the basilic vein in my left arm a few inches above my elbow and told me to take a deep breath. They used a numbing agent so after the initial stick, I just felt a lot of pressure and weird sensations. I had my head turned away from her and at one point, she asked me to turn towards her. I was like nooooo…..this is the only way I’m staying calm is by watching this machine on the other side of me! LOL But I turned my head and just closed my eyes.

It was all done in a few minutes. And not near as bad as I had imagined that it was going to be. They sent in radiology to check the placement with a chest x-ray. After waiting a bit for it to be read, they came in and said the placement was not right and it needed to be in further. So they came back in and threaded it further into the vein. It was just more pressure.

Then she placed the dressing and that was that. She also did do the ChloraPrep patch test on my lower arm and within a few minutes, I was ready to scratch my skin off! So I quickly washed it off and we confirmed that allergy!

They gave me the instructions for care which besides keeping it sterile includes keeping it dry (no showers!) and not lifting anything with that arm. She said some people use Saran wrap to cover their arm so they can take a shower but if it gets wet, the dressing has to be changed immediately as infection can set in quickly and the line goes straight to your heart. So any infection can be very serious.

She told me to watch for any heart flutters as that would mean the line has shifted and is “tickling” my heart. If that happens, I have to go back to the hospital for an x-ray to check the placement. See why I didn’t want this thing?!

This is how the PICC line looks:

Aren’t you jealous?

The nurse should be here soon to help me do my first infusion at home. Let the fun begin!