Had my picc line in today. What a nightmare!!! Told them I had a bad needle phobia and asked for an early appt to avoid waiting. Gave me 10.30. Arrived early and was shown straight to a side room to change into a gown. They then left me for 90 minutes and by then time they called me as I was in such a state that I had a panic attack. Nurse kept looking at me with that “pull yourself together” look. I came home after an hour and was back at the hospital within the hour as the.line started bleeding badly and it couldn’t get it to stop by applying pressure as they had advised. Just back home now with a new dressing and a supply of spare ones in case it happens again. My arm is throbbing now the anaesthetic it’s wearing off. Not given any cover for it so had to cut up an old sock not sure how I’m going to sleep with this in either as it’s a lot bigger than I expected. Just hope I’ve made the right decision. Helen x
Helen,
Sorry to hear you had a bad day yesterday. Hope you are feeling better today. I am starting chemo on 29th March so not to far behind you.
Maureen
Hi Maureen. My arm is agony today. Hoping it will settle down over the next few days. Good luck with your chemo. Keep in touch. It will be good to compare notes!!! Helen x
I had my picc line inserted today and my experience couldn’t have been more different from yours. I didnt really appreciate the level of the procedure, and when the consultant ‘scrubbed up’ and I was technically admitted with wrist band etc I was a bit overwhelmed. However the whole thing took less than an hour and nurse and consultant could not have been nicer. My arm is a little bit sore tonight, and it feels a bit strange, I’m kind of frightened to move incase it comes out! But they explained allnof this to me today, told me how to care for it, what to look out for etc etc. I get my first chemo tomorrow so I am so glad that this has all been so sress free. hopefully your line will settle and you can concentrate on the next steps and put the line experience behind you xx
Nicho x I have had mine in 2 weeks and apart from if I do something stupid like over reach or carry something heavy I hardly know its there apart from having to keep it dry in the shower and wear sleeves to hide it
Jen x
Hi Julie. My picc line settled down after a few days and I don’t even notice it now. The dressing is a bit bulky and I have to wrap my arm in cling film to bath or shower. I have also cut up an old stripey sock to make a sleeve to cover as I found tubigrip bandage too tight.
I don’t regret having it put in as both routine bloods and the chemo were an absolute doddle. I even watched nurse take blood which is something I’ve never done before.
It’s a bit of a pain having to wait for district nurse to come once a week to flush it as they only give a date and not a time. Obviously it’s in for the duration of chemo so gonna be a bit of a bind but a small price to pay for me as the stress and anxiety caused just thinking about a blood test made me so poorly.
I have no regrets and would recommend to anyone who has a needle phobia or who just gets anxious about bloods tests etc.
Helen xx