PICC line disaster & rant

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Just got back from hospital, went to get my weekly PICC flush. Turns out the novice nurse that flushed it through did not close the valve so the blood has run through and clotted. The sister who tried to clean it through said she could not allow it to flow back into my body ot I would have septasemia within the hour.
One thing for it, she pulled it out.

The thing is I am now booked for another 1 to go in next week. She has warned me the vein may not accept a second go with a PICC and I will have to have a Hickman in my chest, thus leaving another scar to add to my list
Having had WLE and mastectomy with lat dorsi recon, I am no stranger to scars, what with all my drainholes too,now it looks like I will have 1 in the middle of my cleavage. More importantly I will have to go on wait list for the Hickman and this could delay my chemo a week.

I am sooooooo mad! We have so much to endure with BC and now just because they unleash nurse numb skull on me, I have to suffer and delay chemo needlessly. I have tried so hard to stay positive and keep well physically and mentally through this and nows it seems I have to suffer more invasion because dopey drawers didn’t know her job. GGRRRRR!!

The sister couldn’t tell me the likelihood of failure and I just hope the picc line goes in a second time. I don’t usually rant but I have been crying today as a result and thats unusual because I am usually so brave and positive.

Jules x

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Nothing I can say other than will you have a hug. We can cry together and then we can have a cuppa and a slice of cake…I will pick you up from the airport!

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Jules}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} xxxxxx

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Cup of tea and slice of cake? what no wine left from last night?
Hug gratefully accepted. Thank you

Unfortunately bit cold where you live. I have villa with pool near Marbella, maybe we should all have a get together there. That would cheer us up!!

Jules

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I will book my ticket…shall I bring the cake? I am sure I can find another bottle of wine!

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Blimey jools,

what an absolute bl**dy nightmare for you! I just don’t know what to say, except I really do hope they manage to get the PICC line back in. I will certainly be keeping my fingers and toes crossed for you!

Sending you a huge ‘cyber hug’ ((((((((((o))))))))))

Take care and be sure to let us know how you get on,

Kelly
-x-

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I hope that they manage to sort you out - these PICC lines are all well and good when they work OK, but the ongoing hastle of showering/ bathing and having the wretched thing flushed is a right royal pain!

Mine was put in too far and for the last 8 weeks has been tickling my heart causing rapid heartbeat (or cadiac arrithmea) - finally after weeks of complaining they pulled 3cm of it out and it is now no longer touching my heart so I can breathe easy and my heart beat is settling down - I had to threaten to have it removed befroe they would consider it though!

They do not warn you of all the pitfalls before having it installed - I know it makes chemo less stressful and saves my veins (on my 9th lot of chemo and herceptin now), but with every plus side there it a downside - All in all though it still makes chemo more bearable and I hope that they can reinstall for you.

A friend of mine had a Hickman line which is now removed and the scar is barely visible so tha might not be as bad as you think!

Keep your chin up and have a glass of wine on me!

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S**t gonna hit the fan

Thanks for your comments girls. Especially re-assuring that it will not leave much of a mark, if any.
Have now been told (yesterday, Friday) that Hickmans are only done Mondays, and if they try to reinsert PICC on tuesday and it fails and they book Hickman for the 17th, there will be no appointments for chemo till 24th so a delay of 11 days. I don’t want that!!

Therefore I will have Hickman on Monday. I have to be in day surgery for 7.30 am for more invasion on my fragile little body, all because this nurse fancied a bit of practice. Usually I am so positive. I love my wig, my boobs will look great in 7 months time when surgeon does nipple and finishes turning my B’s into pair of C’s. In make up I look as glam as my former self. But now the coin has flipped as I see me for what I really am, 1 nipple, scars, balding, cancer victim. This incident has done me so much damage phscologically and to my confidence, as I see how vulnerable and at everyone’s mercy I really am. Where as until yesterday I felt invincible with my strength.

In this journey I already had MRSA, but I beat that, thanks to good antibiotics, before it took hold. The antibiotics didn’t make me sick as promised so I said “bring it on” to chemo. Had 2 so far been fine. I really felt like I could kick cancer’s arse, but now feel so negative and frightened, because I really am at the mercy of other people & fate. This incident and all the extra trauma that comes with it, proves that.

At the time the nurse (light blue uniform, not a sister) said to the charge nurse. “shall I clean that PICC line?”. he replied “have you done it before?”. She said “yes but not in this department?” She did it, and he watched as she did most of it. As she dressed the finished job she paused and changed her mind having closed the clasp and re-opened it. If she was unsure, she should have asked Not gone 50/50 on luck. Hence the blood flowed through and blocked the line.

Please ladies could you ask your chemo depts, (not gonna get any truth out of mine) if nurses are really allowed to flush out PICCs in that department, because usually I only see sisters and charge nurses working on patients. I feel totally let down because like everybody else here I placed my trust and my veins in these people. If there is a flaw in the procedure of what happened, and she was un-qualified to do the job as would be a window cleaner for example, I will press for an assault charge.

Throughout this my onc has been called at home, my BC nurse is appauled and I have notified PALS by phone and will probably write a letter.

I am hoping that by monday night, my positive nature will kick back in and I will see the doughnut again, not the hole through the middle. I pray that my entry scar will be minimal as my surgeon has done so well with his stitches.

Sorry to sound so woeful by have to get it chest
Jules x

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I cant believe what has happened - as if we have enough to get through.

my thoughts are with you and fingers crossed that the reinsert works wonders

I’m sending a big hug xxxx

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I have just come home from yet another emergency stay in our local oncology centre. The first one was caused by my PICC line which caused a blood clot. This time I had an infection and neutrophylls of zero! Anyway I now have a central Groshong line, similar to a Hickman line and it was used for all the IV antibiotics, blood tests and blood transfusion, all the treatment and flushing being done by staff nurses. I never saw a sister or charge nurse in the entire 5 days I was there this time or the 3 days I was in for the PICC line problem. But staff nurses are experienced nurses and carry out all of the care here. Unfortunately, it sounds as if you had a fairly newly qualified staff nurse who treated you.

My Groshong line seems to work very well and has made life a lot easier in these last few dreadful days. So I hope you get on well with yours. I expect you feel a bit bruised after the insertion, but I am pleased with mine on the whole.

I hope things improve for you. All the best

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Hi Anne

Sorry to hear you have had trouble too. I think the Hickman is going to be more comfortable than the PICC, once all the bruising has gone away. I am so bitter it has come to this because of the nurse’s incompetence. She was being supervised the whole time that she flushed it and was just left unattended to finish applying the dressing, this is when she made the decision to undo the clamp.
There are going to be alot of questions to answer.
The surgeon who put the Hickman line said her error was potentially lethal!!

Gives me lots of confidence, NOT!

Jules