Hi, I have found out today that I will need chemotherapy and the nurse said I would have a picc line fitted. After reading up on it now I am terrified, and not sure if I should opt for not having it, but having a cannula inserted each time. I would love to hear your experiences with it. Steffi
Get it! They usually only offer it after your veins have crashed!
I was lucky in that I was offered like you at the beginning and I thought everyone was but they are not.
They give you a local anaesthetic in your arm so it does not hurt - then all your blood is drawn from there, all your chemo goes in there etc. Seriously just go for it.
You will need covers if you don’t want to have the stockingette wrap they supply
AND you will need a water proof cover but you GP can give you a prescription for that. It is called a Limbo and this is it:
limboproducts.com/configurator?selected=elbow
It has to be flushed about once a week/10 days but it makes your life so much easier and pain free.
I think you need to stand your ground and ask WHY you have been offered this procedure . As someone else has said it is not routinely offered, so there must be a good medical reason for it. Your body, your choice. Personally I would take whatever is on offer. I have very narrow veins, some of which have collapsed after repeated cannulations for CT scans and bloods.
Just to be clear, a PICC line is the least invasive. I was told it lasts the shortest length of time. It is inserted in the arm and is no more painful than being cannulated- I’m told. Covered with a sleeve.
A Hickman line is inserted in the clavicle and into the heart. It needs a surgeon and a theatre. No anaesthetic is used. This line can be used, I was told, for 6 months. It’s a bit messy as it dangles around your boob, but you just tape it up. I had this one. These two lines have to be cleaned a week after the chemo. So an extra trip to the hospital for me.
A Port is done under anaesthetic and is for prolonged use, or palliative care. It looks like a little jelly dot on the clavicle . Hope you get some clarification. Good luck. X
Hello all
I got my PICC line yesterday. It’s the thing I was dreading most, though I know that chemo through a cannula can really mess with your veins and so in the long term the PICC line made more sense.
However, I did shed a few fear tears in the room before the procedure started.
First attempt, she couldn’t get in to the vein, apparently I have stubborn “bouncy” veins. Second attempt caught a nerve, that was like a bolt of electricity down my arm. Third attempt went in a treat, back in the preferred vein (she got the Sister to do it).
Our trust was the first in the country to have this special kit for PICC lines so mine was ultrasound guided with no x-ray afterwards, she could see it all on the screen and it gives her a green traffic light when it’s in the right place.
However; I was lying down when she got that. Sitting up, my spine tends to be out of alignment due to scoliosis, and I’ve got it in to my head that I can feel something in my chest. The twist does pull my ribcage slightly out of alignment so I’m used to chest/sternum discomfort but this feels different. Last night on the sofa (feet up as instructed by the Chemo Sister) I think I felt a few palpitations.
I slept better last night so am less freaked out today, but still wondering if my scoliosis could be causing a problem, or if it’s just in my head.
I get my first chemo on Thursday and will be in a chair a long time.