Hickman Line - has anyone else had it fitted ?

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hi all - I am starting chemo next Monday (week today) and this week I have to go to Rosshall to get my tests and also a Hickman Line fitted - sounds like a good idea and like the thought of not having my veins bashed about every three weeks but I am such a wimp and wonder if anyone else had had it done and if it was painful/upsetting ? I wonder if I ask if they will give me a mild sedative ? I am generally ok but medical procedures (dentist etc) can freek me out a bit and I can feel the panic rising - I don’t want to put them off during the procedure and make it more difficult or longer !

any advise most welcome - ta Rhonz x

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Hi Rhonz

I have a Hickman line, had it in for 5.5 weeks now and about to go for my third FEC. I have very small veins and anaesthetist struggled to find a vein for surgery so the nurses said I needed a line before any chemo started. I was offered PICC or Hickman and chose Hickman as I didn’t want a dressing on my arm for the next 6 months.

The Hickman line is a good thing if you have poor veins - makes injecting the chemicals easier - they just inject straight into the line, so no pump so it’s quicker. No hunt the vein game, and no risk of extravasation. The positives probably outweigh the negatives in the long run. It needs flushing once a week which the district nurse does.

However, having the line put in I found extremely stressful and unpleasant - it doesn’t really hurt - they give you a local so that’s not an issue but there is a lot of pulling and pushing which is a bit brutal. If you have it on your right side it is easier, but I had mine on the left due to surgery on the right, which meant they had to go into my jugular vein on the neck. It felt as though I had been kicked in the neck for a week and took 2-3 weeks before it settled down. I now have no pain but can feel it there constantly and it pulls in my neck - now I am used to it is no big deal but it is a constant reminder of the chemo when you could otherwise forget. And I can’t have a bath! Shower is fine.

If you have a tendency to panic, then I suggest you ask for a sedative - they can knock you out so you don’t remember anything afterwards - this was not offered to me, and I wouldn’t have taken it if it was as I don’t consider myself to be a wimp, but I have to say this was one of the worst procedures yet and a sedative would have been good. You need to keep still during the procedure and panic would not be good!

Having said all that, it only takes 20 mins, doesn’t hurt and if you can bear it like going to the dentist, then just grin and bear it. It’s probably worth it in the long run.

One tip - ask the radiologiest to put the exit tube under or very near to your bra strap otherwise it will show with every top or t-shirt you wear - I find almost all my tops show this and although it doesn’t bother me particularly I do get a lot of stares as I think people are wondering what it is.

Good luck with everything and your first chemo.

Helen

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Hi
I had my hickman put in a couple of weeks ago and was very worried about it being painful and would i wriggle and be a nuisance etc etc.Honestly,it really was ok.I didnt have any sedative (i really wanted a general anaesthetic i was so worried!).

The nurses who put it in were wonderful.They gave me just the right amount of info beforehand.

the local anaesthetic injections were the worst bit.I think there were about 5 of them and yes they did sting a lot but were bearable.

i felt lots of pushing (thats normal) and was asked to tell the nurses if i felt pain and to stop them if i did.Twice when they were trying to put the line in i started to feel sore and asked them to stop.The third time they tried with the line i didnt feel it.They said that because i had already had 3 lots of chemo my veins were more sensitive (i previously had a picc line in my arm but got a blood clot so had to have it removed) so hopefully you shouldnt even feel the soreness i felt.Again,though,it was bearable.

The sterile dressings do cover over your face a bit and i did have to turn my head to the side throughout which got a bit uncomfortable.My husband came with me and is wonderful at distraction,happily chatting away about our last holiday when i had to keep quiet and i definitely would advise that you take someone with you if possible.I think its impossible for the nurses not to talk to each other when they are doing the procedure and personally i dont like hearing too much about what they are doing cos i get sqeamish so my husbands holiday talk was very helpful!

They do have to tip you on the bed so that you head is lower than your feet.For some reason this really worried me but after they had done it i didnt even notice i was in that position.

I think the whole thing,from laying on the bed to having the dressing put on at the end,took about 45 mins.

Honestly,it was ok.I wouldnt be leaping at the chance of having another one but truly,apart from the local anaesthetic injections stinging and the pushing which is a bit ‘firm’ it was completely bearable.At the very end i felt a pulling sensation and remember saying ‘ooh,that doesnt feel very nice’ but again,it was ok,just a bit strange.

The first couple of days after having it in i did take some paracetemol but only a couple of times.I was a bit cautious in bed about the dangly bit of the line and every night i have taped that bit to my chest for fear that i might role over on it but other than that it has been fine.

As for now,2 weeks later,i’m aware that it is there because there is a slight senstion in my neck but nothing unpleasant.I find the most annoying thing the fact that i have to have baths rather than showers but in the big scheme of things thats very minor!

I wish you all the best with it.I think you will probably be quite suprised that it is actually not too bad.

Take care
K xx

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Hi Helen/Rhonz
Your reply went on as i was writing mine.Rhonz,i had mine on the right side so maybe this made it a bit easier.Helen,you said you are having showers,are you covering up the dressing with something.I was worried about it getting wet so have stuck to baths with the dangly bit of the line taped out of the way but would LOVE a shower again!
Thanks
K xx

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Hi RECS

Just wanted to let you know I had a Hickman line put in due to pathetic veins. I was told it would be done under a local with sedation, I wasn’t offered a choice. I’m glad it was, as I didn’t feel anything at all. I was in and out in no time, a little sore maybe afterwards. I had mine put in in the afternoon and in the end stayed the night as they had wanted to do chemo after the line was put in, but I kept falling asleep, so they did it first thing the next morning. I had no problems with showering, just had to be a little careful not to get the waterproof plaster too wet. The only down side for me was being tied to having the line flushed weekly (another trip to the hospital!) and my scar afterwards was larger and redder than I’d hoped and is visible when wearing some tops…but it is going down more now.

If I was told I had to have another one fitted…it wouldn’t worry me in the slightest.

I hope this helps

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Hello
thank you all for this thread - I am having a Groshong line fitted on 20th (next week) as my veins have been hopeless and are damaged by the Epirubicin. I have put off thinking about it but reading this thread has really made me feel better about it.
What I’m looking forward to is being able to get on with the chemo without constant delays for veins (although the bloods thing might continue!) I’m working on the basis that the procedure might not be much fun but the result will be worth it. That attitude has got me through 2 FNACs and a core biopsy, a guide wire and more tests and surgery than I care to remember as well as a nice bit of nipple tattooing over the last 12 years.
This year has felt very tough and I was dreading yet another nasty procedure but reading the postings has helped enormously
thanks a lot everyone xx

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HI Monica - how are you doing? Haven’t heard from you in a while, hope you’re ok. The procedure isn’t too bad really, at least it’s over fairly quickly. Just go in with the attitude that it can’t be worse than root canal dental treatment and you’ll be fine.

KMS - isn’t it weird how we’re all told different things? I have a circular dressing thing about 2cm diameter where the tubes exits my skin and then a see-through waterproof dressing over. I think the dressing is breathable - it’s a post-op IV dressing and really doesn’t bother my skin too much which is good as I reacted to the dressings after surgery. I have a shower every day and just wipe it dry but was told to not soak it in a bath, I suppose I could have a bath if I kept it out of the water. The dressing gets changed once a week but does tend to peel a bit - if it gets too bad I just remove it and put another one on. I have the district nurse come to me once a week to flush it - the hospital said they would train the OH to do this but he hates needles so wasn’t too keen, even though the needles don’t go into me! The district nurse said they should teach me to do it, but the hospital seemed shocked at the idea, like I am totally incapable of doing anything for myself! Odd, but no big deal.

Twinny - I am absolutely freaked about having the line removed? Do they really just pull it out? Doesn’t this hurt? Doesn’t this leave a large gaping hole in my vein? And another one on my chest where the tube exited and does this need stitches? NO-one at the hospital will tell me and I am trying not to think about it in advance - cross that bridge when I come to it, but it would be nice to be reassured in advance.

Good luck

Helen.

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thanks all being encouraged ! daisyleaf - nipple tattoo that is what I need - is it easy /sore/worth it ?? any views - I’m still post op so it will be a while but I do wonder how to get away from the current zippy" look !! :slight_smile:

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Hi Helen

I had my Hickman line removed under a general. Unfortunately I had a persistent seroma which was being managed while on Chemo. It became infected and I had to have an operation to sort it out and because of the seroma infection the safety of the Hickman line was compromised and so it had to be taken out at the same time.

So sorry, my experience perhaps wasn’t typical; although I understood I would have had it taken out as it was put in…under local and sedation… After it was taken out it was quite sore and was left covered for a few weeks.

I hope it goes Ok for you.

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Hi Helen

Thanks for the info about showering.Maybe i misunderstood the nurses.They did say not to soak it in the bath so i just have a shallow one and keep it dry.I’m thinking i may just have a shower and see how it goes.It sounds like i have the same type of dressing on as you do.I do have a couple of spares so if i do have a problem i can just replace it.

On the subject of removal i think the nurse told me it would just be a couple of local anaesthetic injections around the exit site and then they would just pull it out.She said it would be a bit uncomfy but not painful.I’m hoping this is the case!

All the best.
K xx

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Hi everyone
kms, the nipple is great - it obviously doesn’t get erect when cold, but looks great in terms of symmetry! wasn’t very painful at all - local anaesthetic, and I love it.
Helen, good to hear from you and that the Hickman has settled for you - it felt like the last straw and I did an ostrich til I read this thread!
hope everyone is well
monica