sueg—
I just updated my IV experiences on this thread:
www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30&m=3233665Hope there is helpful info in there for you.
Do not be scared—but be sure to ask as many questions as you can! You started with some really good ones:
From what I understand, there is no standard set of time for IV treatment but you should talk w/ your LLMD about
what he/she has in mind. He won't be able to guarantee you a schedule, but there should be a plan and you should be part of that planning. And like cccmama states—it's best that with any treatment, you are symptom-free before you stop it.
Also—
Not sure if you are getting a port or a PICC? A
PICC is simply a catheter that is threaded into the artery from your heart and then it is threaded from the artery down through your arm and then the catheter comes out of your arm (sounds like this is what cccmama has). You wear an arm bandage in-between your infusions and by protecting the area with a plastic wrap or waterproof sleeve on your arm, you can shower just fine but you cannot submerge yourself into water in any way.
A
port (which is what I have) is a small device that is the size of 6 stacked quarters and is installed via surgery under the flesh in your chest and hooked up to a catheter that is threaded into the artery from your heart. Then they push a huber needle through the surface of your skin and into the membrane cover for the port. A catheter is coming out of the other end of the needle and you screw into the end of the catheter with your syringes. I have my infusions Tues-Saturday and then I de-access the port (pull the needle out) for the weekend and can shower and swim and do anything. The nurse comes on Tuesdays and re-accesses (puts a new needle in for the week's infusions) and covers the sterile area with a bandage that cannot get wet. Currently I don't even shower during the week but I bought some outer bandages to try out soon.
In both cases, you screw a syringe into the end of the catheters and that is how you administer your treatment. The port is long-term since there is no large catheter coming out of your flesh. The PICC is for more short-term treatment and while many have had no issues at all, it is known to be more prone to infection due to the
open wound.
I paused my full protocol during the first month of the IV because my protocol is so exhaustingly complex there was no way I could keep up with it. I'm slowly reintroducing things.
My posts in the other thread document some challenges I've had and the change in my sx. So far I have not felt much relief in the sx yet. It's been a little over 6 wks for me.
The supplies person with home health care calls me on Monday and verifies my supplies, which are delivered to my doorstep. With every abx infusion syringe I also need two saline syringes, heparin string and lots of alcohol wipes and once a week I need a new needle and catheter with all the dressings and sterile prep supplies along with the bandage that maintains the sterile needle site for the week. When then nurse comes to re-access me on Tuesdays she brings everything she needs to draw blood for labs. I also have a box for needle disposal that I tape up and put in the mail (postage pre-paid) for safe handling. It really is a concisely organized system.
-p