After issues with finding veins in my very swollen arms, I reluctantly agreed to have a PICC line fitted in order to administer my chemotherapy treatment more easily.
A PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter) can be used to give chemotherapy and other medicines as well. It is a long, flexible tube which is inserted into a vein in the upper part of the arm. The line travels along the vein in the arm and to a large vein in the chest, near to the heart. The line can be left in for the duration of treatment and I was told that the chemotherapy drugs can be given quicker through a PICC line than through a canula.
PICC lines can also be used to take samples of blood for testing. This was a very good piece of news for me as it means that needles do not need to be involved every time you need your bloods checking or are having treatment.
I was scheduled to have my PICC line fitted just before my second chemotherapy treatment by the ward sister on the teenager and young adult unit at the hospital. I was given a local anesthetic to numb the area where the PICC line was going to be put in. The nurse used an ultrasound scan to help find the best vein to use and a magnet placed on my chest helped to guide the line into the correct position. I get very queasy with my own blood so distracted myself from looking at my arm by watching the screen which showed how far the line was from reaching the intended position – very clever!
Apart from the initial administration of anesthetic I didn’t feel any pain whilst the procedure was happening. Once the anesthetic had worn off I was left with a quite sore and bruised feeling arm. One of my specialist clinical nurses visited my house the next day to change the dressing as there had been quite a bit of bleeding.
Here is how my arm looked on the evening of the line being put in:
My very witty friend came up with a very fitting name for my PICC line who shall now be know as ‘Lionel’!
I was told by other patients at my hospital that they had experienced a few days with a bruised feeling in their arms but then had gotten completely used to having the lines in. Unfortunately this wasn’t the case for me and I experienced a few weeks of discomfort. This may have been because of the problems I had with swelling in my arms at the time of my diagnosis (or maybe I’m just awkward!). In particular I found it difficult to get comfortable at night in bed whilst laid down and kept accidentally knocking Lionel. After a while it became less noticeable but I’m always conscious that it is there and avoid tight fitting, long sleeved tops.
The PICC line needs flushing regularly to stop it becoming blocked and the cap and dressing changing once a week to reduce the risk of infection. At first I had a district nurse who visited my house to do this but I found it more convenient to visit my local clinic as I could choose an appointment time which suited me.
You must be careful not to get the PICC line wet. I was provided with a special waterproof cover to cover the line whilst taking a shower or bath. At first I used this as instructed but it kept catching on the line when removing it and hurting so I found myself taking baths and taking great care to keep my arm out of the water at all times so that it didn’t get wet.
For me the PICC line is a bit of pain as I’m always conscious of it, especially when trying to get comfortable in bed at night. After I first had it inserted, it was really quite sore and painful but this has improved with time. However from my viewpoint the positives greatly outweigh the negatives; namely no more needles and it being so quick and easy to take blood samples and administer treatments. If any one is skeptical or reluctant about having one fitted (like me) I would encourage them to consider the convenience of them.
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