PICC Line Install

“It is in men as in soils where sometimes there is a vein of gold which the owner knows not.”

- Johnathon Swift

This morning I travel to Doylestown Hospital for my PICC install. The lovely 20-minute ride is so much easier than making the trip down to Penn. But I have to say, it's more than convenience that impresses me about Doylestown Hospital. The staff and facility are very impressive and welcoming. It's easy to see why it has been named best Hospital in Bucks/Montgomery counties for 12 years running.

I arrived with mom and headed into the interventional radiology area where PICC insertions are done. There was just one guy, like 35 or so, working there and he seemed very professional. In many ways he reminded me of a friend named Kevin. This put me at ease. After all, this was a little stressful. I really didn't know quite what to expect with this pic line except I was going to be hit with a needle and then have a line jammed through my arm veins to a major vein near my heart. A little spooky.

I went in and laid down on the table. The guy "Kevin" prepared my arm for the procedure. The only time I got nervous was when he did not apply a desensitizing cream to my arm. I'd read that they numb your arm with this cream that takes as much as an hour to go into effect. It seemed like he was just going to do the procedure without any numbing agent. Then he starting shooting me up with novacaine needles. He gave me 2-3 needles inside my upper arm right below my armpit, where he then inserted the PICC.

The novacaine was not really any more painful than a typical IV stick. I was only able to feel the sensation of the tubing/line being feed through my vein at the point of entry. I did not feel it inching through my body and did not feel anything in my chest.

The whole procedure was very efficient and I was in and out of the hospital within an hour. The other good news is that I shouldn't have to have the PICC taken out and reinserted between treatments. People have PICC lines in for as much as a year, and the two - three months that i would need it is no problem at all.

So what are the benefits of this PICC line? Well, primarily it allows the docs to administer chemo drugs direct to stronger veins and will allow that continuous 4-5 day feed of 5FU I get beginning Monday. It preserves the veins in my arms from further damage, as chemo really fries them. Docs can also take blood samples painlessly from my pic rather than sticking me. So, this is another nice feature.

The other option that is more common is a cathiport, which is surgically inserted below the skin in your chest. It performs a similar function, but I've heard that these must be kept for a least six months before you have another procedure to remove them. I liked that the PICC line could come out as soon as I didn't need it.

Anyway, I'm doing pretty well today. Yesterday wasn't the greatest, but I like when I'm able to bounce back from a bad day and have a good one. It's a sign that things are shaping up. Even my mucous seems like it's beginning to wind down.