Flushing a Port

Capi · Mar 28, 2009

As some of you may be aware I recently got a double port. Never had one and had been with a pick line since August.

I even got a link from here that showed how to access the port.

My nurse came one time last week with another nurse because she have never done ports before. This week it was a mission to get her to agree on a time to come so I decided to plug myself up.

Here is the deal. When she did it last week she used a .22 needle that was 3/4 long. When my doctor checked it he said that was to long and I ask for a 1/4 needle and that .22 gauge was fine.

Every time I would flush the line after the IV's it seemed as if the flush was hard not like its used to be on the pick line.

Now since I got pist that I could not get the nurse and plugged myself up with the smaller needle and flushed it I noticed it was harder than the first one..

Is flushing these things harder than pick lines? I did pull back the needle and got a nice dose of blood but not sure if I have the needle in correct and flushing is harder than a pick line or if the nurse plugged me wrong last week and now by me guiding myself by the old place she used I am not really hitting this thing.

Please help me out.
Thanks

Capi · Mar 28, 2009

As some of you may be aware I recently got a double port. Never had one and had been with a pick line since August.

I even got a link from here that showed how to access the port.

My nurse came one time last week with another nurse because she have never done ports before. This week it was a mission to get her to agree on a time to come so I decided to plug myself up.

Here is the deal. When she did it last week she used a .22 needle that was 3/4 long. When my doctor checked it he said that was to long and I ask for a 1/4 needle and that .22 gauge was fine.

Every time I would flush the line after the IV's it seemed as if the flush was hard not like its used to be on the pick line.

Now since I got pist that I could not get the nurse and plugged myself up with the smaller needle and flushed it I noticed it was harder than the first one..

Is flushing these things harder than pick lines? I did pull back the needle and got a nice dose of blood but not sure if I have the needle in correct and flushing is harder than a pick line or if the nurse plugged me wrong last week and now by me guiding myself by the old place she used I am not really hitting this thing.

Please help me out.
Thanks

Capi · Mar 28, 2009

As some of you may be aware I recently got a double port. Never had one and had been with a pick line since August.

I even got a link from here that showed how to access the port.

My nurse came one time last week with another nurse because she have never done ports before. This week it was a mission to get her to agree on a time to come so I decided to plug myself up.

Here is the deal. When she did it last week she used a .22 needle that was 3/4 long. When my doctor checked it he said that was to long and I ask for a 1/4 needle and that .22 gauge was fine.

Every time I would flush the line after the IV's it seemed as if the flush was hard not like its used to be on the pick line.

Now since I got pist that I could not get the nurse and plugged myself up with the smaller needle and flushed it I noticed it was harder than the first one..

Is flushing these things harder than pick lines? I did pull back the needle and got a nice dose of blood but not sure if I have the needle in correct and flushing is harder than a pick line or if the nurse plugged me wrong last week and now by me guiding myself by the old place she used I am not really hitting this thing.

Please help me out.
Thanks

Capi · Mar 28, 2009

As some of you may be aware I recently got a double port. Never had one and had been with a pick line since August.

I even got a link from here that showed how to access the port.

My nurse came one time last week with another nurse because she have never done ports before. This week it was a mission to get her to agree on a time to come so I decided to plug myself up.

Here is the deal. When she did it last week she used a .22 needle that was 3/4 long. When my doctor checked it he said that was to long and I ask for a 1/4 needle and that .22 gauge was fine.

Every time I would flush the line after the IV's it seemed as if the flush was hard not like its used to be on the pick line.

Now since I got pist that I could not get the nurse and plugged myself up with the smaller needle and flushed it I noticed it was harder than the first one..

Is flushing these things harder than pick lines? I did pull back the needle and got a nice dose of blood but not sure if I have the needle in correct and flushing is harder than a pick line or if the nurse plugged me wrong last week and now by me guiding myself by the old place she used I am not really hitting this thing.

Please help me out.
Thanks

Capi · Mar 28, 2009

As some of you may be aware I recently got a double port. Never had one and had been with a pick line since August.
 
 I even got a link from here that showed how to access the port.
 
 My nurse came one time last week with another nurse because she have never done ports before. This week it was a mission to get her to agree on a time to come so I decided to plug myself up.
 
 Here is the deal. When she did it last week she used a .22 needle that was 3/4 long. When my doctor checked it he said that was to long and I ask for a 1/4 needle and that .22 gauge was fine.
 
 Every time I would flush the line after the IV's it seemed as if the flush was hard not like its used to be on the pick line.
 
 Now since I got pist that I could not get the nurse and plugged myself up with the smaller needle and flushed it I noticed it was harder than the first one..
 
 Is flushing these things harder than pick lines? I did pull back the needle and got a nice dose of blood but not sure if I have the needle in correct and flushing is harder than a pick line or if the nurse plugged me wrong last week and now by me guiding myself by the old place she used I am not really hitting this thing.
 
 Please help me out.
 Thanks

juliepie · Mar 28, 2009

I use a 3/4" needle.. 1/4 inch seems awfully short to me.

Anyway- My port can be hard to flush if I have the needle positioned wrong. The needle has a slight bend to the end it, and if that is placed so that it is right against the wall of the well, I have a hard time flushing. A quarter or half spin of the needle (before the dressing is put on) will usually fix that. That's why I always try flushing and pulling back before I have the tegaderm on keeping everything in place. If I remember correctly, it is slightly harder to push everything through than it was with a picc. It's been 4 years though, my memory is rusty!

Good luck!

juliepie · Mar 28, 2009

I use a 3/4" needle.. 1/4 inch seems awfully short to me.

Anyway- My port can be hard to flush if I have the needle positioned wrong. The needle has a slight bend to the end it, and if that is placed so that it is right against the wall of the well, I have a hard time flushing. A quarter or half spin of the needle (before the dressing is put on) will usually fix that. That's why I always try flushing and pulling back before I have the tegaderm on keeping everything in place. If I remember correctly, it is slightly harder to push everything through than it was with a picc. It's been 4 years though, my memory is rusty!

Good luck!

juliepie · Mar 28, 2009

I use a 3/4" needle.. 1/4 inch seems awfully short to me.

Anyway- My port can be hard to flush if I have the needle positioned wrong. The needle has a slight bend to the end it, and if that is placed so that it is right against the wall of the well, I have a hard time flushing. A quarter or half spin of the needle (before the dressing is put on) will usually fix that. That's why I always try flushing and pulling back before I have the tegaderm on keeping everything in place. If I remember correctly, it is slightly harder to push everything through than it was with a picc. It's been 4 years though, my memory is rusty!

Good luck!

juliepie · Mar 28, 2009

I use a 3/4" needle.. 1/4 inch seems awfully short to me.

Anyway- My port can be hard to flush if I have the needle positioned wrong. The needle has a slight bend to the end it, and if that is placed so that it is right against the wall of the well, I have a hard time flushing. A quarter or half spin of the needle (before the dressing is put on) will usually fix that. That's why I always try flushing and pulling back before I have the tegaderm on keeping everything in place. If I remember correctly, it is slightly harder to push everything through than it was with a picc. It's been 4 years though, my memory is rusty!

Good luck!

juliepie · Mar 28, 2009

I use a 3/4" needle.. 1/4 inch seems awfully short to me.
 
 Anyway- My port can be hard to flush if I have the needle positioned wrong. The needle has a slight bend to the end it, and if that is placed so that it is right against the wall of the well, I have a hard time flushing. A quarter or half spin of the needle (before the dressing is put on) will usually fix that. That's why I always try flushing and pulling back before I have the tegaderm on keeping everything in place. If I remember correctly, it is slightly harder to push everything through than it was with a picc. It's been 4 years though, my memory is rusty!
 
 Good luck!

Havoc · Mar 28, 2009