Home IV Balls

[Mommafirst]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>TonyaH</b></i>

Yes, Heather,

That's the only problem. With a pump there is no fear of oversleeping during the night. Andrew has had eclipse balls for every picc he has ever had, using tobramycin, gentimycin, and timentin. We are considering trying the pump next time, simply for the sake of my sanity. The balls need to be taken out of the fridge an hour or two before infusion or they'll take forever to administer. So, being on a 12 6 12 6 schedule AND pulling meds out of the fridge 2 hours prior, AND having to stay awake during infusion for fear of not waking up when it is finished, I never get more than 3 hours of consecutive sleep when he's on ivs. The balls are great for daytime, but the nights are what is hard. He sleeps through it all, though. So at least he can rest. But I'm afraid of becoming overly tired and making a mistake.</end quote></div>


Tonya, We were always on 12's and 6's too (actually hospital always start us on 8s and 2s but we take a few days to move it to 12's 6's). We were told that we could take the next dose out of the fridge when we start the previous one. So at midnight, I'd take out the 6am dose and infuse the midnight one. We were also told that the timing has an hour leaway. So we'd usually try and do the midnight one close to midnight, but then hold off the am one till 6:30 when my DH wakes up.

<b>This is a great topic!! These are tips you just can't get from your neighbors or the moms in the PTA!!!</b>

 

[Mommafirst]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>TonyaH</b></i>

Yes, Heather,

That's the only problem. With a pump there is no fear of oversleeping during the night. Andrew has had eclipse balls for every picc he has ever had, using tobramycin, gentimycin, and timentin. We are considering trying the pump next time, simply for the sake of my sanity. The balls need to be taken out of the fridge an hour or two before infusion or they'll take forever to administer. So, being on a 12 6 12 6 schedule AND pulling meds out of the fridge 2 hours prior, AND having to stay awake during infusion for fear of not waking up when it is finished, I never get more than 3 hours of consecutive sleep when he's on ivs. The balls are great for daytime, but the nights are what is hard. He sleeps through it all, though. So at least he can rest. But I'm afraid of becoming overly tired and making a mistake.</end quote></div>


Tonya, We were always on 12's and 6's too (actually hospital always start us on 8s and 2s but we take a few days to move it to 12's 6's). We were told that we could take the next dose out of the fridge when we start the previous one. So at midnight, I'd take out the 6am dose and infuse the midnight one. We were also told that the timing has an hour leaway. So we'd usually try and do the midnight one close to midnight, but then hold off the am one till 6:30 when my DH wakes up.

<b>This is a great topic!! These are tips you just can't get from your neighbors or the moms in the PTA!!!</b>

 

[Mommafirst]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>TonyaH</b></i>

Yes, Heather,

That's the only problem. With a pump there is no fear of oversleeping during the night. Andrew has had eclipse balls for every picc he has ever had, using tobramycin, gentimycin, and timentin. We are considering trying the pump next time, simply for the sake of my sanity. The balls need to be taken out of the fridge an hour or two before infusion or they'll take forever to administer. So, being on a 12 6 12 6 schedule AND pulling meds out of the fridge 2 hours prior, AND having to stay awake during infusion for fear of not waking up when it is finished, I never get more than 3 hours of consecutive sleep when he's on ivs. The balls are great for daytime, but the nights are what is hard. He sleeps through it all, though. So at least he can rest. But I'm afraid of becoming overly tired and making a mistake.</end quote></div>


Tonya, We were always on 12's and 6's too (actually hospital always start us on 8s and 2s but we take a few days to move it to 12's 6's). We were told that we could take the next dose out of the fridge when we start the previous one. So at midnight, I'd take out the 6am dose and infuse the midnight one. We were also told that the timing has an hour leaway. So we'd usually try and do the midnight one close to midnight, but then hold off the am one till 6:30 when my DH wakes up.

<b>This is a great topic!! These are tips you just can't get from your neighbors or the moms in the PTA!!!</b>

 

[Mommafirst]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>TonyaH</b></i>

Yes, Heather,

That's the only problem. With a pump there is no fear of oversleeping during the night. Andrew has had eclipse balls for every picc he has ever had, using tobramycin, gentimycin, and timentin. We are considering trying the pump next time, simply for the sake of my sanity. The balls need to be taken out of the fridge an hour or two before infusion or they'll take forever to administer. So, being on a 12 6 12 6 schedule AND pulling meds out of the fridge 2 hours prior, AND having to stay awake during infusion for fear of not waking up when it is finished, I never get more than 3 hours of consecutive sleep when he's on ivs. The balls are great for daytime, but the nights are what is hard. He sleeps through it all, though. So at least he can rest. But I'm afraid of becoming overly tired and making a mistake.</end quote>


Tonya, We were always on 12's and 6's too (actually hospital always start us on 8s and 2s but we take a few days to move it to 12's 6's). We were told that we could take the next dose out of the fridge when we start the previous one. So at midnight, I'd take out the 6am dose and infuse the midnight one. We were also told that the timing has an hour leaway. So we'd usually try and do the midnight one close to midnight, but then hold off the am one till 6:30 when my DH wakes up.

<b>This is a great topic!! These are tips you just can't get from your neighbors or the moms in the PTA!!!</b>

 

[Mommafirst]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote><i>Originally posted by: <b>TonyaH</b></i>
<br />
<br />Yes, Heather,
<br />
<br />That's the only problem. With a pump there is no fear of oversleeping during the night. Andrew has had eclipse balls for every picc he has ever had, using tobramycin, gentimycin, and timentin. We are considering trying the pump next time, simply for the sake of my sanity. The balls need to be taken out of the fridge an hour or two before infusion or they'll take forever to administer. So, being on a 12 6 12 6 schedule AND pulling meds out of the fridge 2 hours prior, AND having to stay awake during infusion for fear of not waking up when it is finished, I never get more than 3 hours of consecutive sleep when he's on ivs. The balls are great for daytime, but the nights are what is hard. He sleeps through it all, though. So at least he can rest. But I'm afraid of becoming overly tired and making a mistake.</end quote>
<br />
<br />
<br />Tonya, We were always on 12's and 6's too (actually hospital always start us on 8s and 2s but we take a few days to move it to 12's 6's). We were told that we could take the next dose out of the fridge when we start the previous one. So at midnight, I'd take out the 6am dose and infuse the midnight one. We were also told that the timing has an hour leaway. So we'd usually try and do the midnight one close to midnight, but then hold off the am one till 6:30 when my DH wakes up.
<br />
<br /><b>This is a great topic!! These are tips you just can't get from your neighbors or the moms in the PTA!!!</b>
<br />

 

[NYCLawGirl]

Lol, Mel, this is why I think we should get all the cystics together and call apria at one time so that they can't keep giving us different stories. I swear they just say whatever is most convenient for them at the time. Apria in colorado told one of my friends out there that "they don't make" O2 tanks smaller than the 3 ft tall ones. Translation: apria didn't have any small ones available that day. Sheesh.

 

[NYCLawGirl]

Lol, Mel, this is why I think we should get all the cystics together and call apria at one time so that they can't keep giving us different stories. I swear they just say whatever is most convenient for them at the time. Apria in colorado told one of my friends out there that "they don't make" O2 tanks smaller than the 3 ft tall ones. Translation: apria didn't have any small ones available that day. Sheesh.

 

[NYCLawGirl]

Lol, Mel, this is why I think we should get all the cystics together and call apria at one time so that they can't keep giving us different stories. I swear they just say whatever is most convenient for them at the time. Apria in colorado told one of my friends out there that "they don't make" O2 tanks smaller than the 3 ft tall ones. Translation: apria didn't have any small ones available that day. Sheesh.

 

[NYCLawGirl]

Lol, Mel, this is why I think we should get all the cystics together and call apria at one time so that they can't keep giving us different stories. I swear they just say whatever is most convenient for them at the time. Apria in colorado told one of my friends out there that "they don't make" O2 tanks smaller than the 3 ft tall ones. Translation: apria didn't have any small ones available that day. Sheesh.

 

[NYCLawGirl]

Lol, Mel, this is why I think we should get all the cystics together and call apria at one time so that they can't keep giving us different stories. I swear they just say whatever is most convenient for them at the time. Apria in colorado told one of my friends out there that "they don't make" O2 tanks smaller than the 3 ft tall ones. Translation: apria didn't have any small ones available that day. Sheesh.

 

[carmick]

The only time I've had any kind of trouble trying to get the balls is for vanco. If you need to get it slowly for redman's syndrome, they'll change their story about why they can't run it over two hours based on what they have in stock. Sometimes they have 2 hr balls, sometimes they have to put a half dose in each (which is annoying because you have to wake up halfway through), and sometimes they put the vanco in 2 lb softball sized balls. Just keep harassing them and they'll figure something out.

I keep hearing that a lot of the time the doses run faster than expected, but for me they always take like 50% longer than predicted. I leave them out for like an hour (or more if I'm running around all day and just have them in my bag). Any other tips?

 

[carmick]

The only time I've had any kind of trouble trying to get the balls is for vanco. If you need to get it slowly for redman's syndrome, they'll change their story about why they can't run it over two hours based on what they have in stock. Sometimes they have 2 hr balls, sometimes they have to put a half dose in each (which is annoying because you have to wake up halfway through), and sometimes they put the vanco in 2 lb softball sized balls. Just keep harassing them and they'll figure something out.

I keep hearing that a lot of the time the doses run faster than expected, but for me they always take like 50% longer than predicted. I leave them out for like an hour (or more if I'm running around all day and just have them in my bag). Any other tips?

 

[carmick]

The only time I've had any kind of trouble trying to get the balls is for vanco. If you need to get it slowly for redman's syndrome, they'll change their story about why they can't run it over two hours based on what they have in stock. Sometimes they have 2 hr balls, sometimes they have to put a half dose in each (which is annoying because you have to wake up halfway through), and sometimes they put the vanco in 2 lb softball sized balls. Just keep harassing them and they'll figure something out.

I keep hearing that a lot of the time the doses run faster than expected, but for me they always take like 50% longer than predicted. I leave them out for like an hour (or more if I'm running around all day and just have them in my bag). Any other tips?

 

[carmick]

The only time I've had any kind of trouble trying to get the balls is for vanco. If you need to get it slowly for redman's syndrome, they'll change their story about why they can't run it over two hours based on what they have in stock. Sometimes they have 2 hr balls, sometimes they have to put a half dose in each (which is annoying because you have to wake up halfway through), and sometimes they put the vanco in 2 lb softball sized balls. Just keep harassing them and they'll figure something out.

I keep hearing that a lot of the time the doses run faster than expected, but for me they always take like 50% longer than predicted. I leave them out for like an hour (or more if I'm running around all day and just have them in my bag). Any other tips?

 

[carmick]

The only time I've had any kind of trouble trying to get the balls is for vanco. If you need to get it slowly for redman's syndrome, they'll change their story about why they can't run it over two hours based on what they have in stock. Sometimes they have 2 hr balls, sometimes they have to put a half dose in each (which is annoying because you have to wake up halfway through), and sometimes they put the vanco in 2 lb softball sized balls. Just keep harassing them and they'll figure something out.
<br />
<br />I keep hearing that a lot of the time the doses run faster than expected, but for me they always take like 50% longer than predicted. I leave them out for like an hour (or more if I'm running around all day and just have them in my bag). Any other tips?

 

[rcq925]

We have never had the balls. We have always used the Bard Syringe Pump and I really like it. Most of Hayley's meds only infuse for 30 minutes at a time and we are comfortable using it. She just carries the pump around with her if she wants to get up and move, its really no big deal! I also worry about the cost of requesting the balls as they are more expensive from what I have heard and Hayley has a $2 million cap on her lifetime benefit for her insurance and she is already over $300,000 at 4 years old, so I want to keep expenses down where I can! Anyone else like the syringe pumps?

 

[rcq925]

We have never had the balls. We have always used the Bard Syringe Pump and I really like it. Most of Hayley's meds only infuse for 30 minutes at a time and we are comfortable using it. She just carries the pump around with her if she wants to get up and move, its really no big deal! I also worry about the cost of requesting the balls as they are more expensive from what I have heard and Hayley has a $2 million cap on her lifetime benefit for her insurance and she is already over $300,000 at 4 years old, so I want to keep expenses down where I can! Anyone else like the syringe pumps?

 

[rcq925]

We have never had the balls. We have always used the Bard Syringe Pump and I really like it. Most of Hayley's meds only infuse for 30 minutes at a time and we are comfortable using it. She just carries the pump around with her if she wants to get up and move, its really no big deal! I also worry about the cost of requesting the balls as they are more expensive from what I have heard and Hayley has a $2 million cap on her lifetime benefit for her insurance and she is already over $300,000 at 4 years old, so I want to keep expenses down where I can! Anyone else like the syringe pumps?

 

[rcq925]

We have never had the balls. We have always used the Bard Syringe Pump and I really like it. Most of Hayley's meds only infuse for 30 minutes at a time and we are comfortable using it. She just carries the pump around with her if she wants to get up and move, its really no big deal! I also worry about the cost of requesting the balls as they are more expensive from what I have heard and Hayley has a $2 million cap on her lifetime benefit for her insurance and she is already over $300,000 at 4 years old, so I want to keep expenses down where I can! Anyone else like the syringe pumps?

 

[rcq925]

We have never had the balls. We have always used the Bard Syringe Pump and I really like it. Most of Hayley's meds only infuse for 30 minutes at a time and we are comfortable using it. She just carries the pump around with her if she wants to get up and move, its really no big deal! I also worry about the cost of requesting the balls as they are more expensive from what I have heard and Hayley has a $2 million cap on her lifetime benefit for her insurance and she is already over $300,000 at 4 years old, so I want to keep expenses down where I can! Anyone else like the syringe pumps?
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