Thanks for the pics, christina!!
Wow, caroline, you got your port even though you weren't on IVs very frequently? How did it go? Is there a bigger chance of it clotting with non-use (even with proper flushing)? Were your doctors hesitant at all to let you have it done, as you seemed to be on IVs rather seldom?
Your situation sounds like me. I am always relieved to have a PICC put in, just because I blow EVERY IV within about two hours, no matter the medication. I am a very hard stick, too. There's only one person I even allow to try to get an IV in me anymore because it's sooo hard (my pulmo seems to be an IV placing genius). However, PICC placements are difficult, too. I always have to go down to radiology (bed side nurses cannot get 'em in anymore). From there, it usually takes two tries with about three different people, both arms, and black and purple bruises up and down to successfully get a line in me. Because of THIS, I am TERRIFIED every time I go in for a PICC. This last time was so awful! It didn't even hurt that badly, and the radiologist that did it got it on the first try and did a pretty good job...that, unfortunately, did not prevent me from flipping out. I was jumpy, scared, anxious, crying the WHOLE time. I was actually pretty embarrassed when it was all over and done with. When I got back to my room, my nurse gave me something for my anxiety and had me floating on a cloud for the rest of the day to calm me down.
This last placement was sooo bad, emotionally, that I would rather blow an IV every hour than lay conscious during a placement ever again. The radiologist even mentioned getting a port to me and I thought to myself, "No way, I'm only here once a year!" However, this is my second time on IVs this year...even if my average is 2 hospitalizations a year now, I didn't think it would make sense to get a port just yet.
Have any of you other guys gotten a port, even for infrequent IVs??
