My son needs a Central Line

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anonymous

New member
My son Michael is 11 and is in good health right now. In the past year he has needed 3 Picc lines and the doctors have suggested that the next time he needs an IV series he be given a central line. He already has a feeding tube and has done great with it gaining almost 28 lbs since it was implanted, but my wife and I are worried sick about "punching another hole" in him. Is there anyone who has had one or a parent who has a child with one who could advise us. Any advice would be welcomed.

Thanks,
David, a very worried dad
 
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anonymous

New member
I'm not sure specifically which type of "central line" your doctors are talking about but I have had a mediport for the last 8 years and I love it. The surgery is pretty simple and quick, and recovery isn't too bad, depending on where the port is placed. I was getting PICC lines every one to two months, and constantly doing IV antibiotics, so my veins were pretty shot by the time we decided for a port. My first port lasted six years and I am on my second one now, which is about to be replaced. I love it because instead of the painful, long, often time "drugged up" fiasco of putting in a PICC line, I can access my port with a simple stick. Most blood draws can be done from my port as well. I think it is absolutely worth the hassle of surgery and maintenance (I need to access and flush my mediport with 100/1 heparin monthly even when I am not doing infusions). Also, when I need to be on protein and lipids for weight, I can have that infused through my port as well.

I hope this helps. My healthcare would have been a lot more complicated and painful the last 8 years had I not had a port.
 
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EmilysMom

New member
Hopefully, Emily will see this and respond also. She has a port and it's the best thing she ever did. Every time she had a PICC line, she ended up with mechanical phlebitis and at the ER to have the stupid PICC line removed and another one put in. The doctors finally said "you have sucky veins. You should have a port put in". She now has all her IVs done through her port and flushes it once a month by herself and does all her IVs at home. She really doesn't go to the hospital anymore except for clinic visits and for any new drugs they try on her. Central line way WAY BETTER than repeated PICC lines especially when trouble occurs ecvery time with the PICCs.
 
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Emily65Roses

New member
Yeah, what my mom said. Haha. If you have any other questions, certainly ask them and I'll answer them. But she's right, I love my port.
 
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proudmom2lilCFer

New member
My son had a central line and it was wonderful. They can give them IV meds and also draw blood from them. So even though you dread punching another hole in him, hopefully it will be the last one for a long time. I was so thankful that during my son's last hospital stay that instead of drawing blood every morning, they just took it through his central line, and he had no clue what was going on. It took about 10 minutes to put in, and even though he was only about 8 months old at the time, he didn't seem to mind it at all.
 
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kybert

New member
i think david is reffering to a true central line, a <a target=new class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.doerings.net/photos/2001/germany/marcus-catheter-neck.jpg">cvc</a>. although the one in the picture is in the neck, they are usually put in the collarbone for people who will be moving around and going home. i used to have heaps of these because my idiotic doctors never decided to tell me about ports. i would advise against cvc's if your son needs them more than once a year. there are more risks involved with getting them put in, they are very uncomfortable and sometimes difficult to get in [this gets worse the more times you use the vein] and they can cause quite a bit of scar tissue. id talk to the doctors about ports.
 
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cfgirl2008

New member
My central line that I had in March when I was in the hospital couldn't draw blood.And it didn't stay in long they took it out the day it was time for me to go home.

Tiffany 15 w/cf
 
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