i have my piccs placed w IR same as melissa.
you lay on a table, they drape you, the surgeon gives you a shot of lidocaine which is what hurts the most, but you've had 2 (or 3?) kids, so you'll be fine...it takes 20 mins.
if you've never had a picc or iv abx before-i know you won't want to do this, but hear me out...it might be good to stay in the hosp overnight or for 48 hrs. you usually get some type of fever or reaction, even if its small. but since you haven't been on anything at all, it might be good for you to be watched a little bit.
also, since you dont have experience yet with flushing, tubing, ivs backing up, ect-its good to be taken care of by a nurse and ask questions for a few days and then go home.
to be honest, when i am on ivs, its a good week or 2 before i am up to doing anything. the drugs are tough on your body. i usually am feverish for 3-4 days and in bed. i think its from the initial reaction of meds and the stress of picc insertion. all bodies are different though and you may be bouncy and fine!
by the end of the 2nd week w this last round of ivs (and my first ivs after having a baby) i went to the grocery store once and ran a few errands. when i went to the store, halfway through shopping i almost fainted and dropped to the floor. just going out exhausted me and i left my cart there and went home!
so don't be surprised if you need to camp out at home for a few weeks, esp with the kids. if you have ivs every 8 hrs, you'll be up in the middle of the night giving them and thats tiring too.
not saying any of this to bum you-look at it this way-you're home! its 1000x better than being in the hosp!
i'm sure it will all work out fine and you'll bounce right back. good for you for doing what you need.
<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0"> hugs