PICC Life
More for my HG Sisters
Here’s a glimpse at how I did things with my first
pregnancy, when I was infusing manually (second pregnancy I had a continuous
pump/cassette infusion of everything, and much higher doses/more fluids).
The pharmacy calls me and sees what refills I need. I keep a list in the home care binder with
all things I could possibly need {1}. I
have the list ready before they call so I can just give them what and how much
I need. Then the pharmacy delivery truck
comes and brings me one or two giant bags of stuff. (Zofran and Phenergan vials
are on ice in the summer).
The delivery man carries it into the bedroom for me
because the fluids make it ridiculously heavy. I keep all the supplies there because it's
most commonly where I use it; however, I have a tiny travel purse stocked each
day with enough supplies for 5 Zofran infusions, so it's never more than an
arm's reach away and I have it with me wherever I go. It's also where I keep the official PICC card
(alerts health care professionals of the PICC and its details).
I keep all the supplies organized in a little 3-drawer
Rubbermaid unit.
The top drawer has the stuff I use every day (flushes,
medicine vials, preps, red caps, syringes).
The
second drawer has refills and less frequently used supplies (site change kits,
IV tubing, back-up valves).
The bottom
drawer contains the fluid drips for each night.
It's all situated next to my nightstand, which has a
bedside container with things necessary at or during the night.
1- Bookmark with St. Gerard and the prayer for Mothers in
Need
2- Tums! Not that I can hold them down all the time, but
it helps things not burn so much.
3- Holy Water
4- Lotion - My skin is crazy-dry from repeated
handwashing.
5- Rosary Beads
6- Hand Sanitizer (witch hazel + thyme)
7- Refined coconut oil (not to avoid stretch marks, because
I know that's impossible-- It simply
helps my itchy stretching skin; the refined part is so it is unscented).
8- Ziploc Bag - I use it as a mini trash receptacle
during the night because each bathroom trip means disconnecting and re-alcohol
swabbing as well as the flush after the drip finishes in the morning.
9- Nighttime stretchy gauze. I keep one specifically for
use at night because it's longer and I like to keep the tubes covered more at
night. I don't like the idea of the
extension tubing pulling while I sleep.
10- One Saline Flush for use in the morning after the
infusion is complete.
11- Fan Remote
12- Alcohol Preps
13- Gripper Fabric- because sometimes the IV valve and my
PICC valve form a crazy tight seal.
14- Red Cap- I don't stock one on day 3 of the tubing to
remind myself that the tubing will be changed the next day.
Speaking of keeping track of the tubing day, I keep 3
laminated tags on the pump unit and switch them when I hook up my fluids to
keep track of what day I'm on. {2}
(Note that since it's day 3, there is no red cap on the
IV tubing)
And it all comes
together like so:
{1}-
-Dextrose drip
-Zofran
-Phenergan
-IV Vitamins
-TPN
-Lipids
-Saline Flushes
-Alcohol Preps
-Red Caps
-IV Tubing
-Syringes
-Site Change Kit
-Extension Tubing (20 in.)
{2}- If you are someone who also receives 1 Liter per
night, here are some extra tidbits: I really don't like letting air in the line
go into me, so I adjust the VTBI (Volume
to be Infused) each night. In order not
to have to re-prime, I account for the fluids in the tubing like so: Day 1 I
tell the pump VTBI is 985 mL, Day 2 is 1010-1015 mL (I can tell how much by
looking at it), and Day 3 is 1020 mL.
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