In another section I introduced you what is a PICC, basically is an internal via that arrives until your heart and it is used for chemotherapy. A PICC should last a year or a year and a half.
Step 1 When they introduce you the PICC
They insert it to you while you are awake so you must be really brave. ;). First of all while you are lying in a hospital bed they use an ultrasound scanner to look at the veins and arteries in your arm. Under normal circumstances they put it in you right arm. While they are scanning your arm, collarbone and heart they paint you with permanent marker to guide the way.
Later, they train you to do two movements one to be completely straing in the bed facing up with your future PICC arm facing the our of the bed the other on the bed head and neck completely straight. Then when the nurse gives you a signal you need to bend your neck and head in the position the nurse tells you. The nurse also measures your arm to check which type of PICC is needed for your body.
Before starting the process, they desinfect the room put you a hat and a mask. The nurse is wearing a hat and a mask too. He cleans the area where he is inserting the PICC this will be named the inserting point. He prepares the needles and injects a little of anaesthetic, is important not to be shy here if you still feel a lot your arm ask for more anaesthetic.
He starts introducing the PICC and you shall freeze body until the nurse tells you to do the movement you have being training before. At last the nurse cleans the inserting point puts tapes on the PICC to hold it on your skin and puts some disinfectant, bandages and tapes it.
Step 2. Taking care of your PICC
Wearing a PICC will change your life. I love it because it allows me to receive my chemotherapies and other treatments through there. I can also take out blood from it. It is grand!
But say goodbye to your clothes, with your PICC and bandages your arm is just too big. For this time I am borrowing my brother´s and boyfriend´s jumpers and hoodies. Lucky me they have good taste in clothing. No one told me this but the first week after the PICC your arm will hurt a lot because your vein is complaining. You won´t be able to do anything with that arm for a week.
-You need to go to cure your PICC once a week at the hospital.
-You can´t scratch or squeeze your bandage.
-You shouldn´t use that arm to much, specially lifting things or doing sports.
-If you feel pain after the first week you should go to the hospital PICCs are painless unless is there any problem.
Step 3. What how your nurse cures your PICC really carefully
I am wearing currently my second PICC, my first one moved because a nurse don´t cure it properly. This person hold my PICC on the bandage instedad of on the skin. Oh well...is water under the bridge now.
I am not a nurse but a this point I know perfectly how to cure PICCs. First you remove the bandage really carefully so you don´t cat the cable as an accident. Then you inject heparin or other substances so it doesn´t block they inject sodium chloride too. The nurse cures the insertion point with desinfectant or if it really bad puts some antibiotic cream. If the skin is really dry she moisturizes it too. When it dries the changes the tapes of the PICC for clean ones. Then she bandages everything again. First the light of the PICC, once the light is well wrapped she bandages the arm and she puts the light inside the arm bandage tapes everything and puts a net over it.
