Jai

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Jai - Rather than sending me over to the other building for an xray which would have been a forever wait, they checked with the fluroscopy machine that they have "in house" for doing epidurals, etc. Unfortunately the picture of the heart area was not as clear as they would have liked. The doc said "fine" but the nurses were concerned as he said that it was either close to the heart (as it should be) or in the left ventricle itself (not a good thing). Since he ok'ed it, they were hesitant to question his approval. I've had no indications of palpitations or arrhythmias so I think things are fine. Not worried.

I bled alot during the procedure so they bandaged my arm pretty heavily. There's really no way of ascertaining redness or swelling at this point given how swathed I am. Infusion will be coming to my house tomorrow though and I won't hesitate to call them if I have any concerns. Dang, now that I think of it, I'm supposed to call them this afternoon. The plan was if I had no adverse effect that they were supposed to bump the rate after 24 hours. The only thing in the iv is lidocaine. I can't have clonidine anymore because of the myositis....That's actually the reason why they are also taking me off of the narcotics for several months. It was kicking up the myositis and the doc wanted to give it a chance to stabilize.

I sure hope that you're starting to feel better. I missed the Part 2 of your post (did you post it yet?) I hate missing out on continuing sagas. Hope today is a good one for you and honest... I won't hesitate to call infusion if I have any difficulty. I also have a follow-up appt with the doc on this Friday so not to worry.....All bases covered. Barbara jaismonkey@... wrote:

In a message dated 2/14/2005 7:12:49 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, RSD-CRPSofAmerica writes:

Thanks for your incredibly kind note. As I wrote in my other post, the PICC went in without a hitch....just a small question of whether or not it might actually be in too far. I know what to look out for and will stay on top of things

Hi Barbara,

Glad you had no probs with the PICC insertion. As far as it being in too far, didn't they do an x-ray?????? That is standard procedure to be done after insertion and before it is used to be sure it is in the right place. Since you are being treated outpatient, monitor the insertion site at least daily for redness, swelling, drainage or pain. Call MD right away if you observe any of above. Also check your temp daily too. One way you can monitor at home is to take a measuring tape and measure your arm just above insertion site around the largest part of the biceps muscle daily. This way if there is any swelling you will be aware. Sorry, it is the nurse coming out in me!!!!

Before I had the port put in I had PICC lines a lot.And I also had complications from them, not fun!!!! What type of meds are you getting? Forgive me but since being in the hospital I am trying to catch up on what is going on with everyone. God bless, take care, Love Jai