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Line in; so far so good
Line in; so far so good
15th May 2006
There’s one thing I now know that I cannot do one-handed – empty my bag. This realisation dawns as I sit waiting for an x-ray at Northampton Hospital. The bag is dangerously full and my left arm is bandaged from the wrist to above the elbow. It is also straight as a die – no chance of bending it. It’s a substantial bandage – my arm looks looks like the sort a Mummy would have in one of those Mummy horror films. In fact, if ever there is an opening for a stand-in left arm in any such film, I’ll audition.I’m getting anxious – both about the perilous state of the bag and the results of the x-ray. I should have paid more attention when I came for a blood test at the Oncology Centre at Northampton last week. X-ray was vaguely mentioned – or rather it was mentioned, but I vaguely heard it. The reason I’m waiting for an x-ray is that I’ve had a line inserted in my arm but the end of it could be in one of two places. It should have reached my chest, but it could have taken a wrong turn – perhaps gone the pretty way – and ended up in my neck. I collect the x-ray film and make my way back to the oncology unit to find out the results.The insertion of the line – a PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter) – is a remarkable thing. Again, I’m glad I didn’t pay too much attention last week when the process was explained. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. I do remember the nurse saying that the needle was bigger than the sort they use for IV drips and blood tests, but I would be given anaesthetic gel to rub on my arm to numb the pain. Now when she said ‘bigger’ I assumed she was referring to the diameter – i.e., it would be fatter than normal. What she meant was longer – about 50cm longer as it turns out. I finally realised that this was quite a big deal when I was taken over to a bed to lie on and the nurse who would perform the procedure started to put on her scrubs.As the line went in the nurse delivered a running commentary to her audience; me, a trainee nurse in attendance and a senior nurse holding my arm and muttering words of comfort. It appeared to be going in just fine – she squealed with delight as it progressed up my arm, round my shoulder and ……… where next however, was anyone’s guess. She was doing this blind – the line is calibrated so she can see how far it has gone in – but she cannot tell where it had ended up. Hence the x-ray.Thankfully the line had arrived at my chest (“I’m so pleased” she said – over and over – so much so that I asked her if this was the first one she’d done. She reassured me that she’d done this procedure over 200 times, but simply wanted me to have some luck for a change). As it turned out, it had not gone in far enough. A doctor confirmed that it needed to go in another 4cm – so that it would come to rest beside the 4th rib. So, she gently pushed the line in again and total distance travelled finished up at 52cm. A completely painless procedure. I was warned that my body might try and reject the line and to watch for swelling and pain overnight. By the time I got back to Milton Keynes, it had started to bleed through the dressing. A quick visit to the Macmillan Unit at MK hospital reassured me that this was normal – and could be left until tomorrow when I start the Chemo. And to complete the story, once all the bandages had come off – they were there simply to protect my arm while I went for an x-ray – I was able to bend my arm a little and so empty my bag. A happy ending then.
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