on IVs and ports

It was really nice to be home today.  Busy, but nice.  I did take some time to play around on the computer though, LOL.  I will probably regret it, because I won't get everything done, but gee, you have to take a break sometimes.

Today the home healthcare nurse came.  She showed me how to do the home IV (to administer an antibiotic to John).  John got the antibiotic Vancomycin, which only needs to be given once a day.  The nurse also showed me how to flush the line of the PICC.  A PICC line is a port where you take out bloodwork for labs, and you administer meds if necessary.  And blood is given through the port when necessary also.  I wanted to show you a photo of a PICC Line.  This is not John's current Groshong Picc Line.  I don't have a photo of the current one.  This is about two ports ago, LOL.  He keeps having them taken out because they keep getting them infected.  Let's see, first he had a Chest Port (a Hohn), then a PICC Line or two, then a Power PICC (they are purple), and then the current groshong PICC.  Anyway, his other PICC looked pretty much like the one he has now, so I will show you a photo of that:

                   

It was not all too bad giving the IV this morning.  I could remember a lot of it from doing it in the past.  But the flushes were different.  They were hard to push, and when I pushed them to get the air bubbles out, the first time I shot the saline solution into the air and it landed allover the nurse's paperwork, LOL.  Then after the nurse left, when I was flushing John to finish up, I once again pushed too hard on the flush, and shot so high I squirted the ceiling really bad, LOL.  I had to get up on a chair to get it off, or the ceiling would have molded.  John said, "Oh, we have a really clean spot up there now!"  He also remarked, "I wonder what the range on those things are!"  He is funny sometimes.  

Okay, so John wanted me to show you the first port he ever had.  It is a chest port.  A Hohn.  He felt you would get a better idea of ports if you saw it.  I didn't know if it would be a good idea to show, but he said go ahead.  So here goes.  This is what he had to deal with when he first had the transplant.  He had this port for a long time, until it got infected about two times, then it was replaced by a PICC Line if I remember correctly.  So here goes:

                   

So  by this time I guess you have got the concept.  Anyway, let's see, how is John doing?  By the time he left the hospital, his WBC went up, and so did his ANC (to 0.9).  The ANC is still neutropenic and he still has to wear a mask.  But they liked his improvement enough to let him out of the hospital.  Plus he no longer had a fever.  You know what, he ended up having one viral infection (they think) and three other infections (two staph and a bacillus).  Wow, that's four infections! 

I also said in my last entry he would need blood when he left the hospital.  Well, it ended up that he needed blood before he even left the hospital.  He is averaging needing blood every five days.  His oncologists are looking into what they can still do about the Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia.  To go on like this for the rest of his life would be ridiculous.  He gets tired after about three days after getting blood.  That's no good.

Okay, I hope this wasn't a boring medical logue.  And I hope the photos didn't scare you, LOL.  I guess I had better go to sleep now.  I love you all.

Krissy :)

edit:  When I mentioned ports I left out one of the most important uses for them.  They are used so one may be able to get their chemo.  The chemo is administered through the port.