PICC

Now you may be wondering what is a PICC? A PICC line is, by definition and per its acronym, a peripherally inserted central catheter. It is long, slender, small, flexible tube that is inserted into a peripheral vein, typically in the upper arm, and advanced until the catheter tip terminates in a large vein in the chest near the heart to obtain intravenous access.

I did not sleep so great that night. I never do before any surgery. Mom gave me a some fruit at 2am as I can not have anything to eat after 3am. We went down at 8:30 to the surgery waiting room. Dr. Navarro and Dra. Trinosky came by to talk with my parents and sign the forms before I went in to surgery. Dr.Navarro told my mom that the procedure would take 30 minutes maximum an hour. I went in at 10:00am. At 11:30 am I still had not come out of surgery yet. My parents were beginning to pace. So many things can happen inside of that room. Finally at noon Dra. Castro wrote a text to my mom saying that they had complications in finding a vein to put the PICC in. In the end Dr. Navarro had to call for a ultra sound machine so that he could have the ultra sound guide him to put in the catheter. The catheter is 32 cm long. The problem is that my veins are not straight but more so like curvy roads. The doctor had said that he could find a vein but when the time came to run the catheter line up my vein he would get stopped as the vein was not straight but curvy. This is due to so many antibiotics as well. He finally found a vein in my upper left leg.

Finally at noon they came to get my parents. Only one could come into the recuperation room. I had hypothermia from being so cold in there and they had me bundled up and a heater blowing into the sheets to keep me warm. Mom came in and sat with me while I woke up. I am breathing fine and not entubated so that is a great thing. They came in to take an xray of my chest to make sure that the catheter was placed right. After waiting an hour in recovery we went up to my room. A little later I was taken downstairs to have an ultrasound on my kidneys to make sure that the bacteria had not infiltrated my kidneys. Good news, it had not, it stayed in the urine and had not spread. Right now I have to get used to not doing anything for the next 8 days. 
Love Malia

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