Day 1

This morning I arrived at the hospital about 15 minutes prior to my 10:30 appointment to find that the entire facility was in a lock down.  Apparently there was a bomb threat.  Anyway, things went well.  First I got a really cool plastic monogrammed bracelet.  The staff in the unit were kind, funny and even gave me a pretty good lunch. Tuna salad, applesauce, cranberry juice and yes, a pack of Lorna Doones.  The one nurse tried to hook my cookies, but I hid them for later consumption.

Take note of the fine linen table cloth they adorned my tray with.  Top shelf.

Soon after lunch Rita offered to give me my initial dose via IV while I waited for the nurse to come for the PICC procedure, that way I'd get out of there earlier.  That was fine by me, so I could catch a few Zs while watching Sports Center through my eyelids.  Right after the dosage was completed the nurse showed up to insert my line.  She explained the entire procedure, answered all my questions, talked Monty Python with me and proceeded to do an outstanding job.  The line went exactly where it was supposed to go, in a vein just above my heart, on her first attempt.  We went down to get a chest X-ray which confirmed perfect placement and I was free to go.  I was there for about 4 hours all together.

The home care  company came with my meds for the week this evening.  The nurse is coming tomorrow to show me how to self medicate, then I'm on my own until next week when they'll draw blood for testing and change the dressing.  The units of medication look like a large syringe which connects to the port from the PICC line.  It says that the drug is administered over a 3 to 5 minute period.  The line gets flushed prior to each procedure.  I'll learn more tomorrow, but day one I deem as a success.  Here we go.

Tick Bait