Can you say phlebitis??

Monday, July 9

We just can't seem to stay away from the outpatient center. Nanc's left arm, the one with the picc line, got a little inflamed today and became somewhat painful. So it was off to Cedars again at 7:00 tonight. So much for that meeting...

One nurse could see the redness running up her arm but they couldn't say for sure if it was full blown phlebitis or not. They took some blood to test for infection, flushed the line and she is going to have it removed tomorrow.

Which is probably a good thing given the fact that it is so low in her arm that she feels it every time she flexes her elbow. There are basically 2 options now:
1. Put in a different picc line in the right arm but higher this time, or
2. Have a catheter port inserted into her arm. The are easier to maintain and make bathing and dressing so much easier and so much more fashionable. (As if that's a real concern these days ;-))

Other than that, the day started out with lots of energy. she even called me at work today to say how good she felt this morning. But the fatigue gets to her within a few hours. So we discussed limiting her time doing stuff in the am to 2 hours and then keeping social visits, etc. throughout the day to a minimum so she can rest. I really think she is going to need all her strength and energy for round 2 next week...

More to come tomorrow on the picc line saga....

xoxo