Post by Clipper on Jun 11, 2024 12:06:20 GMT -5
The pic line antibiotics are a time sensitive pain in the keester. They have to be administered at approximately the same time each day for six days. The first home health nurse that came on Sunday pretty much set the time frame between 12:30 and 1 o'clock to start the infusion, which runs for 30 minutes. I just get impatient and hate being confined to watching the iv go in for 1/2 hour or so and being delayed in getting outside until after 1pm every day by the time I get her up, feed her her breakfast, help her wash up and put on clean PJs and robe and accomplish the infusion.
Thank goodness the last treatment is Friday and the nurse will be here to do the infusion and then to remove the pic line when it is complete. It is no big thing other than it prevents me from getting anything done outside or shopping done. I have to take the antibiotic out of the fridge at 11am to be warmed up before infusing it. I have to set up and get organized for the procedure, laying out 4 or 5 alcohol wipes, 3 pre-loaded saline flush syringes, hand sanitizer and gloves. Not a complicated thing. Just time consuming and with a pic line sanitizing everything you touch with alcohol wipes. When you uncap the flush syringe you sanitize it, you uncap and sanitize the catheter on the pic line, couple the syringe to the pic line, unclamp the syringe clamp, then the pic line clamp. Push the flush and then clamp off the syringe line, the pic line, and disconnect. Sanitize the pic line fitting again. Uncap the antibiotic infusion bag, sanitize the fitting, sanitize the pic line again. Couple the fluid bag and the pic line, unclamp the fluid line, then the pic line. Now we wait for 30 minutes or so for the fluid to run in. Then we close the clamps again, uncouple the fluid line, sanitize the pic line fitting, do the flush again, and install the alcohol infused cap on the fitting.
They have made it easier for me by providing a plastic mat about the size of a place mat. It has photos of each step and you lay out the stuff on it left to right, alcohol pad, flush syringe, alcohol pad, infusion bag, alcohol pad, flush syringe.
It is just a bit nerve wracking insuring that there is no contamination of the pic line or any of the things that touch it and the steps are followed carefully.
On a good note, she is getting stronger every day and walking better. Hopefully she will get back to some semblance of normalcy when the foley catheter is taken out after she has had it in at home for two weeks. Her bladder was a mess from the infection. I think she learned a hard lesson about going to the doctor promptly when something is wrong.
Thank goodness the last treatment is Friday and the nurse will be here to do the infusion and then to remove the pic line when it is complete. It is no big thing other than it prevents me from getting anything done outside or shopping done. I have to take the antibiotic out of the fridge at 11am to be warmed up before infusing it. I have to set up and get organized for the procedure, laying out 4 or 5 alcohol wipes, 3 pre-loaded saline flush syringes, hand sanitizer and gloves. Not a complicated thing. Just time consuming and with a pic line sanitizing everything you touch with alcohol wipes. When you uncap the flush syringe you sanitize it, you uncap and sanitize the catheter on the pic line, couple the syringe to the pic line, unclamp the syringe clamp, then the pic line clamp. Push the flush and then clamp off the syringe line, the pic line, and disconnect. Sanitize the pic line fitting again. Uncap the antibiotic infusion bag, sanitize the fitting, sanitize the pic line again. Couple the fluid bag and the pic line, unclamp the fluid line, then the pic line. Now we wait for 30 minutes or so for the fluid to run in. Then we close the clamps again, uncouple the fluid line, sanitize the pic line fitting, do the flush again, and install the alcohol infused cap on the fitting.
They have made it easier for me by providing a plastic mat about the size of a place mat. It has photos of each step and you lay out the stuff on it left to right, alcohol pad, flush syringe, alcohol pad, infusion bag, alcohol pad, flush syringe.
It is just a bit nerve wracking insuring that there is no contamination of the pic line or any of the things that touch it and the steps are followed carefully.
On a good note, she is getting stronger every day and walking better. Hopefully she will get back to some semblance of normalcy when the foley catheter is taken out after she has had it in at home for two weeks. Her bladder was a mess from the infection. I think she learned a hard lesson about going to the doctor promptly when something is wrong.
