The only appointment we had today was for the Hickman line placement. We met another great doctor and his excellent staff. Things went well and we are now back at our apartment. Terry is resting and I am doing laundry and scrap booking. Washing dishes is also on my to do list, but will have to wait until I can make more noise. I'm having a hard enough time just trying to not talk to him so he can sleep :)

What is the Hickman line?
It is a Central Intravenous Line = a soft silicone tube inserted into a large vein in his chest, used to give the patient fluid, food, medicine and blood products, and also to obtain most blood samples without having to draw blood from the arm.
The insertion of the line is a minor surgical procedure, done in an operating room, under local and general anesthesia, and it takes about one hour.
His shoulder and chest may be sore for a few days, and he has a pain reliever to help combat the pain.

More detail about the Hickman -
The doctor makes a small incision in the upper chest near the neck, and one lower on his chest. Between these two incisions, the doctor will make a tunnel just under the skin. The catheter is inserted in the lower incision on the chest and is pulled through the tunnel and inserted into a vein by the neck. There are a couple stitches made to help hold things in place. A small dacron cuff on the catheter holds the catheter in place inside the skin tunnel, and is also a barrier which helps prevent bacteria from traveling up the catheter tunnel into the bloodstream.

X-rays show the tube inside his chest going through the vein and into the large artery at the heart. FYI- it's on his right side. Truly amazing. It is placed so that the infusions through this line will go right to the heart and get where it needs to be throughout the body in a more efficient manner.
Shhh! I was really quite and got a picture while he was sleeping. The small upper bandage covers the upper opening and the larger bandage below it covers the entrance area. The outer tubes are covered under his clothing, but the ends are visible (with the blue caps). The black cord around his neck is there to hold the tubing so the weight isn't hanging directly from his skin/chest.



Tomorrow is our class on how to take care of the central line. That is where I have to listen closely and understand it all. I don't generally learn very quickly or easily, so it's causing a bit of mild stress for me. I will continue to rely on the Lord to help me digest it all and help me through it, because I don't want anything I do or don't do to cause a problem.