Monday pm: so,after a terrible weekend where all my veins failed so I had no access in (drugs) or out (bloods) today I finally got a PICC line fitted. This is port that goes in a vein in your arm directly into your chest that they can put iv in, and take blood out. It can stay in situ for a year and is painless once in.
Prior to having this though I have been unable to have my iv drugs and have deteriorated rapidly. Yesterday I reached the stage where I couldn't even tolerate Fortisip- the enteral meal replacement I've been supposed to be having as it was so painful and was coming straight out, almost instantly.
I had numerous attempts to cannulate me and was sore, dehydrated, and very unhappy, woozy on morphine and so weak.
I was very nervous about the PICC being placed- it involves ultrasound, local anaesthetic, a scapel and feeding 49cm of tube up a vein into your chest. Not my fave way to spend a Monday afternoon. Adding to the stress was my awful condition, my low mood and the anticipation of waiting all day for the PICC Man to arrive ( I was number 6 on a list of 6) my husband stayed with me all day and was fab at keeping me calm throughout the long awaited and thankfully relatively painless procedure when it happened.
I feel now like the sun has come out a bit! I just had (loads) of blood taken and didn't feel a THING. I have a couple of tubes hanging out of my arm but it's so much more comfy than a failing cannula and dozens of cannulation attempts. My lowest ebb was 11.45 last night when an anaesthetist, complete with ultrasound machine , couldn't find my vein to cannulate me, and there was blood dripping out of another failed attempt on the floor, the bed, her, me.......a low point.
Tuesday 2.15pm
What a change! Now I have the PICC fitted and am getting the correct drugs I have perked up 100 fold. My blood tests are normal indicating the infection and inflammation is lowering and going. It has been decided we will aim for my op date of 18th may with a view to weaning me off the steroids and getting as well as I can for the op in the meantime, thus dramatically I creasing my chances of laparoscopic surgery, quicker recovery and no stoma bag.
I am now allowed to eat. After 6 days of not eating this is a Very Big Thing. My legend of a sister bought me in some home made macaroni cheese last night (when we still weren't entirely sure if I was allowed to eat- I may have been slightly economical with relaying the drs words) and it was like an elixir of all the deities sitting in my tummy and restoring me to my happy well fed self! Even cornelius carbonara would not have tasted that good.
I will remain on a low residue diet until my op- low residue is any food that doesn't leave a residue in you and can be digested easily. It is odd as it goes against all our conditioned ideas of "healthy eating" as I am having to eat white not wholemeal, processed white carbs, no fibre, no skins, nuts, seeds. Things the gut doesn't have to work to hard to process. I will be working with a dietician to establish this and sort out the calories I need etc to get me in "peak condition" for the surgery (peak condition makes me think I should enter Crufts while I'm at it)
I am now exhausted by the small exercise of eating a white bread, plain chicken sandwich but I never ever realised it would taste THAT GOOD.............
Ps: re reading the title there is a reason behind the pink shrimps. On day 5 of not eating, in an act of reckless rebellion I removed from the packet and licked one pink shrimp sweet. It was the most delicious lick of a sweet that ever existed. And all the better as it was forbidden
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