I survived my first PICC

Over the years, I have become nervous with invasive medical procedures. This has been mostly triggered by bad experiences. Going for my first PICC I was nervous because I have small veins that seen to be hard for nurses to work with. I was mostly nervous at the idea of being poked numerous times or just being in a lot of pain. Everything yesterday went better than I could of asked for.

After being administered a light sedative, my body was able to calm down, although my mind was still nervous. But I was at a place where I felt comfortable enough starting the procedure. I turned my MP3 player on and just thought about the music. In all, the procedure only took about 10 minutes. Then we walked over for an x-ray to make sure the placement was correct. After a minor modification, the line was set and I was off to learn how to administer my meds.

The whole process was complete in the Infusion Center, a.k.a The Chemotherapy Unit. It was difficult being in an area with mostly cancer patients. There was a young woman in there receiving Chemo, probably younger than me. I realized I had a lot to be thankful for...my PICC was being placed for antibiotic treatments. Others are there for something way more scary. I also received my first treatment at the hospital. In all I was at the hospital for 5 hours. It was a long day.

Everything is going well so far. I am tired this morning, but otherwise it's business as usual. I'm working today and I will even be giving a small presentation to my co-workers.