I still have a picc line in my arm from being in the hospital. The last antibiotics were given Wednesday but the doctor was waiting for cultures to come back to make sure that all the infection was gone. So, over the weekend I have been keeping the line flushed in case it is still needed. Well, this evening my mom went to flush the line and I could feel the saline leak out all over underneath the bandage. That's NOT a good thing with air open to vein as well as infection opportunity. So, I call the visiting nurse who had been coming to my house and no answer. I call the company she works for and no answer so off to the ER we go.
We get there and they ask typical questions about meds and any surgeries in the last five years. Well, how long do you have. Half the night will be the list of meds and the other half will be surgeries plus you have all this info and I was just here two weeks ago. So, the major surgery they ask about is my transplant and I told them when it was done. Then they ask questions about the Picc line. I tell them it was done at their hospital on the fourth floor when I was last there. The doctor comes in to basically tell us that a picc line nurse needs to look at it. That's fine and how much will I be charged for that diagnosis? Then the charge nurse comes in and says a picc line nurse will have to look at it. So we wait. Then we hear them talking in the hall about who their going to get and since the picc line was put in at the hospital in Tampa then I might have to go back to Tampa. What? They did the picc line my transplant was done in Tampa and I'm not driving 4 hours to get the picc line taken care of even if Tampa did do it but they didn't. Finally the picc line nurse comes in and asks when was it put in in Tampa. Now all I am thinking is what if this were a real emergency :new_shocked: ? I explain again that it was put in at this hospital, on the fourth floor, by a nurse who does only picc lines named Cindy. They finally have a tidbit of a clue. So, then she goes to take off the bandage. Oh, we can't do it yet as we don't have the right dressings for it so they have to go look for that. They finally take it off to find out that the picc line has totally come out and is just laying under the bangage. She tries telling me that another one will have to be put in. I tell her no as I'm not even sure I need it and am not about to have one put in again for no reason. Well, then they want to know where the cultures were taken and when and why weren't they back yet as they were done on Tuesday. I don't know!! You tell me as they were done right here!!! Well, finally we find the results of the cultures and they were fine no picc line needed you can go home.
I think I'm going to become a nurse or doctor!
: My mom says maybe we all need to move to Tampa.
We get there and they ask typical questions about meds and any surgeries in the last five years. Well, how long do you have. Half the night will be the list of meds and the other half will be surgeries plus you have all this info and I was just here two weeks ago. So, the major surgery they ask about is my transplant and I told them when it was done. Then they ask questions about the Picc line. I tell them it was done at their hospital on the fourth floor when I was last there. The doctor comes in to basically tell us that a picc line nurse needs to look at it. That's fine and how much will I be charged for that diagnosis? Then the charge nurse comes in and says a picc line nurse will have to look at it. So we wait. Then we hear them talking in the hall about who their going to get and since the picc line was put in at the hospital in Tampa then I might have to go back to Tampa. What? They did the picc line my transplant was done in Tampa and I'm not driving 4 hours to get the picc line taken care of even if Tampa did do it but they didn't. Finally the picc line nurse comes in and asks when was it put in in Tampa. Now all I am thinking is what if this were a real emergency :new_shocked: ? I explain again that it was put in at this hospital, on the fourth floor, by a nurse who does only picc lines named Cindy. They finally have a tidbit of a clue. So, then she goes to take off the bandage. Oh, we can't do it yet as we don't have the right dressings for it so they have to go look for that. They finally take it off to find out that the picc line has totally come out and is just laying under the bangage. She tries telling me that another one will have to be put in. I tell her no as I'm not even sure I need it and am not about to have one put in again for no reason. Well, then they want to know where the cultures were taken and when and why weren't they back yet as they were done on Tuesday. I don't know!! You tell me as they were done right here!!! Well, finally we find the results of the cultures and they were fine no picc line needed you can go home.
I think I'm going to become a nurse or doctor!
