I went in last Tuesday for surgery on my thumb , but after sticking me ten times trying to find a vein they had to re-schedule the surgery until I could get a PICC line . I went this morning for my PICC line & I was scared because I had never had one before , but I never felt a thing & my surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning . It is a huge relief just knowing that I will not have to be stuck with any more needles when I go in for surgery , the PICC line will be removed right after surgery . The good thing is I will be able to use my thumb again , you never really know how much you use your thumb till you can no longer use it . 4951
@calliecat.....sorry , I did not know what it was either until I had one put in ....I have very small veins & they roll when ever anyone tries to get blood or I need surgery , so now since I'm older my veins seem to have shrunk even more so they put you under a sonogram unit & fish until they find a large deep vein , if they can not find one in your arm they will put one in your chest area . Then they insert a "needle tube " which is like the ones used to draw blood except the tubing is longer & they feed it into the deep vein so it will not collapse or "blow out" & you can have surgery . I was surprised that the entire procedure was painless . It was scarrey but painless. Hope this answers your question , that's all they told me about it (LOL) so that's all I know about it. 4951
@queenB....thank you , I have been having a hard time for 3 weeks now & I will be soooo glad once I can use my thumb again without any pain .....thanks again. 4951
@queenB....thank you , I have been having a hard time for 3 weeks now & I will be soooo glad once I can use my thumb again without any pain .....thanks again.
@WJo: Good luck tomorrow. Is your DH in town or are the kids/grandkids going to help you out? I know it is going to drive you crazy to have some down time. 4951
@Dotti573..Thank you .I lucked out this week, my hubby is home & will be helping me out , he doesn't cook so it will be "drive-thru " for most meals (LOL) . Breakfast will be coffee & toast or cereal (LOL)Â . Not my favorite but when the going gets tough we take what we can get (LOL). If you want to play "nurse" to an old lady for a few days , come on up the pool is still open for a few more weeks & the freezer & pantry are full of goodies (LOL). 4951
@WJo....Giving you a big "Thumbs Up" (pun intended) that your surgery will go as smoothly as a baby's bum...........And that you'll be playing thumbs wars (another intended pun) in no time at all! 4951
@herron1345...thank you .....it will be a huge relief to be able to use my left hand again , it's been taped down to keep my thumb from becoming injured , so not very comfortable working with just one hand all the time. Hubby said I only need one thumb to "hitch a ride " . He's always the funny one (LOL). 4951
If you really want to drive your hubby crazy, put a bell (or other noise maker) beside you to ring for service. In a pinch, put some coins or dry beans in an empty bottle and rattle away.