Well that was fun.
I woke up this morning to find my IV arm swollen and discolored, which is not a good sign. A couple phone calls later I was on my way to the ER. Turns out I have a blood clot in my arm, which is a potential complication of PICC lines, so it had to be removed. The ER doctor was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to fill a prescription for blood thinners to treat the clot over the holiday weekend, so she planned to keep me inpatient overnight and get things started. But then, she consulted with a vascular surgeon, who reviewed my scans and said I could go home as long as I came in for an appointment on Tuesday, and monitored for worsening symptoms in the meantime. My mom and I weren't completely comfortable with that plan, but figured the vascular surgeon should know what he’s talking about. BUT THEN, the ER doctor followed up with my CF doctor, who was unwilling to leave a clot untreated and unassessed until Tuesday. In the end, I was admitted for the night and given a blood thinner, and the vascular team at the hospital is going to assess me tomorrow and decide on a course of treatment. Not exactly how I wanted to spend my Shabbos and first night of Chanukah.
Since it was likely that the antibiotics would’ve been stopped on Wednesday anyway, we’re not rushing to put in another PICC. I’ll continue getting antibiotics while in the hospital, but will stop when I’m discharged until we see how I do at my follow up appointment. Fortunately this happened at the end of my treatment instead of at the beginning!
I’m such a drama queen. I’ve had countless PICC lines in my life and never once had a clot. Of course the first time it happens is on Shabbos during a holiday weekend. Thankfully it wasn’t worse, and HOPEFULLY I’ll be able to go home tomorrow!
I woke up this morning to find my IV arm swollen and discolored, which is not a good sign. A couple phone calls later I was on my way to the ER. Turns out I have a blood clot in my arm, which is a potential complication of PICC lines, so it had to be removed. The ER doctor was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to fill a prescription for blood thinners to treat the clot over the holiday weekend, so she planned to keep me inpatient overnight and get things started. But then, she consulted with a vascular surgeon, who reviewed my scans and said I could go home as long as I came in for an appointment on Tuesday, and monitored for worsening symptoms in the meantime. My mom and I weren't completely comfortable with that plan, but figured the vascular surgeon should know what he’s talking about. BUT THEN, the ER doctor followed up with my CF doctor, who was unwilling to leave a clot untreated and unassessed until Tuesday. In the end, I was admitted for the night and given a blood thinner, and the vascular team at the hospital is going to assess me tomorrow and decide on a course of treatment. Not exactly how I wanted to spend my Shabbos and first night of Chanukah.
Since it was likely that the antibiotics would’ve been stopped on Wednesday anyway, we’re not rushing to put in another PICC. I’ll continue getting antibiotics while in the hospital, but will stop when I’m discharged until we see how I do at my follow up appointment. Fortunately this happened at the end of my treatment instead of at the beginning!
I’m such a drama queen. I’ve had countless PICC lines in my life and never once had a clot. Of course the first time it happens is on Shabbos during a holiday weekend. Thankfully it wasn’t worse, and HOPEFULLY I’ll be able to go home tomorrow!
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