It has been a wild ride these past several days, y’all – but all is well and I’m still kicking.

 

PICC Placements & Antibiotic Changes.

On Monday, I was scheduled to have my PICC line placed so I could go home.

Being a nurse for these 16 years now, I have assisted with many a PICC line placement and there was no way I was being sold on the “we can do it with you wide awake” lie. Yes, you can do it wide awake – but it is highly unpleasant.

If you aren’t familiar with a PICC line, PICC is an acronym for Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter. It is placed in the upper part of the arm in a vein and goes through to a larger vein, almost to the heart. After they place it, they confirm the placement with an x-ray. This is all done with sterile technique at the bedside.

Well, I wasn’t about to have this done without something to calm me down – as I knew full well what I was getting into. So my doctor ordered 1mg of Ativan IV prior to my PICC line placement.

And it worked.

I do remember a little bit of the sticking. But not much.

However, because I don’t ever take those type of medications, I was KNOCKED OUT for the next 10 or so hours. And I mean OUT.

I had to call home health and pharmacy on Tuesday to go over all the things they went over with me on Monday – because I had no recollection. My daddy called me and I just hung up, mid-conversation. It was a whole hot mess.

As I was sleeping off the meds, the hospital was obtaining my new antibiotic to get it started – daptomycin. It arrived around 7pm – and I started to wake up. After I received my dose – and had no reaction – I was finally discharged home. Hallelujah.

Escape.

We went to a pharmacy close to the hospital to get my meds, as ours at home was already closed, and my experience has been that pharmacies will fill the scripts of patients just out of the hospital right away – so they can get home – but this was not the case with CVS. Even though it would have just taken a few moments (most of my meds were being delivered on Tuesday by a specialty pharmacy), they told us it would be an hour.

So we went to get a bite to eat.

Then we finally were able to pick up my meds and go home.

Home. ❤

Henry and I were sooooo happy to be home.

In our spots.

Reading.

Writing.

Sitting.

Not being walked in on every 10 minutes.

Starting Antibiotic Therapy At Home,

On Tuesday, my antibiotics came and home health came out to start therapy. I’ve assisted patients with it many times and it is so simple. I am beyond thankful that I am able to do it at home. ❤

Happy Things,

Apart from all things medical, I am enjoying wonderful things like:

• A dinner out with my bestie is on the way.
• Football is starting this weekend.
• I’m so excited to finally get back to church. I’ve been too ill to go for weeks.
• I’m getting started on my writing classes that I have SO been looking forward to.
• I’m back to work on my book.
• I am feeling like myself again. I truly didn’t realize just how damn sick I had gotten.

I am so grateful for healing.

Please keep the prayers and good vibes and warm fuzzies for continued healing for me and Henry coming. It’s a long process but we are tough. ❤

Be well, everybody.

Grace and blessings.