Okay, my arm's not actually in a sling but I feel like it should be.
It’s been exactly 24 hours since my PICC line went in and my arm feels like crap. Every time I do anything that doesn’t require my arm to be completely straight hurts like a mofo.
Also it bleeds like crazy. I don’t mean gushing, but definite oozing. This morning when I got dressed it bled so much that it came out from under the dressing and ran down my arm. THAT was fun. It ran out along where the tubes protrude from under the dressing so it’s not exactly an airtight seal but I think as good as it can get without melting something on my arm. :).
They did change the dressing today and she said it looked good. I’ve been doing little stuff since she left and no more bleeding so maybe it’s closing itself off a bit. They’ll be changing it every week and the connector tubes too. My nurse also said I only have to change the tubes every 3 days, not every 24 hours like they told me initially.
Ate some today, but never enough. We will see how it goes with the fluids after a few more days.
It definitely still throbs but I think it’s a little better than yesterday. It actually felt best after I slept on that side some this morning, oddly enough. I think I was tensing it the rest of the time, which is probably why I slept poorly last night. My nurse told me it will take a few days to clot up around the insertion point and stop feeling like someone shot me in the arm. But how long exactly? I asked my friends in an online hyperemesis support group, and here are the responses:
- “I think it was about a week and a half to two weeks before I felt fully comfortable using my arm ‘normally’ again.”
- “My PICC has been in for 3 weeks and doesn’t hurt as much as it did, but I’m still absolutely aware it’s there, even lifting a dinner plate. Try not to use the arm as much as possible while it’s in. The first 4 days were the worst, pain wise!”
- “It should start to feel better in about a week. :)”
So I guess we’re looking at a week or more for full recovery. Good times.