PICC Line

We checked in the Children's Hospital at 8:30 in the morning. They got the IV going shortly after and then started the PICC line. The PICC line is a thin spaghetti-like tube that is inserted into a vein in the arm that goes to a vein near the heart. They use this line to draw blood and to give the medications without needing to poke him every time - it is similar to an IV, but it is able to stay in his body for months.

The nurse did the procedure in Greg's room. They sedated him first. The procedure took a lot longer than we were expecting. I shed a few tears seeing Greg 'asleep' for such a long time. The nurse couldn't get it all the way to the heart in the left arm above the elbow, so she tried on the right arm. No luck there either. They called a specialist, who was unable to make it, so they had another nurse trained in doing PICC lines come in to help. They were able to get it in the left arm at the elbow crease, not the ideal spot, but we were glad it was in.

The effects of the sedation drugs made his eyes shake. He would rub his eyes and kept asking us to get the stuff out. He would try to sit up, but the weight of his head would make him flop back onto his pillow. His vision was blurred and it made his stomach sick. They had to hydrate him for two hours before beginning chemotherapy. It was past three o'clock when he was finally able to eat. Greg had been fasting since midnight. Not once did he complain about being hungry.