Pick Line

I still have questions about this. Exactly what do they do, where is it inserted, does it hamper movement and most importantly, does it hurt? I have zero pain tolerance and I'm really worried and scared about this. Any answers will be appreciated. Julie

I had one put in while at the hospital. It was exactly like having an IV inserted. Mine was on my arm, on the back side, near my elbow, but I think they will go anywhere they find a good vein. It didn't hurt, and did not hurt while it was in. It was actually a relief to stop them from sticking me every time I needed blood drawn, etc. After a few days, it began to hurt and had to be removed, but we were done with it by that time anyway. It hurt because I got a small blood clot near the site and that was causing the pain. I think that is not the norm, so you probably won't have to worry about that. It should not be a problem and you will probably be glad you have it. BTW, I called it a pick line, too, but I think I saw someone say it is officially a PCC line!! HTH Hugs, Vicki

Hi, I had a PICC Line inserted in May and got it out in June. I had nausea and vomiting and was getting dehydrated. I am a "hard stick" on a good day, so getting IV's everyother day was torture. The PICC Line saved me from that, I got the fluids at home. I flushed it with Heparin and Saline every day. It was a godsend. It was a little uncomfortable for the first day, then I did not even realize it was there. It was in my upper arm on the inside. It did not interfere with anything. Mine became infected after having it for 6 weeks, which is not uncommon, since it is a foreign object in the body. But I am soooo glad I had it and would get another one in a heartbeat if I needed it. Hope this helps, any questions feel free to contact me. Sherri Swartz rny 12/20/2004 357/255