PICC line for VSG?!
I'm a nurse and I did a couple rotations in interventional radiology where I was able to shadow the PICC nurse. They used lidocaine to numb the area, and the patients never flinched. Pretty much like any IV, but it's usually guided by ultrasound, and the catheter will usually be 20-40 cm into your vein. If you felt anything it would be the initial puncture of the skin, but again I don't think you will feel it. In the hospital make sure the nurses are flushing all lines daily with saline and heparin solution, after each use, and after they draw labs. They should also scrub the port with alcohol prior to accessing. I witnessed lazy nurses who don't do this when I was on the floor. It is a line that goes into your subclavian vein which is very close to your heart. It is not something that should be overlooked. Dressing should be changed after the 1st 24 hours, then every 7 days, or if raggedy or soiled. The site should never be exposed. Educate yourself and google a YouTube video on "caring for a PICC line". You'll be fine.
You had a VSG. Don't you think a PICC is kinda overkill? Don't most patients go home the next day?
To the orginial poster...how bad are your veins? No one EVER can get a line in? There usually is the pro IV person. The one who can get the bad ones. That's the nurse I ask for. I sure would try a stick to see if they can get it before putting a PICC in. Good luck to you.
