First Post-op Appointment - Didn't Go Well!!!! Long Post

ANOTHER LONG POST - ONE OF THESE IT'LL BE SHORT AND SWEET! 

Well, my first post-op appointment didn't go as I expected for it to!  There I was thinking yeah I can graduate to mushies now and re-fried beans here I come!!!  Well, instead of re-fried beans I got (Tuesday night) a PICC Line, 3 liters of fluid, (2 NS, 1 LR) a Banana Bag and a room with a view at Scott & White Hospital!! 

The Saga: 

Here I was right after surgery feeling great not much pain in my incisions and getting my exercise and water in until the PAIN HIT  late Friday night in two forms!  No, not true surgery pain, but the first pain was a very bad burning sensation whenever I drank (sipped) anything - including water and then I felt the liquid hit the bottom of my pouch and that caused the most excruciating pain I'd ever felt.  This was causing me to get in less fluids, but still in the 30-40oz range, but not anywhere near the 70-80oz my doc requires.  The second was the flare-up of my chronic pain issue since I wasn't able to take my dilaudid yet , when I crushed it and took it - it tasted just as bad going down as it did coming back up (and this caused my staples to pull which was another very big OUCH!!!!

The Appointment:

So at my appointment I inform my NP and she calls my surgeon and they decided to give me a Carafate RX for the burning and since I couldn't get comfortable sitting (too much pain) and I told her I actually felt better standing, walking or lying down (which is what I'd do all day after getting my hour of exercise done in the morning) and that the Lortab didn't touch the pain - wore off in 30 minuets and that all it did was make me sleepy  - so I only took it in the AM and PM just to get some crushed pills down.  She calls my doc again and they decided I'm dehydrated and they want me to go over to the treatment area and get a liter or two of fluid and a dose of Carafate.

The Treatment:

So I go schedule my next appointment and wait to be called into a treatment room for my fluids.  Well,  I'm a very, very hard stick.  My veins are very tiny and deep oh yeah and I really only have 2 good ones that can be used anyway.  They don't listen to me @ where to stick me and needless to say they can't start a line.  Another call to my surgeon.  They decide I'm so dehydrated I need a PICC Line placed.  Once I come back from X-ray with my trusty ol PICC, I'm met by Jeremy (some of you might remember my ordeals with Jeremy) and he informs me my room is ready we're just waiting on orders  from Dr. Symmonds.  HELLO???? WHAT IS THIS??? I'm informed that do to my dehydration issue I need to be admitted for re-hydration (NOTHING IS MENTIONED ABOUT MY PAIN LEVEL!!!)  My BP is so high they give me medication for that in the treatment room too. Remember I have chronic pain and hadn't been able to take my pain meds.

The Plan: 

OK, so they start 2 bags of fluid running (NS) and I'm moved to my room.  These bags run dry and they start a bag of LR.  The only pain meds ordered was the LORTAB, I only take it to get crushed pills down. Next is my Banana Bag.  They call my doc for more pain med orders and they say No.  I'm up all night (bed is broken) in pain and the fluids keep a coming.  I finally get a bed at 7AM go to bed and by the time I'm discharged I'd been given 2 Banana Bags, 1 liter of LR, 4 liters of NS and a liter of NS w/ 20mEQ of KCL.  UMMM, that's 9 liters of fluid in less than 24 hours!   THEY TANKED ME UP BUT TRULY THEY FLOODED ME! 

Conclusion: 

I left my room with a view and brought home with me some new friends as well as the old... New - Mr. PICC Line and Ms. Home Health Care and the Old - my chronic pain.  Needless to say the burning sensation and pain are still there when I drink/sip anything so I'm guessing I'll have to get used to it and I spent over a day trying to get a RX filled for my Heparin and Saline Solutions.   Oh and I am now running a fever, but I think it's from the flu shots I received on Wednesday, but the arm that's hot and swollen is the one with my PICC Line in it.  I'll see how things go.

This is all a major bummer. I'd call about the arm. If your PICC is infected, the next thing you know, you'll be septic and that's LIFE threatening sick.

I hope your chronic pain dies down soon and you can rest and heal.

Chembe, sorry to hear your ordeal.  I hope by now you took Rhonda's advice and called about your arm.  I know you surely dont want to go back into the hospital, but I dont think you would be having a fever from Wednesday's flu shot.  Running a fever and arm with PICC line is hot and swollen?  If you have not done so yet, you need to call the hospital and speak to the on-call surgical resident or just go to the ER.  You dont want to fool around with the possibility of getting septic.  That's a 50/50 crap shoot. 

Are you doing any better yet??  :(

Please get to the hospital NOW! A swollen arm, pain and redness along with fever ISN'T from the flu shot! I'm a RN in critical care and see septic pt's everyday. You don't want to go down that path!! Please get to the hospital now!! You could also have a blood clot in that PICC arm.

Theresa,
         Thanks for your concern!  I'm a RN as well (Pedi Cardio/Pulm) and I HATE!!! being on the other side of the equation!   My PICC site looked clean, wasn't sluggish on draw, flushed well and the swelling/redness was well above the line just going down towards it not up from it.  My issues were related to my flu shots.  I forgot that (when they gave me the shots) I was told that I could experience that rxn!  Plus I have always had a similar rxn to the seasonal flu shot in the past - the reason why I always declined getting them!  But back in Feb. I had a VERY SEVERE case of Influenza A (which I think was something else) that had me on 4 different abx (for over a month total) before the symptoms let up - this is the reason I decided on getting the shot(s) this time!!!  I was weighing previous rxn's to Feb's flu and the previous rxn's won out b/c that flu was a doozie and had me flat out for over 6 weeks!

It's sinced been pulled!!!!!

give us an update if you feel up to it - hope you are doing better!