IV clogage

I was up this morning at 6am to complete my second IV session. It's much harder to do it right when you are tired. Twice I has to stop to re-wash my hands after rubbing my eyes in an attempt to wake up. My PICC line is actually a pair of small lines inside a single outer cover. After successfully using one line to administer the medication, I found the other line totally blocked. I tried to flush but couldn't get anything to go through. I discussed the problem with the on-call nurse who recommended waiting until the previously scheduled 2PM visit by my home-visit nurse to resolve it.

When she arrived at 2 not only was the first line still clogged but the other line become blocked as well. These blockages are typically caused by blood clotting at the tip of the line. Heparin is a drug commonly used after flushing to prevent this kind of clotting. Unfortunately I developed Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT) to while I was in the hospital so I can't use it. They are going to provide another drug to attempt to breakup to clog - I'm waiting for it's delivery right now.

The nurse temporarily inserted a traditional IV into my wrist so i can take the antibiotics on schedule until the blockage is resolved. Without heparin its easy for the new line to become blocked like the PICC, so tonight (and maybe for the rest of the weekend) I'll be flushing it every 2 hours until the PICC blockage can be resolved.

The phrase "Nothing is ever easy" rings in my ears at times like these.