[CarolsymonsParticipant]

After the SCT the doctors had great difficulty removing my Hickman line, having to make an incision and virtually dig it out of my flesh in one section, before ripping it out. In doing this, the cuff has been left behind and is embedded in my skin. I asked the consultant about this and he said if it was “worrying” me he would refer me to a surgeon to cut it out. Anyone else have this problem? If so did you have the cuff removed or just live with the lump it has formed under the skin? Of course only being 11 weeks post transplant there is always the risk of infection if I ask for it to be removed, but it is a painful lump.

Carol

[eveParticipant]

Hi Carol

Slim had the opposite of you,when they put it in it took over 4 hours,lot of pain,and because of this when it was removed it was day surgery,it just slipped out,after being in for a very long time!!!

If it’s painful get it removed!!!!,did they realise they left it behind????
It should be a day job surgery.

Don’t,forget to say hello to oz for me,one day the figure of eight is on the cards.Love Eve

[CarolsymonsParticipant]

Hi Eve

Yes after the second doctor came in and helped the first trainee doctor to remove it (this was while I was still in hospital after the transplant) they said that the line hadn’t all come out. I don’t understand why, when they had already cut me, they didn’t go back in and remove the cuff before stitching me up. I guess as haematologists they figured they had done their job just by getting it out! It is really annoying to have to go to a surgeon now and have another scar on my chest!

Carol

[eveParticipant]

Hi Carol

No hair!!! Scar on chest!!!,you make me laugh some times,but in a good way,were,s your ozzy spirit.
Tell them to get this thing out,you want to look good on a Ozzy beach!!!!.Eve

[CarolsymonsParticipant]

Hi Eve

You are right about me worrying about lack of hair and scars! These things are so minor when I read what others are going through, but I guess the time will come when I have more serious issues to face. Looks like my London flat is sold, so when school finishes on 18 July, I plan to be on the next available plane to Oz. There you will find me on the white sand of Surfer’s Paradise beach, Gold Coast, Queensland….. can hardly wait! It will be winter then, but most days are still around 21 or 22 max so you can still swim (that is if my collarbone allows swimming) I had an X-ray last week so that I can get an opinion about how well it has healed. It is a year now since my collarbone disintegrated…don’t know where the time has gone!

Carol

[eveParticipant]

Make sure you keep in touch!!! One day you just might see me there,never say never is my motto!! Life is on hold!!!!but Myeloma makes you realise,dreams have to be lived. Love Eve

[wallaceParticipant]

Hello Carol,

I was looking at the remains of my Hickman line I kept after removal only yesterday clearing a draw out! I kept it as a souvenir as I lived with it so long and was such a long job in removal, nearly an hour and they were preparing theatre, the cuff being the problem as it had bonded into the skin so well. Some time later a friend told me about the removal of his and the problems he had. The guy was talking to him whilst cutting the cuff and explaining why he had to be so careful around the line as it is so easy to nick or cut which he then unintentionally did! Bit of a panic apparently, and my friend was told off for giggling whilst they attended to him.

I’m no expert just a patient like yourself  but if it is causing you pain and stress then the Consultants should be doing something about it, if only to allay your worries and reduce any undue stress. We found that after diagnosis there was so much to take in that you switch off and once things calm down you start to focus on what may to some people be trivial things, then you start to worry about looking stupid if you ask and we did explain this during a consultation. We were told that the team work for us, nothing was too trivial and I saw that on more than one occasion and not just for me but support for my girlfriend.

This might make you laugh, when I had my line installed, and it was installed, not fitted or made to measure as even if it was in my size it came out of a packet without my name on, the Anaesthetist who did the installation came in to see me the next morning to see how I was. Apparently I gave him a bit of a panic as when injecting the pre-med he asked me to count to ten and I went out like a light at 3 desperately trying to reach 4 and I was supposed to stay awake. Glad I did as no way did I want to see the kitchen knife and pliers in use . He also proceeded to apologise as he was in a desperate rush to be elsewhere after my installation, me falling asleep had taken his mind off shaving my chest hair. He thought about this whilst driving home as it was a rather large clear adhesive pad he had stuck over the wound and of course you can’t just rip it off a fresh Hickman install like it’s leg waxing. 😮

Best wishes, Mike

 

[Anonymous]

Side effects can occur with any type of treatment, but not everyone has them or experiences them in the same way. Side effects of a stem cell transplant will depend mainly on… (source: http://www.myelomacrowd.org)

[JohnoParticipant]

Hi
I had the first Hickman line fitted which quickly became infected and was removed. The site cleared up quickly with no problems. I had a second line fitted in the same place and this worked perfectly all the way through my last chemo session and stem cell harvesting and stem cell replacement. It was removed on the ward by a junior doctor and to be honest it was a bit of a mess, blood everywhere the site looked very scarred, this quickly became infected and full of ‘puss’ this was 11 weeks ago and has not responded to various antibiotics. Tomorrow I am having a midi pic line fitted and another course of antibiotics.

John

[Author]

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