About me and my life: photos (updated)

I realised it may be helpful for some people to maybe have a little bit of a better understanding as to what IVs are and what the process kind of involves, so here are some photos to show, which may make things easier to understand.

So firstly, my veins are rubbish. After 10years of constant access and needing antibiotics through my veins (IVs= intra venous antibiotics) they finally gave in and I had to have a port-a-cath (port) implanted, which has a line that runs directly into my heart. This port is then needled and I have instant access when needed, things are alot simpler and easier than the attempts to insert long lines or cannulas which could give up the ghost at any point during a 2 week course. So just to clarify- I always have the port (which is under my skin and when its not needled if you want to have a feel just ask!) in my body, but there isnt always a needle there. Below is a diagram of what a port looks like and in the picture it is actually the same place as where I have mine! Also a picture of the needle that is used to access it.

So this is what it looks like when my port is needled, you can just see the clamp on my line at the bottom of the picture and under the white gauze is the needle (See pictures above). You need a clamp on the line so that blood cant come back into it, potentially blocking it and causing lots of problems.

This is a picture of the anti-sickness tablet I have been put on to help with some of the side effects but it also leaves me feeling incredibly sleepy!

The drugs fridge with 5 days worth of medication in it and some of the ancilliary stuff on the top for flushing between antibiotics.

My IV tray, pretty much set up for the next dose of IVs (just missing 1 of the antibiotics).

So a dose of IVs goes flush, drug, flush, drug, flush, heparin. The flush is just simple saline to clean the line. Alot of the antibiotics cant mix in the line because if they do they can crystallise and then block it, so its always very important to put saline through before and after each drug. Then right at the end you put heparin through to prevent any blood clots forming in the line between use. Below is the tray with all the stuff ready to go! Looks scarier than it really is.