Starting IVs

So today I started my ivs, I was quite upbeat driving there which is unusual as I was quite miserable last night at the thought of started them. I was woken up at 6.50 this morning by the guy delivering my drugs, hes very nice he puts them in the fridge for me and everything.

So heres what happens when I start my ivs. I arrived at the ward after i was very lucky and found a parking space right outside in a disabled spot (this does not usually happen!). As soon as I arrive I am told what room to go into. The ward has a few treatment rooms for outpatients starting ivs and emergency visits and then about 12 rooms for inpatients all with their own bathrooms, tvs, fridge etc. In the treatment room there is a bed, computer and trolley full of things like needles etc. I tend to lay on the bed rather than sit on a chair because then I can chill out! I stay in the room the whole time and they bring everything to me including a cup of coffee if I would like one. This is to prevent patients bumping into one another and causing cross infection, they even shut the door which is abit harsh as I like to nosey at the people walking past! They do the following to me

a) they take my temperature, blood pressure, sats which were 97% and my blood sugars levels which were apparently abit low at 3.7 but they did not seem concerned. They also take my weight which was 57kg today.

b) the physio comes to test my lung function. This is a portable machine that I blow into. I do a slow long blow for as long as I can and then one as fast as I can. Today it would appear my fev1 has improved to 41%, maybe I didnt try very hard on monday. I also give the physio a sputum sample for her to send off to see what is growing on my chest etc. I also gave her another sample which is going to be involved in some experiment, I hope it is not to grow a big psuedomonas bug that will eat people! I also asked her about my physio as now I am doing it twice a day I would like to do other things than patting as when I do it myself it hurts my hand. She is going to order me an acapella, apparently it vibrates as you breathe out. Sounds interesting...! She is also ordering me a new chamber for my ineb for my tobi as I told her it keeps leaking.

c) the dietitian comes to see me, asks me about my poos etc. Its always a pleasant conversation. She told me my weight was fine and to keep up the good work

d) the nurse comes and sticks the needle in my port, whilst she is preparing everything I sit and bite my nails because I hate having my port touched. The nurse today had never flushed my port before so I was very, very nervous, people have missed my port before and it hurts! She got me to lay down whilst she did it and she did it fine. She had to find me my special dressing I have as im allergic to nearly everything, the one I have is called supasorb. Im allergic to tagoderm, dermafilm, iv3000, opsite and a few others. My port bled back, yeay! I dont know what they do with the blood they take form me, I think they are making a clone of me somewhere.... She then connected up my first drug as the first lot has to be administered at the hospital (even though I bring them in from my stock at home) to make sure I dont have an allergic reaction. Im on colomycin and aztreonam again and I change them over myself, I freaked out as she gave me the heprin for at the end and put it on the bed!!! I was like 'erm thats not very hygienic, can you put it on the trolley?', these medical people are useless!! Its so much safer doing ivs at home!

e) doctor comes and sees me, I dont know why because its already been decided what is happening. He was one of these doctors that just goes through the questions, he took forever typing stuff up, god know whats he was writing!

When my drugs have finished going through i am free to escape once I have collected all my extras such as extra dressings for my port, prescription for tablets for my thrush (I always get it when on my ivs) and my epipens for incase I have an allergic reaction (it is a pen that shoots out a big needle and gives you adrenaline, the needle is so big I would have to be literally dying to have the guts to use it...). And thats it im home and I feel tired already from my first dose! xxxx