After 2 weeks of healing today was the big maiden voyage for accessing Harris' port.
I want to do the infusions myself as soon as possible. I figure, I can learn now, or I can learn later, but either way, I've got to learn. I have been practicing my sterile technique and infusion skills at my house... on an orange. This is good practice. If I could've tracked down an orange that tries to put his tongue on the chloraprep swabby thing, touch my sterile field with his fat little fingers, scream, kick and buck like a chaffed donkey when I stuck it with the needle, I'd have been all set.
Too bad for me, my orange just layed there all quiet and unannoyed. Stupid orange.
One the upside... my sterile technique was quite good (if I do say so myself), but when I did the actual needle sticking part... well, that was the downside. Either I got it in the wrong place, or got the needle wonky, or didn't get it in far enough. but there was no blood return... which means we try again. We pulled the needle and started over, this time with the nurse holding the needle. We know now that the port works at least, and two sticks into a port is way better than 4 sticks in the arm, so we are still ahead in my opinion, but I am disappointed that I couldn't get it to work. I hate it when things are bumpier than I expected. Typically I am properly pessimistic enough to prepare me for the worst, but with Harris' hemophilia I can't help but be annoyingly optimistic. Maybe it's just a kinder form of denial. Oh well. Better luck next time.
So, it's at least another week with the picc line and two more trips to the center this week to perfect my technique.
If only I'd given birth to an orange.
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Don't worry you will get it. I promise. Try offering him something he wants if he will hold still. For my lil Raymond it was a candy jar he could see and pick one he wanted. Also the little ones are pron to believe in magic, so play to his imagination about the process. For us the chloroprep became Mr clean who has his own song while he worked. And the emla cream became Magic cream that stopped his body from feeling pain. Most of all believe in yourself. Good luck
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine what I would do with a Grand Orange!!! Really, (since I don't have to learn this), I think it will be much easier than the good old butterfly dad and I used to use. You'll be a pro in short time.
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