Several weeks ago, I started another round of IV antibiotics. I also began a course of antibiotics administered via a nebulizer. For too many hours a day, I was hooked up to an IV or nebulizer machine. I constantly had to keep an eye on the clock to ensure I received the right medicine at the proper time. Many times, I would fall asleep while receiving the IV antibiotic. When I would wake up and see the IV was empty, I would frantically disconnect the medicine and flush my PICC line with saline and heparin. (Antibiotic left in my PICC line can cause the line to clog and render the line unusable.)
When connecting up the IV antibiotics, I often would forget to close the line before spiking the solution. This translates into the medicine flowing freely (and quickly) down the tubing and on to my bed or floor. No matter how much I tried to clean up the liquid, the medicine stained my bedding and left sticky smudges on the floor. Additionally, the nebulized antibiotic vapor would escape my ventilator tubing via the exhalation valve. When the antibiotic vapor dried, this too left stains on my bedding.
When I was done with this round of antibiotics, I was so gleeful my bedding and floor could be washed. When the fresh linens were returned to my bed, I was thrilled to be able to lie down without feeling on my skin the dry sticky areas where the antibiotic had leaked. Additionally, after my floor was scubbed, I was overjoyed I could place my feet any where on the floor without having to worry about getting sticky antibiotic residue all over my feet.
Often we overlook the little things in life. I am so happy to be able to sleep, eat and go about my day without having to prime tubing, run antibiotics and frequently flush my PICC line. I feel so free to not have to constantly keep an eye on the clock. What a blessing it is to be able to move about without being attached to extra apparatuses.
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