[Myelomadaughter]

Apheresis catheter experiences

by Myelomadaughter on Thu Mar 10, 2016 11:18 pm

My mom had her double lumen apheresis catheter placed today. She is very sore between the insertion site and the exit site (where the lumens are). And you can almost feel the catheter between these two sites.

I am sure pain and some swelling is to be expected, but I was wondering if anyone else can share their experience with catheter placement.

We go back tomorrow for the first dressing change.

[JPC]

Re: Apheresis catheter experiences

by JPC on Fri Mar 11, 2016 10:30 pm

Hello Myelomadaughter:

A little more than a year ago, my wife had a PICC line installed for the stem cell collection and a subsequent autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). The radiologist who installed it said the procedure went fine, without problem. It gave her a huge black and blue mark, maybe almost 12 inches in diameter, that took about six weeks for it to go away entirely. It was very sore, and the nurses and staff indicated that this level of bruising was unusual. It did eventually heal.

So I guess bad bruising is certainly possible, but relatively rare. If a bad black and blue does not develop, she may get used to it within a couple of days.

[KarenaD]

Re: Apheresis catheter experiences

by KarenaD on Thu Mar 17, 2016 8:42 pm

I had my double-lumen apheresis catheter placed yesterday, and had some pain (mostly at the insertion site in my neck) and mild swelling. I took a Tylenol 3 last night, and the pain had pretty much subsided by this morning. (Tylenol 3 = acetaminophen / paracetamol + codeine.)

I can definitely both feel and see the catheter under my skin, but the nurse said everything looked fine when she changed my dressing and flushed the catheter this afternoon.

I was also told to cover the area with "Press'n Seal" when I take a shower, but I tried that ... and it didn't work very well as somehow both the dressing and the lumens got a little damp.

[Tracy J]

Re: Apheresis catheter experiences

by Tracy J on Fri Mar 18, 2016 7:50 am

When I had my auto stem cell transplant in 2012, I had a tunneled, double-lumen, central line placed in my neck. It was SO SORE for several days. I think the painful part was the tunnel, which is about 10 cm of the tube tracking under the skin. The tunnel provides a great barrier to infection, but it does mean that a little tunnel is dug through the skin. That hurt as it was healing. It was painful to turn my head, use my arm, etc. Once it was healed, it was nothing.

Then in 2015, I had a medi-port placed on the left side of my chest. Again, it was SO SORE as it was healing. It took about two weeks to heal. Now, it feels great.