Fault in Our Stars

I just finished reading Fault in Our Stars by John Green. While he did a great job of catching the humor of having cancer and some of the heart ache that goes with it. There was one thing that bugged me and that was the picc line.

He spent so much time talking about the oxygen tank and having to hook up to the condenser, which he named Phillip, that you get the impression that it is a real pain to deal with. I will give him that, having dealt with one for Becca. However, on the pain-in-the-neck scale I would rate the picc line higher.

Here is why; picc lines, as my doctors and nurses told me, are meant to be temporary so they are not as self contained as say a port a cath. You have to keep the site dry and sterile that means you shouldn't get it wet. Ever tried taking a shower or bath without getting your arm wet. Or used duct tape to seal a bag over a large portion of your arm. Yeah, it's no fun. Then you get to use one of those hospital bath sponges to clean what you could not get in the bath. They are just not the same as a good cleaning with soap and water. My arm never really felt clean until after the picc was removed and I could have a real live bath. It was heavenly.

Picc lines also have to be flushed with saline and heparin every night to keep them working right and to fight any infection. Braden hated that part. Fortunately it only lasted a couple weeks until they put my port in. (I am glossing over this part, if you really want to know what is involved in flushing a picc line, let me know and I can give you more details.)

I went through the older posts looking for a picture that showed the gauze-like sleeve that I wore to keep the picc lines from getting tangled or moving around too much, but I couldn't find one. But, if you look at the pictures I am always holding Becca with my left arm. That's because the picc was in my right arm. The lines, I had two of them, hung down to my elbow and it was uncomfortable to have them tugged on.

So, Mr Green if you wanted to show how awkward living with cancer can be, you choose one of the more mundane things to do it with. You had all the pieces in place for a more annoying one.

Ok, I am done now. Read the book, form your own opinion. This is just mine.