PICC LINE and First Chemo

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Had my PICC Line in yesterday and my first cycle of EC Chemo. Was not as bad as I imagined and the PICC Line was inserted first time which was good as I have rubbish veins. Chemo lasted about an hour and a half and I felt ok, was not as bad as I had imagined and was over pretty quick. Was sent home with loads of preventative Meds, and an injection to do myself today, which is a little scary, but again not as bad as I first thought. Had a fizzy feeling in my hands and feet and felt a little like I had a hangover and was a little tiered although when I went to bed couldn't sleep. During the night every time I lay on my lefty side (PICC Line side) I had a very irregular heartbeat that I felt like my heart was beating out of my body. Once I got out of bed it stopped and I was ok when I lay on my right side. I was back at the hospital this morning to have a clean dressing put on so I mentioned them to the nurse who suggested it could be because the PICC Line was new and just needed to settle but to phone the Emergency Advice Line. They asked me to come straight back up to the hospital for an emergency chest x ray in case the PICC Line was in the wrong place. Luckily the PICC Line is in the correct place and and just needed another 2cm pulled out as it may be touching my heart as I lie on my left side, so fingers crossed it doesn't happen tonight. I haven't had any of the said side effects today and have felt really well, probably down to the steroids I am on for the next 3 days and the Immune booster, so I am not holding my breath.

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced the heart problems when they have had a PICC Line and has anyone not experienced side effects straight away then had them after a few days.

Stay strong everyone x

  • Good morning 

    I am undergoing treatment for tnbc so have had ec, I have been surprised about how well I have felt through treatments.

    I insert PICC lines as a job, the tip has to sit in the lower svc 2 cm above the end, and if they weren’t using ecg technology to confirm it it often is hard to get precisely the right length using X-ray as reading them can be hard due to quality of picture, pt anatomy. So when you lay down the picc tip was to long and probably was irritating the right atrium (not life threatening) the hospital took right actions and moved it back so almost certainly tonight sleep will be better

    good luck with your treatment 

  • Sorry to hear you that you are also undergoing Chemo treatment, but glad to hear you are coping ok. Its only second day after my first treatment and I'm feeling a little tired but well.

    Thank you for your reply and yes all was good last night and I got a good night's sleep

    Stay strong x

    Emie x

  • Hi 

    6th day after EC, a rough two days but feeling a little better today. Felt so exhausted and a little like my body wasn't my own. I still feel very lucky that I am not feeling ill though, just tired. 

    Stay Strong all xx

  • I am glad, it is a hard kind of tired isn’t it, your tired but the steroids won’t let you sleep a lot.  
    Wishing you luck.