PICC gone

I suppose I need to explain the title of the post.  A PICC is a "peripherally inserted central catheter".  Now I suppose I need to explain those four words making up the acronym.

"Peripherally inserted" means put in from the outside.  In medical terms, this usually means the arm or the leg - in my case the arm.  And a "central catheter" is simply a tube going toward the heart chamber ("central" refers to the heart chamber, and a "catheter" is simply a tube.  The common use of the word catheter usually refers to a urinary catheter, but the term simply means tube).  I'll include a picture, as it WILL be worth a thousand words.  Click on it to enlarge - it will be useful.  Click THIS LINK for even more info.

Anyway, the upshot of all this is the PICC I'd had for five months (installed 24 August 2012) was removed on Tuesday morning!!  I no longer have to visit the hopsital every day and get an infusion which took around two hours.  It might not seem like much, but I had to go EVERY day.  Even when I was having radiation therapy I got the weekends off, but for my infusions, it was seven days a week, and I have been one of the longest-term APAC patients they've ever had.

I'm going to miss the nurses at APAC.  They're a fine bunch of staff - all senior nurses who just CARE for their patients.  Really care.  It was a bit of a dreamy feeling getting that PICC out, as I've gotten used to getting in to hospital each day, finding a parking spot (my mobility parking permit is fantastic for that), and lately, getting an hour or so of practice on the guitar - which the guys at APAC used to love.  I used to learn new songs there, so they weren't being performed to the best of my ability, so apologies, guys, for the mistakes.

But this starts yet another new phase in my life.  Next stage is to move house.  I want to live somewhere I have a good view of Lake Budgewoi.  So Toukley, Gorokan, Charmy, San Remo, Buff Point, Budgie or Noraville would all be possibilities.  I suppose Lake Haven needs to be on that list, but it wasn't actually a suburb when I used to live there.  I'm really looking forward to the move and will be visiting Real Estate agents all this week, I reckon.  I'll let you all know how this goes!!