Step Three of the Right Tibia Reconstruction, Insurtion of a PICC Line

On April 10, 2008, I went into surgery to reconstruct my right tibia that had healed incorrectly from a fall in May 1972. For over 36 years I had to deal with horrific pain in my right knee and ankle due to the position of the tibia after it healed. For all those years, I tried to find a doctor who would try to fix the problem and not just treat the symptoms. Finally, in September 2007, I met the doctor who would try to reconstruct the tibia by growing in 2 cm of bone and fixing the angle to put it back in its correct position.

For almost a year, I wore an exterior fixator (see the article on Fixator to Fix a Problem) and finally had it removed on March 26, 2009. I was placed in the 'cast from hell'-- as I had to walk on the tips of my right toes due to the position of the cast. I also had to use different crutches because my original (more common type) interfered with the IV line on the inside of my upper left arm. In one week, I went back to have the cast removed, the leg x-rayed, and see how the wounds were progressing from the holes caused by the wire of the fixator.

The x-ray showed that the 2 cm had grown in the space; the length was grown in, but the girth had not filled in completely as yet. The wound sites were healing exceptionally well. I then had another cast put on--a green one. Now I am environmentally in step!!! I was in the hospital overnight and on the morning of the second day, A PI CC line was inserted so I could do a home infusion of antibiotics twice a day to prevent any infection in the wound sites.

At first it was difficult and I had visiting nurses come twice a day to help me with it. Before long I was on my own and realized that it was not as difficult as I first thought. Now I am a pro!
This PI CC line is just another inconvenience when I take a shower in the morning. As with the fixator, I have to cover my cast so it will not get wet. I had designed a plastic cover that I would Velcro over the fixator and tape the top so no water would get into the wound sites. I went through three of them before the fixator was removed. Now I just cover the cast with a tall kitchen trash bag and tape around the top, The IV line is different story. That cannot get wet either. So I devised another plastic sleeve to Velcro around the site, and tape the top and bottom with masking tape. I go through a lot of masking tape!

This adds another 15 minutes to my routine in the morning. But I have noticed one great thing about the antibiotics that drip into my veins morning and night. My skin has improved in both texture and moisture since beginning the therapy. Like my mom before me, I suffered from acne once in a while, and my skin is not the best looking when I break out. It seems I am allergic to acid foods, stress, and nervousness that cause my skin to break out on my face and top of my shoulders. Since beginning the therapy, I no longer break out from any of those things, especially the acidic foods such as; oranges, tomatoes, pickles, vinegar, mustard, and other acid foods. It is certainly not life threatening, but a nuisance when it happens and I look like I did when I was a teen.

So now I have a healthy benefit from this therapy other than what it was intended to do, and who knows maybe the antibiotic will kill all the bacteria in my system that cause me to break out with blemishes when I am nervous or stressed. One can only hope.