catheter placement-what to expect

[justme15]

Forgive me if this has been addressed before, I have not found the thread if it has.  I was wondering what is the experience like of getting a catheter placed? It seems different for different people.  Is there sedation? are you completely anesthetized? What should I expect?

[Sax-O-Trix]

PD or Chest cath?

[justme15]

chest cath

[jeannea]

They had me anethsetized. I don't remember having any problems except I had a reaction to Benadryl. Most people won't have that reaction.

[Restorer]

They were going to do it to me with local anesthetic and deep sedation - not general anesthesia, but I would be asleep - but they also needed to remove my PD catheter, so they did the full general anesthesia.

I watched video on YouTube a few days ago on putting in a permacath with only local anesthesia. It looked rather unpleasant. Do you know what kind of catheter you'll be getting? How long do you expect to have the catheter?

The longer-term kind of tunneled catheter goes in the jugular vein at the base of your neck, and they slide things all the way in and out a few times. Then they numb the entire path of the under-skin tunnel in your chest (lots of lidocaine shots), cut a small hole or two, and literally just push the catheter along under your skin. Then they sew up the ends and you're done.

[The Lady]

No procedure is fun, but you'll probably find it's not as bad as your imagination is telling you right now.

Since it's a new cath, it will be tunnelled so you will be numbed locally and pretty heavily sedated...you will be able to respond to commands during it, but you will be out of it and won't remember anything later. Afterwards, it will be like you slept through it because of the lack of memory.

In the future, when you need to switch out catheters, you will be numbed but probably have much less sedation. Just enough to relax you and keep you calm. My last switch, they forgot to sedate me at all and I just had numbing. Wasn't fun...I'd insist on sedation and will in the future...but doable if necessary.

[justme15]

I do not have date for catheter placement yet, I am still holding on to approx 13% kidney function.  However, I anticipate dialysis starting sooner rather than later.  I want to do PD, but not sure if I will qualify, so I'm just wanting to find out about catheter placement since that may be necessary until I get a graft or fistula ready.

Thanks for the replies!!

[Sax-O-Trix]

My chest cath was placed late at night in an emergency situation a day or so after my transplant.  I was terrified because I never expected to have to have one, ever.

Mine was done with a local, other than the initial stinging of the numbing shots, I didn't have pain per se, but I did have a liitle bit of pressure.   I did bleed a bit more than the nurse was expecting, so she had to change the dressing a few times and apply pressure.  If I had had time to digest what was happening, it probably wouldn't have been so scary. 

It actually stung more having it taken out than having it put in.  The stitches to hold the cath in place were placed a bit deep and the intern had a difficult time removing them. Once the stitches were out, no pain on the actual removal.  No local with the removal...

[kitkatz]

Sucks rocks if you docs are not nice with the pain drugs.  I had one put in and it hurt like hell. I have had others that did not hurt at all when placed.  I tell the docs " No pain."