Question about transplant

[Cordelia]

Just wondering if the "neck line" will be put in when I'm having the transplant, under the anesthetic?  I dread having the neck line put in, I did not take well to it when I had to have one inserted for emergency dialysis.  Just wondering if it will be put in while I'm having the surgery and won't feel a thing?

[jbeany]

Wait, what neck line? Who said you were going to have one placed during a transplant?
During mine, I had an emergency D access put in my neck for a couple of days because they thought they needed to do D and my access had clotted off.  If I still had a working graft, they wouldn't have needed that at all.  As far as I know, they aren't mandatory unless the kidney isn't working well enough and you don't have any other working graft.

I was knocked out for mine, though, but it was done during another surgery to fix complications, not the transplant itself.

[Cordelia]

I was given a book by my transplant team to read prior to transplant and it said there would be a neck line put in.

I will have to clarify this with my team, but I thought it kind of strange.

[jbeany]

Well, every hospital has a different protocol, I suppose.  But I agree, that still seems odd.

[Cordelia]

I think you're right, probably different hospital, different country, etc, would be the reason why, you're likely very right by saying, different protocol.

[willowtreewren]

Carl had a neck line for his transplant. He was still in his room when it was inserted and still awake. They could not get it in from one side and had to go in from the other.

I'm sure this is NOT what you wanted to hear!

 

Aleta

[Cordelia]

Oh no!!   

[paris]

I had a neck line, two different lines (1 in each arm) for medications, etc.  The tiny bp line put in at the wrist(it takes constant bp--no arm cuff waking you up!) one more line in left arm that wasn't hooked up to a line, just there "in case".   I don't remember a thing about the neck line, so I must have been out.  I do remember them taking it out. Not as bad as I anticipated.      It did feel strange to wake up with 4 lines in the arms, 1 neck line, the drainage bag at the incision, a catheter, the leg compression thingies --- I felt a little Frankensteinish!     Every step of the way, I found that what I worried about was much easier than I thought.     Of course, the morphine pump may be responsible for that!!                  Like my dear Grandma always said "don't borrow trouble".  She was a wise lady.   

[lawphi]

Hammett had a central line in his neck, a regular iv and an arterial line in his arm. He was conscious only for the iv. The lines were small like an iv, but used to administer different medications.  The central line in his neck came out first.

The lines were not as scary looking as I would have thought. They look better than a dialysis catheter.

[Jie]

I had the neck line as well during the transplant. It was put in when I was sleeping and did not feel anything. All my medicines (getting to blood vessels) went through it and blood samples were drawn from it. It was not too bad. 

[Jelena]

My husband had a neck line as well. I didn't bother him too much. All medications were going thru it and blood drawn as well. They took it out in a couple of days. I wouldn't worry about it too much, considering that you are going to have that for only a few days and feel so much better after the surgery... good luck!

[rsudock]

The neck line is called an interjugular IV. They put those in so you don't have to be constantly stuck for blood draws while in the hospital. Mine was a little uncomfortable but glad not to have the extra needle sticks. They put it in when you are under anesthesia.

xo,
R

[Cordelia]

Thanks everyone for your insights. I have had one put in also, but I did not take well to it as I was completely awake when they did it last year for emerg dialysis. I am relieved to hear that it will for transplant, likely be put in while I'm under the general anesthetic! However, I did not take well to it at all afterwards--it was so heavy on my neck and caused an old neck injury to flare up and bother me for 2 months after, I was not a happy camper!  Plus, my 9 year old son fainted at the sight of me with it in, even though he was warned ahead of time what I would look like.....unfortunately mine was in longer than 2 days--more like 5 and when my family visited me on the 4th day, that's when he fainted, right on the hospital floor   

[RightSide]

I didn't have a neck line put in (nor a drainage bag either).

But now that I've heard about it, I wish they had put a neck line in.  With me, they kept sticking me with needles to draw blood for tests, waking me up each time, infiltrating me a couple times.

At least these nurses and techs knew how to take blood from my fistula without damaging it, which helped.

[Cordelia]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm I just thought of something with your above post, Rithtside!!! I have a central access line in my chest--I'm wondering if they will even HAVE to put a neck line in me? That would be just WONDERFUL if they could use my central access line instead!!! I will have to ask! Thanks for the idea!!!   

[RichardMEL]

I woke up with the neck line post-tx (thank god they did it then!). I knew I'd have all the tubes and drains and stuff coming out, but I didn't expect the neck line, so it was a bit of a surprise.. but it was actually disconnected pretty early on (thank god, then I could have a shower!!)

[Cordelia]

Oh my gosh, you weren't told ahead of time?   

[RichardMEL]

Oh my gosh, you weren't told ahead of time?   

I'm not swure - was this question directed to me?

Many years prior to my tx I did go to a seminar put on by the transplant team and they had pictures and stuff of folks post-tx, showing all the tubes, drains and stuff. Maybe the example person had a neck line - I honestly don't know - but it wasn't specifically identified as something that would happen - but my general thought on that stuff was that if/when I would be lucky enough to get a TX I fully expected to wake up a) in pain and b) with all this stuff coming out of all kinds of places - so the neck line wasn't really a surprise or anything that bad in that respect - and I actually had way less pain than I expected (which is good, because the mofphne machine broke down 18 hours in!!  ). I just condered all that stuff would be part and parcel of the procesure, not much I could do about it except deal with whatever happened. Luckily for me it was really no big deal.

I had much more "fun" with the catheter which they insisted stay on for much longer than normal and it was really bugging me for any number of reasons I won't bother to go into here. It was a relief to get that thing off!!

[Cordelia]

I'm sorry, Richard, yes, I was asking you. I'm glad it ended up not causing you any problems.