PICC, round two

On Wednesday Noelle received her second PICC line placement. Everything went well. She had a nurse that she is familiar with. Thank you, Tracey. In the second picture they are x-ray-ing Noelle's chest to insure proper placement. For those not familiar with a PICC line, it enters Noelle's arm and runs up her arm and across her chest near her heart.

We were surprised to find that her antibiotic will be delivered by a small portable pump. When she had her first pump we administered her antibiotic by syringe or ball pump every x amount of hours. This time she will have her antibiotic administered every four hours for an hour. So she is connected to the line 24/7. It is a little awkward and I think it makes Noelle feel a little more patient-y:( I keep telling her to remember that we are killing the Lymies every four hours!! A little hard to remember when the pump wakes you up.

Noelle has not had a "seizure" episode since last Friday, over a week. That is such a blessing. She has been in incredible pain. Many people ask where her pain is, and she answers everywhere. She really is not exaggerating. In order of frequency: legs, head, arms, back, neck. She also has a lot of stomach upset. The stomach issues have gotten worse with the antibiotic. It has also given her a sense of being cold.

We are trying our best to find joy in our situation. It is hard to watch Noelle in pain every day. I know that it is hard for her to wake up every day in pain.

We had to make the tough decision that Noelle will not be able to graduate in May. She has eleven credits to finish this year and she is not on track to finish any this semester. She will do her best to finish the online classes she has started. That will give her 6 credits this year. She will finish the rest in the fall. It would be great if we could arrange for her to take Chemistry at the community college this summer. Since she wants to go into nursing Noelle would prefer to take Chemistry in a traditional classroom and not on line.

We thank you so much for your prayers. We continue to need them!