Week two of the IV azithromycin has begun! It's been an interesting past few days. First we learned that after it's been mixed by the pharmacist, the azithromycin-saline solution has to be stored at 5 degrees or lower. We'd pondered picking it up from the pharmacist each day, or storing it in our travel cooling box, and thought to check our refrigerator to see if it was getting cold enough.
Basically it was usually at 10-12 C, and didn't get below 7 overnight. Which is way too warm for the azithromycin AND food
So we ordered a new fridge, which we can now store the antibiotics in. With the added benefit of meat and cut veggies not spoiling in under 48 hours!
Everything with the pharmacy went pretty well. My fiance picked up the antibiotics for this week, and the other items for the next 5 weeks this morning. They didn't have the IV lines which the home care people like, which can hook into 2 packs at once - the antibiotics, and a small saline bag to flush the line before and after the infusion. They also didn't have the little bits of a line to attach to the cannula, which I need to be able to unhook myself when it's done. So the nurse brought the IV line which they like to use, and a couple odd little line bits which are too long and rather skinny.
The nurse arrived about 10 minutes late (usual arrival time is 2pm-4pm), which I don't mind except I worry that they're not going to show up
I took 4 tries to a cannula inserted - a new record! Due to it taking 2-3 attempts to get one in me usually, we'd used up my supply and the nurse grabbed a spare from her car and phoned the pharmacy to order more. Those and the little line bits should be in the pharmacy by Thursday morning. We'd had more pink ones, but I hadn't realized that those weren't suitable, I think due to them being too long ... which is fine for nice big straight veins on arms, but not so nice for short little curvy hand veins.
So eventually we got the IV started, though the cannula is next to the knuckle of my pointer finger - nasty location, but better than none at all
It also means that the sheet of clear sticky stuff holding the cannula in place is gluing my first two fingers together, though only a little bit. And none of our scissors are sharp enough to cut a slit, of course!
I'd hoped to be able to do the IVs in 2 hours or so, since that's what I was able to do at the clinic. But I forgot about the chill factor. At the clinic, IVs for azithromycin didn't need to be stored since they were used quickly, so they were basically mixed up fresh into room-temperature saline. Hence they weren't too cold going into the vein. But fresh out of the refrigerator, having liquid stored at 3-4 degrees Celsius it's really damned cold
After 15 minutes or so my hand started aching, and felt icy when I touched it. So I've turned down the speed of the drip so that it has enough time for the infusion to warm up as it travels down the line before hitting my veins.
Hence it's looking like it will be at least 3 hours, and I won't be done until 7pm. I'm not even going to think about trying to cook even a super simple meal while dragging my IV-stand around, especially since one lockable wheel is stuck even when unlocked. Hence when I try to pull it, the stand moves with me well enough but slowly rotates, twirling my IV line around it
And now, since I'm wiped out after all of the cannula insertion attempts, I'm going to lie down and watch Masterchef Australia
