Lines down and out! It's a good thing.

Liz went yesterday to the Huntsman center and got her Hickman line out. It was convenient when she needed IVs or blood drawn, but she will be glad not to need the lines flushed every night with saline and heparin. So will I, as I did that part.

Liz was a little apprehensive at first, since the last "simple procedure" involved cauterizing with shocks. After a minute or two she was calmer and did great. Breathing calmly helps. After numbing the area - prick and stinging - all Dr. Scaife did was put in some scissors next to the tube, then open them slightly to enlarge the opening enough to get the cuff of fabric out. (There is a cuff on it so the body has something to hold onto and keep the line in place.) Then she just pulled the inner 8 inches of tubing out while keeping pressure on the vein up by Liz's neck, until it clotted enough to close. She just has a steri-strip over the small hole and it will seal up fine.

Liz is happy to think of showering without having to tape on plastic over her line, and to be able to raise her arms above her head more easily without it pulling. She has been feeling much better lately, and went out to dinner last night with JD for a burger and fries. Life is good!

She has had some swelling in joints - from knuckles to wrist, shoulder, hip, ankles - which occasionally makes it harder to move. She feels better, even if she is under 98 pounds. We try to fatten her up and she eats as much as she feels she can.