Sunday, June 29th - PICC Your Trip! (The Game Show)

Announcer: Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new episode of "PICC Your Trip!" The game show where contestants choose what to do about their vein irritating PICC lines. Today's lucky contestant is Kinley Melcher. Kinley was born with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) on May 25th and has spent most of her life on ECMO (heart and lung bypass) while vacationing within the friendly confines of Children's Mercy's NICU. But now that Kinley has had her CDH repair surgery and come off of ECMO she is enjoying the life style, that we all know and love, of recovery and IVs. One IV in particular, the PICC line, is why Kinley is here today. Welcome Kinley and thanks for being on our show!

Kinley: Thanks for having me. Ow. I am so glad to be here. Oww!

Announcer: I see that you are in pain. Can you tell us what is going on?

Kinley: Sure. (grimace) I have a PICC line running up my right leg and it has irritated and inflamed the vein it is running through. Now I need to have it removed and a new one put in because it is used to supply me with all of my nutrition until I can eat for myself. But the problem with putting in a new one is that most of my limbs are already taken up with other IVs. The only places left to place a new PICC line are my left arm and the left side of my head. The right side of my head won't work because that is the same region where my ECMO tubes were in.

Announcer: Wow! Has anyone tried to put in a new PICC line yet?

Kinley: Yes. Brian, one of my previous ECMO nurses, has tried to place a new PICC line in my left arm, but my veins just weren't cooperating. I cried and screamed the whole time, mainly because I am currently going through morphine withdrawals. Not even extra doses of morphine and versed could calm me down. It is a good thing I was intubated because I would have woken up the entire nursery. It was also a good thing that my dad didn't take any pictures of me upset because I would have had to hurt him.

Announcer: That's too bad that it didn't take. Well, have you at least had the PICC line removed from your leg?

Kinley: Yes. It may have been just as painful as trying to get my new PICC line in. Initially, my old PICC line was coming out smoothly until my irritated and inflamed vein spasmed and clamped down on the line, making it near impossible to remove. The nurses had to bring in heat packs and wet wipes to help my vein relax. After about a half an hour of hard work by the nurses, and me silently screaming my head off, the old PICC line was out.

Announcer: Alright Kinley, I can see that you are in A LOT of pain.

Kinley: You're "bleep"ing right I am in pain! Today was supposed to be a relaxing day, but my veins aren't "bleep"ing cooperating and I have spent most my day "bleep"ing screaming and crying!!!

Announcer (off camera): Alert the nurses and security! We may lose control of this one. (A nurse brings the announcer a hand written note.)

Kinley: Sorry about that. I am just having a rough day.

Announcer: That's quite alright. I have just been informed that we can only offer you one trip on today's show, instead of the typical three we normally do. Apparently the doctors and nurses feel that it would be against your best interests, and health, to go to London or Cabo San Lucas in your current state. So we will only offer you the third and final trip. Are you ready?

Kinley: Yes, although it would have been nice to go to Cabo and work on my tan. But I am pretty sure that my ventilator wouldn't fit in the airplane's overhead compartment.

Announcer: Kinley Melcher, you are the proud winner of an all expense paid round trip to Children's Mercy Radiology department. Tomorrow morning you, and your ventilator, will be rolled down to Radiology. There you will be pampered and spoiled with the finest of sedatives. And while you are sedated the radiologist will place a new PICC line using an ultrasound machine to guide his movements. After the placement of your new PICC line you will be returned to your little slice of heaven known as bed station D-39. How does that sound?

Kinley: That sounds perfect. I better rest up for my trip. I wonder what I should wear? Got it! A diaper.


Kinley resting up for her trip to Radiology tomorrow


Kinley resting while her dad works on corny blog posts