The Hickmans Line

On Thursday I had the Hickmans line inserted. The line was inserted through the base of my neck and exits through my chest - parallel to the positioning of my heart. Sitting in the waiting room, I was understandably nervous but at the same time I was very much looking forward to starting it all. I knew that once this was underway, I could relax a little knowing that the entire process was all systems go.

The surgery itself was a touch uncomfortable. Even though I was under local anaesthetic, I could still feel the odd sensation of having the line pulled through under my chest, it was like something I've never felt before and would probably not want to ever feel again. The procedure was all done and dusted within half an hour. Post surgery I had a follow up discussion with the oncologist to cover the care practices I needed to employee while at home like what to eat and the fact that I now can't use metal forks and knives - the plastic set from the picnic bag is all I can use to avoid the metallic taste in my mouth, what I symptoms or reactions I needed to look out for and how I needed to treat the dressings. I felt good after the procedure, I was expecting to feel a lot worse. Having the piece attached was naturally uncomfortable to deal with in the first instance but now that I'm used to it it's not so bad.

PLEASE NOTE: VIDEO BELOW CONTAINS IMAGES OF THE SURGICAL PROCEDURE. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.