-Psalm 46:1
With constant IV medication and a picc line comes with the delightful experience we call home health. Home health is hit or miss. You have to find the right company that fits your needs. My first home health experience was not a great one. The first time I was sent home with a PICC line I was sent to the home health company that was ran by my insurance company. They deemed me "not sick enough" for home health and made me drive across town once a week for a ten minute dressing change. They also refused to change my dressing for almost three weeks because they lost the paperwork and refused to get it straightened out.
This last admission when we were getting my continuous benadryl the insurance home health company refused to take me on as a patient again. They told me at home infusions were not possible and even if they were they would not give me the benadryl I needed. In walks in my current home health company. These angels worked tirelessly to get me home from the hospital on the benadryl infusion and have everything I would possibly need.
My current nurse comes twice a week. Once on Monday to draw blood (this is fantastic because it comes straight from my PICC line AND I don't have to wait in line at quest). And then she also comes on Friday to change my dressings and draw more labs. She is seriously the sweetest lady and actually has another mast cell patient on her case load! Each visit takes between 20-50 minutes depending on if we have to change my dressing.
My current nurse comes twice a week. Once on Monday to draw blood (this is fantastic because it comes straight from my PICC line AND I don't have to wait in line at quest). And then she also comes on Friday to change my dressings and draw more labs. She is seriously the sweetest lady and actually has another mast cell patient on her case load! Each visit takes between 20-50 minutes depending on if we have to change my dressing.
The other component is my awesome pharmacist! She calls me once a week on Monday so I can reorder what ever supplies I need. She then sends all of my line care supplies and benadryl infusion bags overnight so I receive them by Tuesday morning. My pharmacist is fantastic! She's sent me supplies midweek when I forgot to reorder something, and when my UPS driver hid my weekly delivery a little to well, she stayed on the phone with me reading out directions the UPS driver left.
If home health is a big part of your care I highly recommend shopping around first. I am extremely happy with my team right now. Which part of your care team do you lean on the most? Do you have a home health company you love?
With Love,
Elizabeth <3
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