So my chest port got infected, so after 3 months I had to have it taken out ASAP today because an infection in your port can kill you ver fast. Lots of pain later, I now will be off my meds (which until I got the infection were working well) and am having a picc line put in next week. Since it is on the arm I was wondering how/ if anyone on here had dealt with that with working in the stable. Thanks 
Haaaa, Gallent ! I am so sorry for you ! I have no experience with riding and picline; I have a port and thank God no infection in 3 years.
Best of luck and hope someone will answer !
No advice, just cursing your bad luck! Hope you feel better SOON!
I know a friend who golfed was told no golfing until PICC removed. best to ask your doc.
Well I won’t be riding since my DH would probably have a heart attack, but I am hoping that I will still be able to atleast handle the horses and groom them. So I will probably be getting my picc line in this week, we are trying to finish packing our apt to move into the house that is on the same place as the stable, trying to get the house painted because the carpet people are coming on the 18th, of and now of course someone wants to come see my horse that is for sale that just got home from KY that my student has yet to ride (she is exercising him for me) and there are no jumps at the stable, oh and the ground is so so so wet from the week of rain!
[QUOTE=DressageGeek “Ribbon Ho”;4864815]
No advice, just cursing your bad luck! Hope you feel better SOON![/QUOTE]
You and me both!
Hmmm…can I invoke the explosive diarrhea curse on your infected port? Somehow I don’t think it works that way!
geesh… one thing after another.
At some point, the karma wagon DOES have to stop long enough for ya to climb back up on it…
Hope things get easier soon!!
I had a Hickman Line for nearly 2 years. Mine was directly into my heart though.
I believe it’s more or less the same thing except the one I had is very much a direct central line to the heart and called after it’s inventor or originator.
Got to say though that when I had mine I was way too ill to think about working at all let alone working with horses.
Horses were all well looked after by my Business Partner and staff and I just gave instructions when I felt up to it 
I never got an infection in mine but I was neurotic about looking after it and never allowed anyone anywhere near it if they were sloppy about barrier nursing. This was at a time though when I was undergoing a bone marrow transplant and hence had absolutely no immune system… or platelets come to that!
Mine didn’t work properly though. It could be used to push drugs in but not to draw blood out for sampling. Seems there was a basic “plumbing problem” and the catheter was up against the heart vein wall and so when it was withdrawn it sucked against the wall and wouldn’t draw out blood. That meant that though I had a Hickman I still had to have my veins insulted several times a day for blood testing. Fortunately I’ve got VERY good veins!
It was a conversation stopper when I invited folks if they’d “like to see my dangly bits” :winkgrin:
Hi, I had a pic line for quite a while this fall and winter. It was in my left arm. As was posted previously, I also was pretty ill at this point. But, I did go to the barn to check on broodmares, did light duty things. I had kind of a knit sleeve that I came home from the hospital with and I would make sure the line was in the sleeve secure and covered. I was told not to do any heavy lifting with that arm and not to bump it hard, etc. It was in my left arm so I could use my right to hook up my IV infusions easily. It is pretty easy once you get used to it. Best of luck. 
Gallant Quest,
I am so sorry that you have had this happen!! I’m cursing it, too!
My DH had a pic line for his back surgery. He was too sick to do anything and petrified that it would get infected. It was quite coddled.
My vets, on the other hand, kept working and riding. They are endurance riders and don’t really take care of themselves until they drop. And, yes, they did drop occasionally. They both have chronic lymes that is difficult to keep under control. Since they are vets, they are aware and comfortable with their meds knowledge. One of them is now competing 100 mile rides often. She usually is in the top 15 unless she is training a greener horse or coaching a rider.
Pm me if you want to talk with her.
I just posted a topic on this and then found this thread!
I’m looking for similar advice, except for riding only. I’ve been told that at the barn I need to follow a “look, don’t touch” policy. But then again, my immune system is shot and I’m on an antibiotic that feels more like gasoline just to prevent me from going septic again, so I understand their concern. At least I’m not stuck with an N95 mask this time. My horses think I’m some terrifying monster when I’m forced to wear those to the barn
So basically, I was told that staying home was best, but if I “had to go to the farm” (like there’s another option! :::rolls eyes:::), I could visit and pat my horses and that was the extent of it. They gave me a wrapping procedure for the PICC and my mom is an NP so they were confident in her sterile technique, but they told me I couldn’t groom/bathe/clean anything. They also advised me not to ride, but that’s another story
Now, as I said, I have some weird circumstances, including the fact that I’m a HUGE risk of disrupting the line itself (I have Ehlers-Danlos, so the chances of me blowing the vein are in the “Danger, Will Robinson!” category and any excessive exertion only adds to that), my immune system is not a happy camper, and I was septic earlier in the week does not a normal situation make. But I was strongly advised against all barn work, if that helps at all.
