On Thursday 7th June (tomorrow), Clara is back to the operating theatre to have a new Hickman Line put in.
We’ve been struggling to withdraw blood from the line for a few weeks now, and this is super important for Clara. It’s a prevention rather than cure strategy as it is flushing PN and saline through beautifully but we can’t draw anything back on it.
We put a line block fluid called TauroLock in Clara’s Hickman Line every morning when we flush her off for the day to protect the line, stopping any bacterial growth. If we can’t pull back on the line, this bacterial block has to be flushed into her key vein. Whilst there’s no known risks, it’s not ideal practice. We also need to take weekly bloods to check her nutrition levels are okay, ie her prescription PN is still correct for her needs.
The reason we can’t pull back on the line is because there’s a blood clot at the end blocking any attempts to draw back blood.
Clara’s current line is now also quite a bit out of place because she’s grown so much since this line went in four months ago.
We have to change it now before it turns into an emergency.
Tomorrow should be a straightforward procedure, but there’s always risk involved when you make incisions in the neck and next to the heart.
Please keep Clara in your thoughts tonight and tomorrow, send her strength.
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Clara came back from theatre very hungry! She woke from the general anaesthetic crying for milk and then, once satisfied, she went back to sleep again.
A couple hours later she woke again and saw all her friends (the night staff) chatting socially around her bed and she beamed. Clara was back, and so was her audience of adoring fans.
Clara and the Gutcracker 