Hi, I had twins in 2006 and I have terrible veins. I went into early labor and had to go on magnesium to try to give the babies more time for their lungs to develop. In a day and a half's time, my veins collapsed 11 times. My arms were black and blue and I was miserable. They finally brought in 2 nurses who were trained to do PIC lines. They raised up my bed to their eye level and used an ultrasound machine to locate the vein in my upper arm. They then inserted the needle and thread it to where it needed to go. I was told somewhere in my chest but I was to scared to get specifics! The whole procedure didn't take very long and didn't hurt much at all. My 7 year old son and husband were in the room with me watching and I think they were worse than me! The PIC line held up great as it ended up being in for the next 13 days. I had to go home for 1 day during that time as they were letting my labor go ahead and took me off the magnesium. A nurse came to the house to show me how to take care of it and keep it cleaned. When I went back into the hospital to have my babies, it was so much easier not having to deal with being stuck a million times for an IV. I begged them to leave it in longer but they wouldn't and I had to be rushed back to the hospital a week after my babies were born with many complications. Then I got all the familiar sticks again so that part sucked. If your doctor will agree to a PIC line, I say go for it. I am now going to a rheumatologist and have been told I have an autoimmune disease. I have to go soon to have 22 tubes of blood drawn and not sure how they are going to accomplish that. Plus, I just found out I am pregnant again and so I am hoping they will do another PIC line for me soon. Good luck and let me know what you decide. But take it from me, I was not sedated and not on any epidural or medications and it didn't bother me. And I am about the biggest baby you will ever meet when it comes to pain!
Sincerely,
Tiffany