5 Facts You Have to Know About Infusion Therapy

Getting your first Infusion Therapy? You don’t have to worry too much about it. Infusion therapies are usually done fast and so you won’t really feel much pain. However, you may feel some discomfort within the duration of your infusion therapy but the discomfort is manageable. As an administrator of non-medical home care in Illinois, Passionate Private Duty helps clients prepare on expectations about upcoming infusion therapies. To help you know what to expect, we’ve prepared 5 facts that you can watch out and prepare for during infusion therapy:

1. Administration of infusion therapies will involve needles and/or catheters. For individuals afraid of needles, it’s best to prepare and keep in mind that the pain of the insertion will only last for a moment. After the insertion is complete, you just have to be patient, follow doctor’s orders, and do your part in getting well as soon as possible especially when you’re confined in the hospital. When you’re a confined patient, it’s good to ready yourself with loose fitting clothes or comfortable clothes during instances of infusion therapy.
2. When the disease is serious and oral medicines just won’t do the patient’s condition any good, medicines can be administered directly through the bloodstream. This is where infusion therapy comes in. By direct administration into the bloodstream, your medication gets absorbed and works faster compared to oral medication.
3. Usually, infusion therapies are done for patients that have to stay in the hospital but there are also infusion therapies for out-patients or for patients staying at home as well. These days, there are also IV administered nutrients just to give the body added nutrition. Registered nurses who are authorized by your attending physician to perform infusion therapies can also perform infusion therapies at the comforts of your own home. Of course, this has to be planned and discussed with your physician and primary healthcare provider.
4. Depending on several factors, there are different access points for insertion of IV lines. Commonly, infusion therapies are done by inserting peripheral lines through veins found in one’s hands, feet, arms, and legs. However, in other cases, there are also lines inserted through veins found in one’s chest. The access point for insertion will depend on the patient’s condition so to clarify and get rid of some fears that might be growing, don’t hesitate to ask your physician about access points and what to expect.
5. A common instance that may happen when hooked on an IV especially in common areas such as the hands is a reverse flow of blood from the tube. You may notice blood from your hand going into the tube where medicine is supposed to enter through your vein. This is common and if this does happen, one should call for immediate assistance from an attending nurse.

We provide nursing care services in Pingree Grove, IL aiming to provide the best possible service to our clients. To do so, we make it a point to keep our clients informed about medical procedures. For our services, visit www.passionateprivateduty.com.