IV treatment for psudamonas

[Treed12]

I found out last night that I have to go for IV treatment for a psudamonas infection. I've had issues for about 7 weeks and a few failed courses of oral antibiotics. Apparently this is the next step. I've had really good contact with my respiratory physio, and he quickly called last night to say I'm going in on Monday for treatment but no details, he'll call monday and let me know. I've read it can be one administration or several over a couple of weeks! This is a worry as I have to young kids. I hope it's not the latter. Has anyone had this treatment? Thank you

[Hidden]

I come from a cf background where things vary a bit compared to most other respiratory conditions, but I can tell you that IV treatment for pseudomonas in generally two weeks, and unless you’re given a line that facilitates home administration such as a long line or mid line (or you already have a port), and your hospital either supports community administration via nurses that visit your home, or you’ve had a few courses before and they’ll teach you to self-administer, you’ll likely be an inpatient for the duration. Hospitals have tried to enable home IVs wherever possible during the covid situation for everyone’s sake, but my personal opinion is that it’s probably extremely unlikely when this is your first ever admission, and even with home IVs, most people have to spend at least a couple of days on the ward as an inpatient.

I don’t know what your diagnosis is, and that does effect what drug(s) you’re likely to be given, which also massively effects the frequency: IV tobramycin is often once a day. IV colomycin is 3 times a day. These are both very common, first line antibiotics given IV to treat pseudo, and both equally as effective in our experience, but there are others available. In the vast majority of conditions, only one antibiotic is given (mono therapy), and excluding tobi, most of the ones available are administered 3 times a day.

The idea of two weeks probably seems like a nightmare, but it’s worth it in an effort to try and eradicate or at the very least control pseudo: it really is a bugger of a bacteria that you want to get on top of as quickly as possible.

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I can't add anything to Charlie_G's excellent reply.

[peege]

hi, just to say good luck, the sooner you get the IVs sorted the better so you can get back to your normal with the children. Hopefully you'll get a daily visit from a nurse. Best of luck. P

[Treed12]

Thank you. Fingers crossed they can do it at home

[Joy123]

Yes I have, frequently and the treatment is usually for 10 days (mine 14). I know In some parts of the country once the hospital has established things you can, by arrangement, go home and have the drugs either administered by a healthcare person or do it yourself!! I hope you’ll feel better soon. Joy x

[cofdrop-UK]

Excellent post by Charlie. I am just wondering if this is the first time you have cultured pseudo. If so, then I am sure they will try and go for eradication and would want you in for 2 weeks. It is difficult with young children and I hope you can work around it.

Pseudo isn’t always eradicated and many of us live with it. Some people have prophylactic antibiotics (low dose usually, although not always 1 three times a week. Some nebulise antibiotics. Most will need IV antibiotics from time to time. Following this exacerbation you might want to discuss home IVs, either done by the community for by yourself at home. It all depends an the hospital policy and the consultant you are under the care of. Doing them at home yourself would also depend on the IV prescribed as not all are licensed for self administration, but are for the community to administer. They don’t usually come out 3 times a day but sometimes would fix up a 24 hour ab which they will then change the following day.

Once both you and the clinicians/specialist nurses were confident and happy to do them yourself, you would have 2 doses, not necessarily as an inpatient. You would be seen by a consultant at the beginning and have bloods, spirometry etc done and a midline put in. Half way through a specialist nurse would see you either at the hospital or at home and do all the bloods etc and finally at the end you would have all the obs stuff done again and see the consultant.

I am now on maintenance IVs and have a permanent midline in, which should have been changed to a port last April but difficult times for what they would consider minor surgery. So I’m stuck with flushing it every day for the time being. I have done home IVs for a few years now and apart from the first dose late at night, after which I have arranged to text my daughter, it’s just as routine as brushing your teeth, with a lot more concentration of course. I have all my stuff on the sideboard (bang goes any minimalist look). I can imagine it would be more difficult with little ones, having boxes of syringes and needles around.

Anyway I would just like to wish you well next week. If your mind is at rest re the children, you might find the rest helpful. I certainly hope you find the IVs beneficial.

Love cx

[Ergendl]

Wishing you all the best for your treatment, that it's effective and short.

[Tinker26]

I was supposed to be in hospital for 2 weeks for treatment of pseudomonas,I was lucky as I offered to come back every morning and every night rather than use up a hospital bed ! The lead nurse on the ward allowed me to do this and I had a picc line put in .I had a week in the ward then daily I’ve for a week x