In case you're curious: this is what my IV antibiotics look like. Each dose comes pre-loaded into an automatic pump that sort of looks like an ugly Christmas ornament. Even though they call it a pump, it doesn't really have any pumping action. More like a balloon that empties. The round part is about the size of an egg, maybe a little bigger. It drains into my arm over a half-hour, and when it's done it looks like the one in the bottom of the photo. And it goes in the garbage.
The other picture is my PICC line and the bandage covering it to keep it clean. (There's just a small hole that goes into my vein, but it can't get contaminated or pulled on.) I twist a pre-filled syringe of saline onto the line to flush it, then I connect the antibiotics. I put the ball in my pocket and continue with my day. When it's done, I flush the line with saline again and cap it. Easy peasy.
As I was taking the picture of the PICC line, I watched a big air bubble travel the line and disappear into my arm. I thought, "Oh, fuck, this is how it ends," and waited to die, but never did.
