When I had minimally invasive spinal surgery, the surgeon told me that they always put antibiotics in the IV. I asked due to the experience I'll describe below. I will always ask prior to any surgery.
I had an emergency C-section in 1978 at Cedar Sinai in Los Angeles. Within a few hours, I developed a very high fever. I have a vague memory of my rolling hospital bed being rushed down a hallway and I was put in isolation. It took them a day or two to determine that I had a blood infection called klebsiela. For forty-eight hours they took blood every hour, first to identify the problem and then to monitor how I was doing. They ran out of veins and had to go between my toes. I was in ICU for seven days and in the hospital for ten days, with two IVs the entire time. Eventually, the veins in my arms did not cooperate and they put the IVs in the backs of my hands. I have scars on my hands to this day. I had to take antibiotics for six weeks after leaving the hospital.
Not surprisingly, I am still needle phobic. And of course, I have terrible veins which only make it worse.
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