So I went to Logan Regional to have my PICC Line put in. Before I write up about my experience I found some great information that explains what a PICC line is and what it does.
What is a PICC line? A PICC is a long, thin, flexible tube known as a catheter. It is inserted into one of the large veins of the arm near the bend of the elbow. It is then pushed into the vein until the tip sits in a large vein just above the heart. The tube is threaded through the vein until the end is near to your heart. The space in the middle of the tube is called the lumen. Sometimes the tube has two lumens. This allows different treatments to be given at the same time. At the end of the tube outside the body, each lumen has a special cap to which a drip line or syringe can be attached. There is also a clamp to keep the tube closed when it is not in use. The end of the tube comes out just below the bend of your elbow. What is it used for? The PICC line can be used to give you treatments such as chemotherapy and antibiotics. It can also be used to take samples of your blood for testing. You can go home with the PICC in and it can be left in for weeks or months. This makes it possible for you to have your treatment without having to have needles frequently inserted into your veins. This may be particularly helpful if your veins are hard to find or have been hardened by previous chemotherapy treatment. How is the catheter put in? Your PICC will be put in by a specially trained nurse or doctor, in an outpatient department or on the ward. It will be put in using a local anesthetic, so that you do not feel any pain. First, the skin in the area where the PICC will be inserted is numbed, using a special anesthetic cream. When the skin is completely numb a needle will be inserted and then removed as the PICC is threaded through it into the large vein which leads to your heart. This should not take long and is usually painless. The PICC will be held securely in place by a transparent dressing. You will then have a chest x-ray to check that the end of the tube is in the correct position.
So I hope that you find that information helpful. I couldn't have explained it better. So, about my experience today. Last winter I had a midline which is almost the exact same except the line is a lot shorter so I already kind of knew what to expect and I wasn't looking forward to it. While my midline was done in a hospital room by a nurse, my PICC line was done in an operating room with all sorts of imaging equipment and a surgeon. They first use an ultrasound machine to find possible veins. After that they took me into the OR and I had to lay on a really skinny bed. I have never been a fan of walking into an operating room and get to see all the equipment and tools (*shiver*). While they were getting me prepped for the surgery the worst thing happened, I had to go to the bathroom! Ah! All I could hope for was that they were going to be fast with the procedure. Oh by the way, I was going to be awake for the whole thing. Once things were ready I was given a few shots of Lidocaine in the area they would be working, which was the more painful part of the whole thing, and then the doctor started going after a really nice big vein. They had a hard time trying to tap into the vein because it had great survival reflexes: once pricked it would try to hide.
Finally they were able to get the needle in the vein and started threading the wire that would guide the sheath through the vein. They used a type of X-Ray machine to follow the wire. When they got up by my collar bone the vein constricted and they couldn’t go any farther. I felt like someone was trying to slice me open. It hurt so much! Unfortunately they had to pull the line out and decided to take a five minute break. I was able to go to the bathroom, and then round two began. I was given a nitroglycerin tablet to help dilate my veins. More shots of Lidocaine and they tried again. This time we had success and were able to get everything threaded and sewed I so it wouldn’t pull out. After 30 minutes in recovery I was sent home. What should have been a 30 minute procedure took almost 3 hours. 
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