Chemo and vein pain

spector551
spector551 Member Posts: 109
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Any of you guys get sore veins where they IV'd you for chemo? Man, the IV I had on Tuesday now has that vein sore from top to bottom in my arm.

 

God bless,

Jamie

Comments

  • hwt
    hwt Member Posts: 2,328 Member
    #2
    Jamie

    Never experienced. It doesn't sound too far fetched but it doesn't hurt to place a call to see if unusual or to be expected. 

  • debbiejeanne
    debbiejeanne Member Posts: 3,102 Member
    #3
    Jamie, i never had chemo so

    Jamie, i never had chemo so can't comment on that but wanted to say i hope it gets better and easier for you.  ask your doc if that's normal.  it never hurts to ask questions.  stay strong.  Praying for you.

    God bless you,

    dj

  • spector551
    spector551 Member Posts: 109
    #4
    debbiejeanne said:

    Jamie, i never had chemo so

    Jamie, i never had chemo so can't comment on that but wanted to say i hope it gets better and easier for you.  ask your doc if that's normal.  it never hurts to ask questions.  stay strong.  Praying for you.

    God bless you,

    dj

    I was told...

    I was told by the nurse during my very first IV that Cisplatin is very tough on the veins.

     

    So I was just assuming this was part of it.

     

    God bless,

    Jamie

  • catfish_58
    catfish_58 Member Posts: 138 Member
    #5
    sore vains

    My doctor told me that since i did not have a port put in that my veins would take a beating,They did take a beating and by the end of my chemo's they were using the veins on the top of my arm,but they seem to be coming back ok now,It got to a point that my nurse was having difficulty finding a vein.And like you say they were kinda sore but I thought that was normal.

  • donfoo
    donfoo Member Posts: 1,773 Member
    #6
    port

    ask for a port ASAP. Only way to go.

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #7
    I'm leaning in DonFoo's direction....

    ask them to set you up to get a port, then you never have to get poked 20 times looking for a vein.  It's wham bam, thank you ma'am, and the chemo is dripping.  If I hadn't had a port, they would have to add 2 hours onto every session trying to find a vein to use....my blood pressure was so low, and dehydration also affects the veins......I'm sure that Cisplatin does a number on them, too.....

    p

  • KTeacher
    KTeacher Member Posts: 1,103 Member
    #8
    Pain

    My arms were just sore from the poking.  By the end, I didn't have any veins left for them to poke, needed to use a heating pad on my arm to try to find the vein.  Sometimes they would find the vein, put in needle and then blowout or blocked.  It got very difficult at the end.  Don and Phrannie have a good idea, I don't know why they never put a port in me.

  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,724 Member
    #9
    infusion

    Jamie,

    I did not have PORT, I do have veins, but I selected the PICC line for my weekly Erbitux infusion.  If you have neither PORT or PICC, then you may have sore veins.

    Matt

  • Steve5
    Steve5 Member Posts: 147
    #10
    Praying the pain gets better

    Jamie - I hope it goes better for you - keeping you in our thoughts and prayers

    Steve

  • spector551
    spector551 Member Posts: 109
    #11
    Steve5 said:

    Praying the pain gets better

    Jamie - I hope it goes better for you - keeping you in our thoughts and prayers

    Steve

    Thanks guys - my arm is

    Thanks guys - my arm is feeling better today. I hope they put in a mini port because I still have to have chemo 4 more times lol. Last Tuesday they only had to poke me once, thankfully. I hydrated like a crazy person all night and all morning before that session lol.

     

    God bless,

     

    Jamie

  • Ruben and Jude
    Ruben and Jude Member Posts: 155
    #12
    spector551 said:

    Thanks guys - my arm is

    Thanks guys - my arm is feeling better today. I hope they put in a mini port because I still have to have chemo 4 more times lol. Last Tuesday they only had to poke me once, thankfully. I hydrated like a crazy person all night and all morning before that session lol.

     

    God bless,

     

    Jamie

    hydrate

    You did the right thing by hydrating yourself before they put the IV in.

    Ruben didn't have a port (but I've treated many patients who have/had one). They put his IV in the same vein every time he had chemo, and it didn't bother him. I think he was fortunate, because usually it does cause discomfort. If that happens again, you can apply a warm pack to the vein, that should help ease the pain.

    Ruben had Cisplatin as well, and post treatment, his vein is in great shape.

    Take care. God's blessings and hugs.  Innocent

    (Ruben and) Jude

     

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