PICC line or vein for chemo?

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ebmom
ebmom Member Posts: 3
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hello. I'm asking for my 58yo mother who relies heavily on my advice and I'm not sure what to say. She was diagnosed with Stage 2 BC -- about 1.6cm tumor and .2mm in one lymph node and her invasive ductal cancer was considered extremely aggressive. She had a lumpectomy and is scheduled to finish her fourth and last round of AC and then will do four rounds of Taxol and then radiation. She did have an arm port in; however, it did not heal well after her first round and she's had the 2nd and 3rd AC treatments via directly in vein. So far, no problems -- her veins are pretty good and she's got a good nurse administering the chemo. The doctor wants to get rid of her port since it is unusable and have her get a PICC line since he's worried about necrosis of vein that can sometimes happen. My mom doesn't want that and either just wants to take her chances with the vein injections or just quit her treatments after the four rounds of AC. Any advice from anyone out there? Much appreciated!

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  • tlmac
    tlmac Member Posts: 272 Member
    #2
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    Hi EB, I had the 4 cycles of AC directly into the vein of my right arm March-May 2003. At the time, I thought my vein was holding up pretty well but eventually developed great sensitivity at the site that lasted months after chemo ended, making it too painful to wear a wrist watch or rub with a towel. I did not have the additional Taxol. A year later, I'm told by the local labs who draw occasional blood that the major veins in my arm are rock hard and would not make good reception sites for a needle stick. They now have to use the back of my hand which is very painful. If it knew then what I know now, I'd have seriously considered a port. We're all different, however. If the prospect of another port makes her rethink continuing necessary treatment, I'd say let her use the veins in her arm.
  • krisrey
    krisrey Member Posts: 194
    #3
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    Hi Eb...
    Seems me and your mom have the same exact dx..
    I finished my treatment for chemo on 9/24.
    I had 4 a/c and 4 taxol dose dense. I was not even given the option of a port. I had all 8 directly into the vein and didn't have to much problem, although it did get a bit more difficult because of the spot they were using. I encourage your mom not to quit treatment after the 4 a/c because of the added benefits for taking the taxol. I did have some tenderness in my hand for a while after all treatments were done, but I am fine now. I am not really sure what a PICC is, but maybe she can start the taxol in the vein and then if there is any problems at that point can they change to the PICC?
    Hope this helps a little.
    Kris
  • ebmom
    ebmom Member Posts: 3
    #4
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    tlmac said:

    Hi EB, I had the 4 cycles of AC directly into the vein of my right arm March-May 2003. At the time, I thought my vein was holding up pretty well but eventually developed great sensitivity at the site that lasted months after chemo ended, making it too painful to wear a wrist watch or rub with a towel. I did not have the additional Taxol. A year later, I'm told by the local labs who draw occasional blood that the major veins in my arm are rock hard and would not make good reception sites for a needle stick. They now have to use the back of my hand which is very painful. If it knew then what I know now, I'd have seriously considered a port. We're all different, however. If the prospect of another port makes her rethink continuing necessary treatment, I'd say let her use the veins in her arm.

    Hi TLMAC -- thank you very much for responding to the msg so quickly. I appreciate it very much. I'm going to try and persuade her to continue on with her treatments with the PICC line. Thanks again and best wishes for your continued good health!
  • ebmom
    ebmom Member Posts: 3
    #5
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    krisrey said:

    Hi Eb...
    Seems me and your mom have the same exact dx..
    I finished my treatment for chemo on 9/24.
    I had 4 a/c and 4 taxol dose dense. I was not even given the option of a port. I had all 8 directly into the vein and didn't have to much problem, although it did get a bit more difficult because of the spot they were using. I encourage your mom not to quit treatment after the 4 a/c because of the added benefits for taking the taxol. I did have some tenderness in my hand for a while after all treatments were done, but I am fine now. I am not really sure what a PICC is, but maybe she can start the taxol in the vein and then if there is any problems at that point can they change to the PICC?
    Hope this helps a little.
    Kris

    Hi KRISREY -- thank you very much for responding to the msg so quickly. I appreciate it very much. I'm going to try and persuade her to continue on with her treatments with the PICC line -- or at the very least do as much as she can thru veins and continue on with the PICC line if complications develop. Thanks again and best wishes for your continued good health!
  • AuthorUnknown
    AuthorUnknown Member Posts: 1,537 Member
    #6
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