Today was my 2nd treatment. It took 2 attempts to get the cannula in, wasn't bothered by this. However the site ultimately became so very painful I cried and was given paracetamol and a heat pad which alleviated the pain for oooh 20 minutes with, luckily, only 20 minutes til the end.
It was almost exactly the same place as last time - I expected it to move up the arm / vein.
And it was right next to if not on top of a ganglion at my wrist (had it cut out aged 15 but as it kept returning and was hardly ever any bother didn't go down that route again)
Would either of the above explain the pain do you think?
Has anyone else had pain that was explained with a different reason, please?
I will ask for it to be moved next time, if indeed I don't opt for a picc line which I don't quite feel the need for at this time.
Than you in advance as always xx🌹
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Debster2016
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Were you cold by any chance? One of my Nurses always made me run my hand under warm/hot water & I always had a heated blanket. I had all my FEC in the back of my hand, with no issues at all but the Taxol was done by a different Nurse who put it in the side of my wrist, level with my thumb! Dear God, it was horrendous! 😪
Keep your paracetamol up if it's still painful & keep snug. Take it Easy over the weekend, you may find this one catches up on you a bit more that the first one.
Ah thank you Angela. Yes I was cold, my hand felt a bit numb and yes the position is the same as your taxol! My nurse got a sister to come and check me, she said I was a bit cold so thanks for the tip of warm water.
So I will ask to avoid that position again. I was told by my first nurse last time they don't use back of the hand or elbow crease so I will ask why not next time - tho I had to have blood taken from back of hand this time as 2 attempts at the elbow failed!
Thanks I will think about paracetamol before bed. And so far I don't feel as sick but am being molly coddled by OH 😁.
They don't like to use the flex of your elbow for Chemo as they need to leave those veins alone for your blood tests plus it would actually be very uncomfortable too!
Make sure you take a little fleece/throw or a pashmina & wear your gloves on the journey there, keep toasty warm!
Let OH spoil you, you deserve it! Don't forget your Meds!
Hope it goes better for you next time Debster - i would definitely politely insist that the entry point is safely moved, and tell them how tender it has been. I opted for a picc line, which has its drawbacks, especially having to cover it with a waterproof sleeve for showering. And then having to have it (painlessly) flushed weekly. But apart from that it has made administration of chemo much much easier. But i understand not wanting to do it. Perhaps your breast care nurse could advise you on how to minimise discomfort at the site x
Poor you. Since my chemo 6 years ago and probably my age (I am 69), they quite often have difficulty with my veins but I have never had the pain that you had to cope with. I used to take blood myself years ago and I find that some of them do not seem to have been trained to do it properly. I know that canula needles are bigger but there is still a process. Keeping your arm warm on your journey to the hospital is a very good idea and putting it in warm/hot water before they put the canula in. i think it is early days for a pic line and they can have their own problems. Hopefully the next time will be straight forward but do tell them about the problems you had this last time. Best wishes xx
Ahh thank you Chrissie, all your comments are much appreciated. Funnily enough I did wonder about the blood test nurse straight away thinking it was because it was my left arm, but you have to trust them and I do know they cannot attempt more than twice so the second nurse was no more messing about take it from the the hand and I was comfortable with that decision.
Then the cannula didn't go in first time round so my nurse asked her colleague to do it and I think he was very thorough. Again happy with the decisiveness but clearly it was a very uncomfortable procedure.
I think it worth my while trying the cannula one more time with a new site, all the tips about me keeping warm and maybe ask for a heat pad all the way through too.
Thank you once again xx
I had a chemo leak into my skin that wasn't realised until two weeks after my 2nd cycle of FEC. If it is still painful, looks red or bruised, get it checked - you may need antibiotics if it's a leak. Following this, I had DVT in the veins in my arm so had a picc line fitted. Made life so much easier until my last cycle. Five months down the line I am needing physio on my hand as the tendons were damaged by the chemo leak. I emphasise that you can't be too careful about getting unusual symptoms checked early. A call to the breast care nurses, GP or A&E would at the very least put your mind at rest if it's nothing too bad, or if something is wrong, you can treatment before it gets worse. Wishing you all the best with your treatment and recovery.
Thanks a lot for that Pam. I really am vey sorry to hear of your situation and definitely wish you better and well again soon.
Happy to say the area is not bruised, red or itchy and I knew to watch out for that and the nurses kept checking there was a back flow very often. A sister came a to check me also and the pain did go after at most 24 hours.
Plus I see my breast care nurse tomorrow so will mention it, thank you for that.
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