Rolling veins

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merlin
merlin Member Posts: 108
edited June 2014 in Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment
Rolling veins
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  • merlin
    merlin Member Posts: 108
    edited February 2008

    Hi, mum had her first treatment and I felt so sorry for her. She is totally needle fobick and as if your not nervous enough it took 3 nurses to find a vein, which is painful and she seemed to have rolling veins. She was fainting, crying, not a good start...!!

    Day 2 and she started feeling fluey and had a very red face, reaction to anti sick drugs, anyone eles had that?

    Silly question but how long dose feeling rough last after chemo? Mums hoping only for 3 days and then she thinks she will feel better, I dont know where she has got this time scale in her head.

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  • Maire67
    Maire67 Member Posts: 768
    edited July 2010

    .

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  • Sassa
    Sassa Member Posts: 1,588
    edited February 2008

    I am also needle phobic and have horrible thin, tiny, rolling veins.  I had a port put in for chemo therapy and blood sampling and am very glad I did.  I second the idea of your Mom checking into having a port put in.

    I also had problems with my anti nausea drugs.  Side effects included blurred vision, headache, and the jitters.  The SEs were better, however, than heaving my guts out.

    I found that I usually started to feel better by the fourth day after chemo. I had AC, your Mom's drugs may be different.

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  • SuePeet
    SuePeet Member Posts: 71
    edited June 2008

    I have had 2 treatments so far.  My cocktail is called FEC.  I seemed to have gotten every side effect mentioned - but the actual treatment its self went ok. 

    For the second treatment - when they put in the E - I call it the "Evil one" its red - my hand and forearm started to feel tight.  The nurse would pull it back and push it in to check blood flow.  Being an accountant I don't understand the significance of any of these words.  Well a week later - being back to the clinic for them to check my arm and then to ER as I woke up with my hand totally swollen - nurse said put hot compresses - doctor said put on cold compresses - its still swollen.  My vein in the crook of my arm they can't get a needle in.  I wanted to hold off putting in a port in because we are going vacationing in BC and I want to go swimming.  They said it can't be submerged.  It's day 8 after treatment and starting to get energy back but in little bits - 6 more treatments to go.  This isnt as easy as some people told me it would be but I guess it is what it is.  Has anyone else had this issue with their arm?  I am not sure whether to be alarmed or just put it down to just another invasion of my body?

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  • Missjaq
    Missjaq Member Posts: 69
    edited June 2008

    Sue, I am an ER nurse and wish I was there to help you with your veins.  Medications make veins weak but there are some veins better than others.  It has always annoyed me to see nurses go for hand veins and inner elbow veins.  The patient has to leave their arm straight, hand straight etc.

    Some tips to give the person inserting an IV.

    If one tourniquet works good, 2-4 work better.  This is often needed for larger arms or dark skin.

    As for veins, if you follow the outside edge of your thumb, along the wrist where it bends, there is a nice big vein that allows you to bend your wrist even with an IV. The big great vein is along the under-outside edge of the wrist forearm.  If you sit with your elbow bent fist up toward chin and feel with your fingers (opposite hand) along this area over the forearm muscle, you should feel a nice vein. Again, it is protected by a stable bone so bending your arm is not a problem. Try to palpate these veins yourself and show them to your "sticker"..  Good Luck..Jaq

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  • cheryl58
    cheryl58 Member Posts: 182
    edited July 2008

    Hi Merlin,  Oh, your poor mom.  I am exactly the same way with needles!  I had four AC treatments without a port.  To be honest, every time I sat down in the chemo chair, I cried.  I can't say why either, possibly fear, nerves, dread, etc.  Once the Ativan kicked in, I usually just fell asleep (but I did stop crying).  Anyway, I had my chemo on Wednesdays.  I usually felt okay for Wed and Thurs and then felt tired and sickly Fri and Sat and would feel pretty good by Monday (would go back to work until next chemo treatment).  I think the red face your mother is experiencing could be from steroids given before the chemo.  I had that too.  The "fluey" feeling is just the normal post-chemo feeling.  What helped me was sleeping it off the third and fourth days.  I hope your mom's next treatment went better for her.  It is so hard and so scary....I completely understand.

    Missjaq,  Thank you so very, very much for the vein information.  I found it and your are right...it is a great big, wonderful vein!  I just had bloodwork five days ago.  The nurse who always does my blood draws and, up until that day only needed one stick, had to stick me twice and had a very hard time getting blood (even with the butterfly or little kid's needle). Needless to say, the inside of my only "good" arm is completely black and blue just from those two sticks.  I have to go for a bone scan tomorrow, and I am going to show them my new-found vein!  Thanks so very much!

     Bless you both,

    Cheryl

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  • merlin
    merlin Member Posts: 108
    edited July 2008

    Cheryl could you or anyone give me some reasurance about my mums back ache!! you know what we are both worried about that the cancer has gone into her bones, so scared.

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  • cheryl58
    cheryl58 Member Posts: 182
    edited July 2008

    Hi Sharon,

    I have had upper back pain for a few months now.  I was literally trying to just ignore it because it had me so scared (which I know is a bad thing to do).  I am just over two years out from diagnosis, and my coping mechanisms for anything are just gone.  So, I have found that sticking my head in the sand, so to speak, is the only way I can face each day.  I just had another 6-month checkup with my onc and mentioned the pain, and this is the reason I had to have a bone scan.  Now I am waiting and just making myself crazy with worry.

    I wish I could offer something to calm you and your mom.  Unfortunately, I think the "fear" is the new normal for us.  Can she ask her oncologist for a bone scan or MRI to see if there is anything going on?  Is she still in treatment?  I only had chemo (no radiation), and shortly after my last infusion, my onc ordered a repeat abdominal CT scan to check a spot on my liver that I had before chemo.  It was determined that it was a cyst.  Has your mom mentioned her backache to her doctor?

    I can only say that even one and a half years out of treatment, I am physically not the person that I was before.  I have many aches and pains, fatigue easily, and emotionally feel drained.  I would ask your mom's doctor for a scan.  It is probably "just a backache", but it would ease your mom's worry and let her concentrate on getting better.  I know for a lot of us every little ache and pain is troubling and most times turns out to just be something "normal".  I hope that you and your mom can get some answers from her doctor and that she is on her way to healing.

     Bless you both!

    Cheryl

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