and boy was it a wild ride.
It took three nurses (all trained in putting in lures and over the last 10 years I have found them to be excellent at it) plus one doctor 1 full hour to get a lure into my arm so they could start the infusion. I am not one to count the number of sticks, but boy there was a zillion. I came home looking like a motor mower had run over my arms !
All the nurses had a go, then a registrar happen to walk past the door so they rushed out and grabbed her and got her to try. They recommended I go home and give my veins a rest (they have been very heavily accessed by iv's over the last 2-3 weeks) and try again next week, but I really didn't want to do that, so I asked them to keep trying.
The doctor also missed quite a few, but eventually managed to get one in, but it was in the bendy bit of my wrist (at least that was where the little plastic bit sat that the tube screws into) which was a bit precarious. My veins just collapsed everytime they tried to put a needle in to it.
Because they were running cyclo, then need really good access and can't use a butterfly. Usually when we get stuck, we just butterfly it into my feet and that works quite well.
Work is going to be pretty insane next week, so I just had to get it all finished up today (major project that i have been working on for about 9 months kicks off next Wednesday). I have had 2 rituxan infusions, two cyclo infusions (only 500mg each, just teeny doses after my rituxan), plus 4000mg of solumedrol over the last 2 1/2 weeks so my veins have just had enough. Also, cytoxan is horrible on veins, and I have had three series of it over the last 10 years, plus of course these small doses after each rituxan treatment.
So next time, they have told me to talk to my rheumie about getting picc line which will last for a couple of weeks, and they can just use that for access.
Fortunately I have a really good pain threshold, so it was all pretty bearable pain wise, except of course the one's around my wrists and hands were pretty painful. But, over in a second - I think the nurses suffered more than me (they are so sweet, they hate anyone getting hurt).
Feeling pretty crappy after cytoxan, I always have a hard time with nausea despite the zofran, but it is only a small dose cytoxan today (500mg) to stop me making antibodies against the rituxan (fingers crossed) so it's not too bad.
cheers
raglet
It took three nurses (all trained in putting in lures and over the last 10 years I have found them to be excellent at it) plus one doctor 1 full hour to get a lure into my arm so they could start the infusion. I am not one to count the number of sticks, but boy there was a zillion. I came home looking like a motor mower had run over my arms !
All the nurses had a go, then a registrar happen to walk past the door so they rushed out and grabbed her and got her to try. They recommended I go home and give my veins a rest (they have been very heavily accessed by iv's over the last 2-3 weeks) and try again next week, but I really didn't want to do that, so I asked them to keep trying.
The doctor also missed quite a few, but eventually managed to get one in, but it was in the bendy bit of my wrist (at least that was where the little plastic bit sat that the tube screws into) which was a bit precarious. My veins just collapsed everytime they tried to put a needle in to it.
Because they were running cyclo, then need really good access and can't use a butterfly. Usually when we get stuck, we just butterfly it into my feet and that works quite well.
Work is going to be pretty insane next week, so I just had to get it all finished up today (major project that i have been working on for about 9 months kicks off next Wednesday). I have had 2 rituxan infusions, two cyclo infusions (only 500mg each, just teeny doses after my rituxan), plus 4000mg of solumedrol over the last 2 1/2 weeks so my veins have just had enough. Also, cytoxan is horrible on veins, and I have had three series of it over the last 10 years, plus of course these small doses after each rituxan treatment.
So next time, they have told me to talk to my rheumie about getting picc line which will last for a couple of weeks, and they can just use that for access.
Fortunately I have a really good pain threshold, so it was all pretty bearable pain wise, except of course the one's around my wrists and hands were pretty painful. But, over in a second - I think the nurses suffered more than me (they are so sweet, they hate anyone getting hurt).
Feeling pretty crappy after cytoxan, I always have a hard time with nausea despite the zofran, but it is only a small dose cytoxan today (500mg) to stop me making antibodies against the rituxan (fingers crossed) so it's not too bad.
cheers
raglet
. I bet a pic line would be the answer to less stress. 
