Veins and blood tests

[Tatt]

Towards the end of my 3xBEP, my veins really didnt like having stuff shoved into them, and it was becming harder and harder for the nurses to put the canula in (tried warming my hands/arms with electrical blankets to bring them up). Often, as soon as the needle went inot the vein, when they tried to thread the plastic canula along, the vein collapsed and no blood would flow out of the needle. This was pretty painful, especially as each time they tried agian it would happen. I've still got a bruised lump on my wrist from one botched attempt...

Just had a follow up CT scan yesterday - 2.5 months since i finished the chemo. I am feelign great at the moment, and energy levels are good, and hadnt really thought of any problems - but my veins were still playing up when they tried to put the contrast in and take blood for my markers; this long after the chemo finished. Is thuis unusual? Am i being too optiomistic with how i feel, when in reality my body is still recovering? I suppose 2.5 months is still fairly early days in the big scheme of things... I'll ask the constulatn when i see him to go over the scan results next week

[dadmo]

My son finished 4EP almost 2 1/2 years ago and the veins they used never recovered. He has no problem with them colapsing but the size just isn't there.

[petep]

funny the memories that come back...I never had a port and did my 3BEP with IV's....I think the worst was at the very end, doing my outpatient chemo where the nurses were not as good it seemed as the hospital nurses for inpatient chemo as far as starting an IV goes....

I would literally convince myself/prepare myself that it would take 5 tries to get a vein...when they'd get it in 3x I'd be psyched...truth is it was not real painful, as much as just that weird feeling of being poked....2 seconds and you do not mind...they start fiddling around, and pushing etc. and it gets to you. Beleive it or not, the mental game worked out well...

I used to love the sound of that tape being ripped, because I knew they were tying everything down and had good blood flow.

I've had 3 CT scans since chemo - one right after chemo, one at 3 months and one at 6 months......and this last one they got a vein, just like the old days...2 seconds and I was good to go. I do not know if they just got lucky or not..but it went in real easy and they got blood flow immediately.

One major problem is when the hemoglobin count is low, it makes starting an IV hard...hemoglobin is quite depressed during chemo, so when it comes back up, it helps getting the IV started.

Blood tests have never been a problem...