Quote:
Originally Posted by Sticky
Over the last few days my arm has been hurting me a bit. More specifically I am sure that it is the vein that I received the chemo through (two treatments through the same vein so far) that is sore. I can feel that the part of the vein where it is near the surface of my skin (the part that they put the IV in) is hard and tight. The questions that I am going to ask the doctor are
- Is any vein damage permanent?
- Should I be switching veins each time?
- Is there anything I can do to reduce damage to the vein?
I want to avoid a port (catheter, direct line, whatever they are called). I would just rather not have one.
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I know how you feel, but get the port/catheter. I had a central line, which got infected and it had to be removed. Even though that sounds scary, without the line, they gave me further treatments and it caused severe nerve damage.
I once declined to take a feeding tube because I didn't want any more scars. As a result, I ended up with side effects to the alternative which ended up with one of the larger scars that I now have.
And yes, the veins should heal, but it takes a while. I had a large bruise from a collapsed vein that took years to heal.
The port/catheter/line can be a pain to deal with, but they're an option for a reason. Take them up on it, it makes a difference.
Good luck.