After my central line (
a catheter placed into a vein in the heart, put there so the larger vein will dilute the chemo going into the bloodstream) got infected, it had to be removed. I was given chemo through the much smaller veins in my arms, hands, and eventually feet as the months of chemo had left the veins weakened and easily susceptible to collapsing (and they did often). I was given high doses of morphine due to the burning from the chemo as it slowly went through. Where the real pain came in was when the veins in my feet collapsed and some of the chemo pooled. The chemo ate away the protective, fatty coating around the nerves in my feet and lower legs (neuropathy). This caused any and all sensation felt by those nerves to be interpreted as intense pain. Anything from a temperature change to a slight breeze to a touch was agonizing. It took a few months of physical therapy and a lot of steroids before it went away. Now, it's just an occasional thing that's no where near as intense. It has left numbness throughout my lower legs and feet, but that's much better than it was.
