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IV nurses cant get IV in my veins!

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Sara14
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2007
Posts : 6235
Posted 8/8/2019 5:44 AM (GMT -7)
Ive been here for an hour with them poking me and they cant get the IV started for my 2nd Remicade infusion! The last time she poked me she told me to tell her if i hurt because it was right next to an artery. It hurt so bad I swore and started crying. She literally hit a freaking artery. Now Im just sitting here waiting...
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Sara14
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2007
Posts : 6235
Posted 8/8/2019 6:12 AM (GMT -7)
A 3rd nurse got it in my hand in the 1st try. They said being on pred could have made my veins harder to get into? They told me I should ask my doctor about getting a port???
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DBwithUC
Veteran Member
Joined : Feb 2011
Posts : 4545
Posted 8/8/2019 6:20 AM (GMT -7)
I have difficult veins. Also when getting iron infusions, I was on 15mg pred.

You can improve veins by hydrating a hour or more before iv. The days I forgot to drink a couple bottles of water I had a lot of trouble.

If they used a warm towel to wrap my arm for 10 min it also helped.

ports are a surgical procedure, and I would try a few things first.

good luck
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Bull101
Veteran Member
Joined : Feb 2015
Posts : 653
Posted 8/8/2019 6:20 AM (GMT -7)
Are you dehydrated? Make sure you are very hydrated and your IV will be easier to put in.
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straydog
Forum Moderator
Joined : Feb 2003
Posts : 18305
Posted 8/8/2019 6:24 AM (GMT -7)
Sara, I had terrible veins long before Remicade. My veins roll, the minute saline is introduced they would blow. I was told to make sure I was well hydrated, they would wrap my hand in hold packs also. They would get someone from oncology to come down to help. After 6 months of this & way too much trouble, my gi did recommended a port. Boy, did that ever make my life easier. It took oncology nurses calling my dr to get the ball rolling.

The only thing I would be a little hesitate about is you haven't been on Remicade that long, if I am remembering this correctly. I would give it a little more time to make sure Remicade is going to be the effective medication for you.

Take care.
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Sara14
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2007
Posts : 6235
Posted 8/8/2019 6:28 AM (GMT -7)
Thanks guys!

I did hydrate yesterday and this morning.

Yeah, I don't want a port. It's only my 2nd infusion. Those 2 nurses made fun of me being vegan too. I'm requesting the 3rd nurse next time. Labs never has any problems with drawing blood.
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Sara14
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2007
Posts : 6235
Posted 8/8/2019 6:36 AM (GMT -7)
Does pred really make your veins harder to poke? I trust nothing they said.
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iPoop
Forum Moderator
Joined : Aug 2012
Posts : 16180
Posted 8/8/2019 7:09 AM (GMT -7)
One time, I had 5-pokes before they got my IV set. They actually sent in the pediatric nurse for the final poke that worked! I was ghost white by then, after all of this failed poking, got my anxiety up for sure! Sorry you had to go through it too.

Ever since, I tell them no more pokes in the hands or lower arms (I simply have too many challenging valves in there). I point to the large and obvious vein near the surface where my elbow bends. That vein is an easy target even without the tourniquet on my arm. No problems, first poke every time. That'd be my recommendation for the next time.

I was at an infusion last night.
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Sara14
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2007
Posts : 6235
Posted 8/8/2019 7:23 AM (GMT -7)
Thanks. The first ones they tried were actually all in my elbow. They said I have tiny veins and it was like poking a 2-month-old.
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Sara14
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2007
Posts : 6235
Posted 8/8/2019 7:26 AM (GMT -7)
They were talking like I was just screwed. The one nurse kept saying maybe there is another way to administer Remicade. How do they not know basic info when they work in an infusion center?
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iPoop
Forum Moderator
Joined : Aug 2012
Posts : 16180
Posted 8/8/2019 7:58 AM (GMT -7)
I wonder if you were there first patient, fresh out of nursing school. You know your arms best, look for any areas where you see a big, obvious vein near the surface. Tell them to use that, going forward.
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Sara14
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2007
Posts : 6235
Posted 8/8/2019 8:06 AM (GMT -7)
No. They weren't new. Just stupid. I did tell them. :/
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Sara14
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2007
Posts : 6235
Posted 8/8/2019 8:07 AM (GMT -7)
They were using an ultrasound to find the veins even. Weird.
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Sara14
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2007
Posts : 6235
Posted 8/8/2019 8:13 AM (GMT -7)
Anyway, I know who to ask for now and who to avoid. Lol.
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U B Tough
Veteran Member
Joined : Aug 2015
Posts : 1116
Posted 8/8/2019 8:41 AM (GMT -7)
I have the worst veins. Most times it’s 4-9 pokes, they call several nurses etc. Very painful getting an iv in my wrist. It’s gotten to the point where I have anxiety about even getting blood drawn.

I’m getting a port in September.
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quincy
Elite Member
Joined : May 2003
Posts : 32548
Posted 8/8/2019 9:16 AM (GMT -7)
OMG....the fun never ends! Where in the arm does the IV usually go?

Hope this is a one-off....yikes.

q
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Sara14
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2007
Posts : 6235
Posted 8/8/2019 9:17 AM (GMT -7)
That sucks. I think they poked me 5 times before the other lady did it on the first try with no issues and no ultrasound. That and them jabbing jokes at me "being one of those vegans" was all stressful. Maybe they should actually read the book I'm reading instead of just making fun of it/me. At least I didn't get light headed/low blood pressure this time.
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Sara14
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2007
Posts : 6235
Posted 8/8/2019 9:22 AM (GMT -7)
Quincy -- usually behind the elbow, I think. At least that's where they did it last time. I usually tell them to try there because I think that's where I have the best veins. This time it ended up on the back of my hand.

I don't even know what a port is. I guess I need to look that up.
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CCinPA
Veteran Member
Joined : Dec 2014
Posts : 1572
Posted 8/8/2019 9:27 AM (GMT -7)
The hospital I go to for infusions used to have dedicated IV techs who only did IVs and drew blood. The got rid of all of them and now the nurses do their own IVs and blood draws. I never used to have issues. Last infusion it took them 5 tries with 3 different people. :/
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Beachbumgirl
Regular Member
Joined : Jan 2016
Posts : 97
Posted 8/8/2019 9:29 AM (GMT -7)
Sara14-
I’m not on remicade yet I have terrible veins also.
I have had to go to the local hospital 1-2x per month for the last year for special treatments
to care for my out of control migraines. I did have a temp tunnel line that lasted 2 months but they are not permanent. Once you find out the meds you need, the port is the way to go!
The meds I’ve needed monthly have sclerosed my veins to nothing where now when I go even IV therapy are unable to get a IV line in. They have tried to come down from the ICU with an ultrasound and I have nothing for a picc line even.
I know what it’s like to get picked at 6-9 times then still not have a line in. 😞
I wish you good luck with your port placement.

Wishing you sunnier days ahead 🤞💗

From someone who has “ been there, done that “.

Post Edited (Beachbumgirl) : 8/8/2019 10:32:29 AM (GMT-6)

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CCinPA
Veteran Member
Joined : Dec 2014
Posts : 1572
Posted 8/8/2019 9:33 AM (GMT -7)
I didn't think they did ports when you only need it every 8 weeks. Aren't they usually used for people who are on chemo or dialysis where they need IVs multiple times a week?
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Sara14
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2007
Posts : 6235
Posted 8/8/2019 9:38 AM (GMT -7)

CCinPA said...
The hospital I go to for infusions used to have dedicated IV techs who only did IVs and drew blood. The got rid of all of them and now the nurses do their own IVs and blood draws. I never used to have issues. Last infusion it took them 5 tries with 3 different people. :/

That really sucks. These nurses work in an infusion center all day, so I thought would all be really good at it. Maybe I do just have really tiny veins, but some people get it in no problem, so I don't know. I was definitely hydrated. I thought maybe it was because I'm really out of shape and barely work-out anymore but the nurse said that wouldn't matter.

I'm not planning to get a port unless this becomes an ongoing issue (assuming the Remicade even works for me) and my doctor wants me to get one. I don't want something under my skin. And I still don't get why one nurse asked me if I could get Remicade in a shot instead. Why would anyone get an IV infusion then? Because we get a kick out of sitting there for 3 hours (today was 4 with all the poking)? The first nurse also told me I was on a high dose of prednisone. I said I'm only on 15 mg and she said that's high and that organ transplant patients are only given 5 mg?? Is that even true? I thought anything under 10 mg didn't even do anything?

Beachbum - Thank you. That sucks about your migraines. So the IV meds messed up your veins? Is Remicade going to do that to me, too or no? This younger guy sitting across from me saw what I was going through and said his veins are shot. I don't know what he was in for but he looked even younger than me -- maybe low or mid-20s.
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Sara14
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2007
Posts : 6235
Posted 8/8/2019 9:39 AM (GMT -7)

CCinPA said...
I didn't think they did ports when you only need it every 8 weeks. Aren't they usually used for people who are on chemo or dialysis where they need IVs multiple times a week?

Who knows. I don't trust anything that lady said. I'll find out though. lol.
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Sara14
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2007
Posts : 6235
Posted 8/8/2019 9:43 AM (GMT -7)
Have any of you had them hit an artery before? It sends an electric shock through your arm. I involuntarily jerked my arm away and cursed out loud. Lol. It's not really the most reassuring thing to hear your nurse say "I'm going in right next to an artery, so if it hurts, let me know" (we could see the artery on the ultrasound). The first poke she did, she kept saying she wasn't sure if it was in, etc. and asked me if I tasted saline. I was like what? I don't think I have ever tasted saline from an IV being put in?? She really did no instill confidence whatsoever. She did tell me I have "stellar arteries" though, so I guess that's a positive.
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CCinPA
Veteran Member
Joined : Dec 2014
Posts : 1572
Posted 8/8/2019 9:46 AM (GMT -7)
People freaked out when I told them how high a dosage of pred I had been on (started at 40 & bumped up to 60 last time). I think it's only peeps like us you get the high doses sad
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