IV nurses cant get IV in my veins!

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???

Are you dehydrated? Make sure you are very hydrated and your IV will be easier to put in.

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.

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.

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?

No. They weren't new. Just stupid. I did tell them. :/

Anyway, I know who to ask for now and who to avoid. Lol.

OMG....the fun never ends! Where in the arm does the IV usually go?

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

q

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.

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)

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.

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.