I hate getting poked. I learned 3 tips.
1. Emla cream, put this on the arm that they will poke ahead of time to numb the area.
2. Drink lots and lots of water. This makes your veins bigger. More likely they won’t have to keep stabbing you.
3. Some chemo nurses are better at this then others. Learn who the best one’s are.
Don’t bother trying this: having a stiff drink to calm yourself. Didn’t help me one bit.
Author:
Rhonda
Documenting all the things I have done in an attempt to survive cancer.
November 13, 2011 at 4:44 pm
I didn’t find out about port-a-caths until I was almost finished chemo. Then, when I started Herceptin, they recommended it. They said everyone loves them. I tried it, and I didn’t like it at all. I found that it still hurt when they put in the IV needle. And the nurses struggled to get the needle in. The operation to put it in and to take it out took quite some time…at least compared to how they described it. Putting it in took about half an hour of surgery, along with a few x rays to make sure they got it in the right place. Taking it out was just as tedious, since the flesh and skin had grown around it.
That was my experience. I am curious to hear if others had better experiences with them.
Best of luck with your treatments.
Rhonda
November 13, 2011 at 12:58 pm
Hi!
Loving your blog. You have some great tips.
A quick question. Why didn’t you opt to have a port-a-cath placed? Was it an option for you? If so, what were your reasons for not having it?
Wishing you all the best.
Thanks,
Becky