Guest guest Posted February 18, 2000 Report Share Posted February 18, 2000 In a message dated 00-02-17 18:15:38 EST, you write: << Only thing I do tell themis to do the left arm cuz the viens are right nieghborly and lend themselves to an easy time..................Jim/FL >> Oh boy! You are sooooo lucky! Sometimes I absolutely abhor those Gadolinium injections . YUCK!! Most of the time my veins on the inside of both elbows like to " hide " . One time, I think they poked me 7 times trying to get the vein. OUCH I've even had them call doctors to try to find my veins. I've had the Gadolinium shots in my inner elbow, my wrist, even my ankle. June Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 18, 2000 Report Share Posted February 18, 2000 Hey June! I have the same problem with the MRI injections. The die does not necessarily hurt but getting poked several times does. The veins in both my arms and hands are badly scarred from chemotherapy. It is the same kind of deal if I have to get a CT scan too. The trick is that I have them call in an anesthesiologist. I do not know why but somehow those people always get the vein when nobody else can. The other thing that helps is pumping the arms, wrapping them up in heating pads or warm towels, and getting an IV instead of a regular needle injection. For me the normal large needle will pass through the vein and now the butterfly needles do not work anymore (although it is the only kind that can be used to draw my blood). Last week when I was in they told me to make sure a cathode? (I think that is what it was called - it is an iv insertion) is used. I would suggest you set up the same type of arrangement so you do not have to endure getting poked several times for no reason. I do not let people do that to me anymore so I demand to have someone who knows what they are doing. Otherwise it takes up a darn half hour or more just to get the darn injection! Just make sure that you let the clinic know when you make the appointment so they can figure the time in and make sure they have a better person available. Nurses do a good job too (the ones used to setting up IVs). Well I hope this helps you out. I know how frustrating that can be and I just decided I was not going to put up with that anymore. The nice thing about the anesthesiologist too is that they put a local anesthetic in your hand before inserting the IV. Take Care! -Beck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 18, 2000 Report Share Posted February 18, 2000 Re: Digest Number 478 > From: ManelyCat@... > Hi June, I'm not sure if I should be starting at the top or bottom and though I know how to cut I am told thats not good enough without paste. Which I don't know how to do> I must learn how to paste. I have always had very small viens, and following 18 months of Chemotherapy they became and still are quite small ,hard and roll from the needle is what I am told, lots of putting the needle in and pulling it back a little and attempting new angle over and over and then repating on a new site. And of course they insisted on inside my elbow. I approached the Cancer Clinic as to why their tests had always been one try and quick? but everyone else...... First they used a butterfly needle with IV attached (I think this is styandard) Before we start they suggested we try a Warm /hot cloth on my most likely site, here we use a hot pac found in hardware stores for warming your hands in winter. Maybe not much use for it there........smile.... any way the idea is it makes your veins larger quickly and now I say here is where we do it.( my right hand,) my better viens in my arms were used for IV's for Chemo and testing of blood at that time. I have used the same vein for 5 years. It works first time, every time.Its not large enough for an IV. That best site for that was finally found by HEI. I tell them to go very slow or I will vomit allover their nice machine and them( projectile vomiting occurred in Calgary all over everything in three feet.) My husband was included in this as he tried to emphasize that I knew what we were talking about. For the same reason I sit up and at times have it done before any MRI's start. Without the gad as done in LA and then Calgary, insisting they had newer machines than Minneapolis and I didn't need It. WHAT a MISTAKE. The tests were done over.again. The MRI building across from St hospital and used by HEI, gave me more trouble @ 21/2 hours than everywhere else put together. They tried everywhere including my feet. They kept my head in the cage and a face cloth over my face, held my husband back and never did get a site that worked. They would not let me up to show them where. It was the beginning of August and I wonder if everyone was on holidays and it was training time. I was surpised at this...I like your words Jim and will try to.remember them for next time. Sheryn > > << Only thing I do tell themis to do the left arm cuz the viens are right > nieghborly and lend themselves to an easy time..................Jim/FL > >> > > Oh boy! You are sooooo lucky! Sometimes I absolutely abhor those Gadolinium > injections . YUCK!! Most of the time my veins on the inside of both elbows > like to " hide " . One time, I think they poked me 7 times trying to get the > vein. OUCH I've even had them call doctors to try to find my veins. > I've had the Gadolinium shots in my inner elbow, my wrist, even my ankle. > > June > > See what's happening for NF2Con 2000! > http://msnhomepages.talkcity.com/DeckDr/earld/nf2convegas2000.html > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 18, 2000 Report Share Posted February 18, 2000 Hi Beck, I am curious, when you say you had cancer, was it a brainstem Glioma?? So far I have heard of only one other crewbi with this Glioma, , I believe. I have heard only Misha talk of the Jugular tumors, (jugular foreman) Your experience with Chemo sounds very much the same as mine. Sheryn -- Original Message ----- To: <NF2_Crewonelist> Sent: February 18, 2000 1:53 PM Subject: Re: Digest Number 478 > > > Hey June! > > I have the same problem with the MRI injections. The die does not > necessarily hurt but getting poked several times does. The veins in both my > arms and hands are badly scarred from chemotherapy. It is the same kind of > deal if I have to get a CT scan too. The trick is that I have them call in > an anesthesiologist. I do not know why but somehow those people always get > the vein when nobody else can. The other thing that helps is pumping the > arms, wrapping them up in heating pads or warm towels, and getting an IV > instead of a regular needle injection. For me the normal large needle will > pass through the vein and now the butterfly needles do not work anymore > (although it is the only kind that can be used to draw my blood). Last week > when I was in they told me to make sure a cathode? (I think that is what it > was called - it is an iv insertion) is used. > > I would suggest you set up the same type of arrangement so you do not have > to endure getting poked several times for no reason. I do not let people do > that to me anymore so I demand to have someone who knows what they are > doing. Otherwise it takes up a darn half hour or more just to get the darn > injection! Just make sure that you let the clinic know when you make the > appointment so they can figure the time in and make sure they have a better > person available. Nurses do a good job too (the ones used to setting up > IVs). > > Well I hope this helps you out. I know how frustrating that can be and I > just decided I was not going to put up with that anymore. The nice thing > about the anesthesiologist too is that they put a local anesthetic in your > hand before inserting the IV. > > Take Care! > -Beck > > > See what's happening for NF2Con 2000! > http://msnhomepages.talkcity.com/DeckDr/earld/nf2convegas2000.html > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 18, 2000 Report Share Posted February 18, 2000 Hey Sheryn! It is funny that you ask because I was just reading the horrible experience you had with trying to get veins for your MRI. Believe me, I have been there! Anyhow, I was about to ask you what type of cancer you had. I did not have a glioma. I had Hodgkin's Disease which is a type of lymphoma (cancer of the lymph nodes). I was diagnosed in the fall of 1992 (when I was 21 and still in college). I had a node removed from my clavicle region on the right side and 6 months of chemotherapy followed by 2 1/2 weeks radiation to shrink a huge fist size mass of lymph nodes in my chest. The large tumor was lodged between my heart and lungs, thus some of my symptoms were a racing pulse, difficulty breathing, and severe fatigue. My drug recipe was ABVD (relatively new on the market back then). Adriamyacin, Bleomyacin, Vincristine, and Doxorubicin. What was your cocktail (drug regimen) and are you in remission? It sounded like you have had it off and on for a few years but I was unclear. Are you feeling better now? They used to give me compazine to keep me from throwing up but I still felt nauseated all the time. Then I gave myself injections of Neupogen to keep my blood counts up. Finally they also had to administer injections of Benadryl because I had horrid pain and burning in my arms from one of the drugs (probably what really scarred my veins so bad). I have even lifted weights on and off and remained active but it has been of no avail to my poor veins. They were damaged too badly. How long was your chemo and how many treatments? I think I had 12. -Beck ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2000 Report Share Posted February 23, 2000 Hello Beck' It was the Brainstem Glioma for which I was treated for Cancer. The one in the lower brainstem was level 2 of 4 cancer and the one that was in the upper Brainstem was a level 4 out of 4. sheryn ---- Original Message ----- To: <NF2_Crewonelist> Sent: February 19, 2000 1:45 AM Subject: Re: Digest Number 478 > > > Hey Sheryn! > > It is funny that you ask because I was just reading the horrible experience > you had with trying to get veins for your MRI. Believe me, I have been > there! Anyhow, I was about to ask you what type of cancer you had. I did > not have a glioma. I had Hodgkin's Disease which is a type of lymphoma > (cancer of the lymph nodes). > > I was diagnosed in the fall of 1992 (when I was 21 and still in college). I > had a node removed from my clavicle region on the right side and 6 months of > chemotherapy followed by 2 1/2 weeks radiation to shrink a huge fist size > mass of lymph nodes in my chest. The large tumor was lodged between my > heart and lungs, thus some of my symptoms were a racing pulse, difficulty > breathing, and severe fatigue. My drug recipe was ABVD (relatively new on > the market back then). Adriamyacin, Bleomyacin, Vincristine, and > Doxorubicin. > > What was your cocktail (drug regimen) and are you in remission? It sounded > like you have had it off and on for a few years but I was unclear. Are you > feeling better now? They used to give me compazine to keep me from throwing > up but I still felt nauseated all the time. Then I gave myself injections > of Neupogen to keep my blood counts up. Finally they also had to administer > injections of Benadryl because I had horrid pain and burning in my arms from > one of the drugs (probably what really scarred my veins so bad). > > I have even lifted weights on and off and remained active but it has been of > no avail to my poor veins. They were damaged too badly. > > How long was your chemo and how many treatments? I think I had 12. > > -Beck ) > > > See what's happening for NF2Con 2000! > http://msnhomepages.talkcity.com/DeckDr/earld/nf2convegas2000.html > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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