Cancer Lesson #13: There are good veins, and there are bad veins.

Cancer Lesson #13: There are good veins, and there are bad veins. (See Cancer Lesson #8)

I have bad veins, a point that was brought home both literally and figuratively when I went for my MRI. My blood vessels are hard to locate and skinny, with a tendency to roll and blow when poked with a needle. These are not positive traits for a cancer patient, whose primary job seems to being pierced with sharp objects.

In the past, nurses dealt with this problem by using little needles, but an MRI uses a contrast dye, which has to flow at a certain rate. This meant a bigger needle.

It took a total of five tries made by three different nurses to find a vein that would work.

By that time, I was nearly crying. Already bruised from a blood draw earlier that week – one that had only taken two tries – and overwrought from fasting since midnight, I couldn’t hide the tears.

Plus, the bone scan supposedly scheduled to follow the MRI hadn’t been properly entered in the appointment database. I was told I’d have to come back for it.

All I could think was, “I’ll have to go through this again for the bone scan,” and “How will I ever get through chemo?”

I left the hospital that day with garish bruises wallpapering the inside of both elbows. By that point, I was glad to have something to show for my suffering.

My worries were for nothing. The bone scan turned out to be a non-event. The Engineer came along to hold my hand, but it was a small needle, one jab, no problem. And, in defense of my medical team, the bone scan appointment mix-up was the only scheduling problem I ever had to deal with.

     Needles are a necessary part of cancer treatment so I learned how to deal with my lousy veins.

     If you discover yourself in a similar situation, here are some things that worked for me.

1. Don’t play coy. If someone asks if you’re an “easy stick,” tell the truth. You may want to volunteer this information even if they don’t ask.

2.There are some people in the medical profession who are particularly skilled at drawing blood.  Don’t be afraid to volunteer to wait for that person. When I went for my MRI, the nurses actually got someone from another department to stick me, and she was the one who finally succeeded. (Side note: Chemo nurses are usually brilliant with a needle, so this becomes less of an issue during chemotherapy.)

3. Exhale as the needle goes in. I read this in an article long before I got cancer, and looked it up again today. On the National Library of Medicine’s website, there are details of a study that seems to support this theory. Sixty children used two methods of distraction during catheter insertions. One group blew bubbles through a bubble pipe; the other performed a simple breathing exercise. Both groups exhibited less behavioral pain symptoms. (Details here: http://tinyurl.com/nkljosp.) It’s probably good I didn’t read this before my treatment. The nurses would have been treated to a bubble-thon instead of just my huffing and puffing like I was in labor.

4. Hold someone’s hand. Anyone’s will do in a pinch, I suppose, but my husband or daughter accompanied me to every appointment that involved needles. What can I say? They love me. You have people who love you too. Ask for their hand if you think it might help.

5. If you require chemotherapy and are offered the option, consider getting a port.  Even though both inserting and removing the device involved minor surgery, I found it was a good choice for me.

6. You can also get for a prescription for numbing cream, similar to the stuff dentists sometimes use. Our insurance refused to cover the cost, but I got it anyway. My oncologist told me later there’s an over-the-counter version that was probably cheaper. Ask about it if you think it might help.

Disclaimer: I am a librarian, not a member of the medical profession. Believe me when I say the world is a better place for me having made that career choice. In writing these lessons, I am merely sharing what I learned from having cancer. As I’ve said before, my most important Cancer Lesson was learning that everyone’s experience is different. Only you and your doctors can decide what’s right for you. 

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• Needle Pokes 101 (amyebarta.wordpress.com)

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