Since getting the infusions my nurse has used the same vein for my infusions. She's mentioned that that vein is starting to get hard so last week she used a vein in the side of my wrist (which hurt!) How often does your nurse change veins? The vein we've always used is the one in front of my elbow.....it's my best vein (which quite a few nurses have told me because they have a hard time getting my blood) Anyway......do I need to worry that we should change veins???

Ok this is off subject......but we've had 6 hummingbirds at our house for the past 6 weeks......and they left yesterday....migrated south. I'm sure they felt the tropical storm in the gulf was upon us and headed out. We've loved having them all summer. I've had 5 feeders out and have LOTS of hummingbird flowers in our yard.......anyway.....it made me sad to see they were gone.

Roxie.

They change veins on Alan all the time. Each month she puts it in a different place. The other day she put it in his hand. No problems.

Now about your humming birds.

I know where they went.....over to visit Mrs. Doubtfire.

lol

Melody

HI Mel!
Good to hear from you!
So I guess it IS a good idea to change veins. I guess we need to find some good veins. Mine always roll or collapse when the nurse trys to use them

If my hummers went to see Mrs. Doubtfire I sure hope she feeds them as well as I have been the last 6 weeks! lol
Mike and I enjoyed sitting in our front yard watching them dart from the flowers to the feeders and back again. They are very interesting little creatures.

One thing you can do to help the vein situation is to drink lots of water the day before. If you are well hydrated it is much easier to get a vein to cooperate. I had a nurse tell me this. She said that when a person isn't well hydrated, the vein is a little "leatherie" and it will roll when the needle hits it.

I always try to do this and my body is short the moisture anyway, but it does help a lot.

Billye

Hi Roxie - I have "skinny rolly" veins - that are very visable but I've been stabbed up to 7 times before to get blood or IV in... I tried to use a different vein every time to avoid scar tissue building up in one area - also, applying a bit of heat like a warm towel to your arm before the infusion will help those veins pop out and be easier to stick, along with, all Billye mentioned, being hydrated.....

Don't you just love it when a nurse bangs your arm to "pop up the vein"???

She was banging Alan's arm and in two seconds, she found the correct vein.

With me, well, when I had my caesarian section 26 years ago, I had 37 iv's. I know because I kept track.

My veins kept collapsing and one day someone said to another nurse "If her veins keep collapsing, we are going to have to put one in her neck"

I had toxemia at the time and I will never forget those magnesium sulfate injections. My god, I was black and blue for 6 months all along my hip area.

I hope they've developed a better method for toxemia in 26 years.

Melody