Had my pre assessment on Thursday, start chemo 7th August, however one thing she covered the possibility of was the PICC line, just wanted to know thoughts from anyones experience of this, what it was like, is it painful etc etc. She only covered it quickly as believe it or not I have terrible needle phobia and I had to ask her not to go into detail as I was already feeling sick her just mentioning it. I know it sounds silly but ive only in the past couple of years been able to cope with blood tests as I know its a quick in and out needle, however when I went for my contrast CT scan yesterday I hadnt realised they were going to canulate me and had a mini panic attack and spent the duration of the scan with my body shaking - and ive got my bone scan on Monday and thats another one.
I know I need to get a grip of this anxiety as ive got worse coming to me but I just get so anxious about needles that I know are staying in as in canulation - ive got diazepam to take on the day to try and keep my anxiety levels down so I dont get a full blown panick attack, I so wish I didnt have this phobia as it totally takes over me, and feel so silly getting into such a state, I have enough on my plate to deal with without adding to it .
Sorry for the moan, ive been handling everything so well up till now but things are just starting to get on top of me. Any advice would be greatly received ladies xx
If you would like to give the helpline a call on Monday the staff will be only too happy to talk to you about this. They’re here to support you through this. Calls are free 0808 800 6000, lines open 9am Monday
I’ve had no experience of PICC lines and it wasn’t discussed with me at my Onc appointment, but a lot of ladies on here have had one and they all seem to be positive about it!
As regards the bone scan, don’t worry - there are no needles or cannulas involved, the machine just scans you from head to toe. I did get a bit claustrophobic when it was over my head, but the nurse stayed with me holding my hand until it passed down my body, so wasn’t too bad at all.
I’m sure you’ll get some feedback about the PICC line soon. Best of luck - I’m starting my chemo on the 8th so we will be at the same stage together.
I sympathise whiterose. One thing- it gets better. We get used to cannulation bloods etc… Well, and by get used to I mean not having a little breakdown. Not having experience with PICC lines but from other ladies I heard very positive things.
One thing re: bone scan. If it is for detecting osteoporosis (DEXA bone scan) no canulation. If it is the nuclear physics one for detecting bone mets then you will have radioactive dye so yes, another cannulation.
Hi I am exactly the same as you, for my 1st chemo, 23rd july, it took 3 nurses 4 attempts and almost an hr as I freaked out that much my veins disappeared, I am having a picc line fitted for the rest of my treatment as I am really needle phobic and the thought of the needle alone makes me ill, I am sure someone will comment soon who have been through it already, to help us both!!!
Valia - yes its the nuclear science one so I know its another canulation , however going to be prepared this time and taking some diazepam for my anxiety. My son is most upset because im not allowed to cuddle or give him a kiss for i think 24hrs afterwards as im radioactive!
Julie - I feel your anxiety too, oh my how awful for you, its just terrible isnt it and people only understand when they too have the phobia, its so frustrating as I cant reason with myself over it, ive had hypnotherapy for it which only helped with blood tests to a certain degree, at least now I dont pass out before I get in the room LOL, but im same as you as soon as they start talking about needles or see them I feel ill / faint / clammy / hyperventilate, its just so exhausting, I ended up with a massive stress headache lastnight after my CT scan I had to go to bed early, im such a lightweight!!!
Just to confuse the issue further over the bone scan - I had the nuclear physics one for detecting bone mets (clear thank goodness!) about two weeks ago and only had an injection of radioactive stuff an hour before the scan - no cannula.
Can’t help with info about PICC line I’m afraid - although if your issue is with ‘things’ staying in your vein I’d have thought a picc line was worse than cannulation while the chemo drugs are being administered, at least the cannula is removed at the end of each chemo session. I sympathise though, I needed diazepam to get me through the CT scan because my phobia is swallowing nasty-tasting stuff and they’d told me I’d have to drink a litre of contrast dissolved in fruit juice. As it turned out i had to drink just plain water and was injected with the contrast!
Good luck for the 7th
Many thanks Bakeswhenstressed - ah if its an injection I may not get so worked up then , i assumed it would of been a canulation - For my CT scan the water I had to drink tasted of aniseed which I love so that was ok, just went downhill after they canulated me. Thanks for the feedback x
Hi, i havent posted on here in quite a while but couldnt ignore this as this time 2 years ago i was in your position, severe needle phobia and facing Chemo, i was offered a picc line, and it became my best friend through my treatment, i was petrified about having it fitted and was given some tablts to calm me down, they also give you a local to numb the area, once fitted no more needles, they can take blood from it too, you have to have it flushed once a week and keep it dry, you can buy a sleeve to go over it for showering or some people use cling film. Hope this helps and good luck.
Jay x
White rose, I havnt had or got picc line but have looked after many patients with one, obviously having one in involves a needle but then that’s it , it’s probably your best option. As jay says you have regular flushes but that’s just syringe and blood can be aspirated from it for blood tests. Most patients find any uncomfortable feeling settles after few days And keeping it dry is important to, other than that it’s a godsend if you have needle phobia especially as bloods are monitored prior to chemo . If you decide to have it they can give you meds to really relax you, hope this helps.
It does seem to vary - I had the nuclear med one with dye injection beforehand - had to wait two hours before the scan. No cannula, though. Sorry, Whiterose, I’d forgotten about the injection!
Hi whiterose I had a picc line fitted just over a week ago and had my first chemo the following day. I have shy veins as and my hosp is concerned about vein thrombosis as the chemnicals are so harsh, it offers lines as routine. I really wasn’t looking forward to the procedure but as jay66 says it’s absolutely worth it. The worst bit is the local to numb the area, but it didn’t hurt that much. I didn’t look at what they were doing and so thankfully don’t really know what they did. Once it’s in you have to go off and have a chest x-ray to make sure it’s in the right place. Flushing the line isn’t a problem, my OH is a dab hand at it now, and I use cling film when I shower. I’m extremely grateful to have it. With regard to bone scan, if it’s a nuclear scan you have an injection about 1 1/2 hours before and have to drink loads in order to get the dye into your body. You will probably be advised to stay away from pregnant women and small children for the rest of the day. Doncha just love all this stuff! Good luck, hope all goes smoothly. x
Hi Whiterose I would like to say that having a PICC line fitted was the best decision I made regarding my treatment. The procedure was painless, with just a small scratch of a local anaesthetic for the entry site. all my chemo and herceptin have been administered through the PICC line, and only had to be cannulated once ( I was admitted to hospital following my second chemo cycle due to a neutrophil count of 0). All bloods taken were through the PICC line too, it made such a difference. the line has to be flushed and dressed weekly, and I purchased a “cover” from an Internet site called Limbo which keeps the line dry during showering. Make sure you discuss your choice with your BCN or PICC nurse at your hospital who are the experts in the procedure.
Lots of love and luck -Elaine x x
Hi Julie - no, you don’t feel anything at all. I’m still on Herceptin so using the PICC every 3 weeks, and because I’m not cannulated I sometimes forget that I’m connected to an IV line and try to wander off!! I would recommend it every time x x
White rose definitely push for a picc. I like you have a real phobia of needles and very shy veins. I passed out whilst having a cannula put in for my MRI. I’m now on fec cycle 3 and its been a god send. I didn’t look when I had the line fitted and if you can get something to calm you before hand that would be good. You have to go to hodpital once a week to have it flushedand dressed. As some one else said get a Limb0 waterproof cover online, they’re great and you can also get some lovely soft covers, in all different colours to wear with different outfits from ‘pickapicclinecover’ on eBay.
Good luck
emma x
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, however going to be prepared this time and taking some diazepam for my anxiety. My son is most upset because im not allowed to cuddle or give him a kiss for i think 24hrs afterwards as im radioactive!