Sunken veins after chemo

Going through breast cancer treatment Chemotherapy monthly threads
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Hi all, i finished EC 7 weeks ago and now on Paclitaxel after a 4 week break due to side effects. Before this, my forearm underside started to feel sore and ended up still tender, unable to stretch out arm and veins look sunken. My sister says I lool like The Thing from Fantastic Four :see_no_evil:. The nurse told me it was from the EC and that it would get better once it stopped, however it only got worse. Googles mentions a condition called Phlebitis, not sure if this is what it is but has anyone else suffered this and can let me know how to get rid of it? Thanks

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Hi, I have something similar. Iā€™ve had 3 Ec so far and after round 2 I started getting a tightness in the underside of my fire arm, like it wonā€™t fully stretch or itā€™s no longer elastic. Canā€™t see any sunken veins as yet. I mentioned it to my oncologist and he said it was probably scar tissue in the veins. He didnā€™t seem concerned and said take paracetamol if it hurts. Iā€™m trying to to do some stretching to help it. Iā€™m hoping it goes by itself after all the chemo is finished.

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Yeah it starts off like that, i was blaming the nurses that were trying to get blood samples, stabbing me with a needle multiple times trying to get it before the nurse said it was the EC! The sunken veins didnt happen till a while after even though i was told it would get better as no more EC so a bit concerned it wont go away on its own. The nurse just said massage it but dont think its working or maybe Iā€™m not doing it right and need someone to show me how. Also mentioned to put on a heat pack but think that might be more to help with the pain which i dont need as its not painful if my arm is rested. Make sure you ask for heat pack on there whilst getting EC though

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Same, mine doesnā€™t hurt when resting. Iā€™ve got one more EC then 4 docetaxel so weā€™ll see what happens. Hope you notice an improvement soon.

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Thanks, hopefully yours wont get too bad x

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I have the same as twinks77 and veins not sunken but in addition my skin is becoming lumpy. The lumps hurt. My PICC line is also on the same side as the senitinel biopsie. I do exercises, keep the arm moving, stretching it. It helps but then goes back to stiff and sore when not moving.

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Hello, I had / have this too & noticed that the oncologist has written i had Thrombophlebitis in my notes (though not explained this to me in the appointment when I mentioned the pain.)

Oncologist 2 was very cross I hadnā€™t used a pic line with EC. Iā€™ve definitely noticed that mine has eased & whilst I know this is often the advice for everything - drinking gallons of fluids definitely helped it ease. I do have a bit of pain / discomfort in my upper arm now though. I massage it a bit but am hoping that once chemotherapy is long in the past it will ease up.

X

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Hi can i ask how long you stopped chemo? Iā€™ve 2 more to go and still using cannula though think they are running out of places to put it in. My veins were so sore the last time, they put saline in alongside. Did your veins look sunken when you stretched out you arm?

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Hey ya @yjmc - of course. It will be 4 weeks on Thursday (though Iā€™ve been on a 2 & 3wk cycle since feb) so hoping the coming weeks i feel somewhat human againā€¦

I donā€™t think they looked sunken as such (though Iā€™m traumatised by the whole thing so wouldnā€™t remember tbh) but the team were definitely struggling to find veins and I was getting sick of it & my arms were and are still a bit sore in places.

I did mention to one of the nurses and she said that the veins can ā€œhardenā€ which also can cause discomfort.

Fluids really really helped me & Iā€™m praying they ease up soon. Xx

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Thanks. I had a 4 week break betwem EC and starting Paclitaxel due to side effects and my arm felt worse during this time and thats when then the sunken look happened so just hoping it will get better and not permanent. Hope you start to feel better soon

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Hey! I had this, the vein in my elbow crease had hardened from EC and felt ā€œwiryā€. My last EC was Jan 2024 and it did go away on its own. I didnā€™t do anything special, just stayed on top of hydration and ate a ton of protein in the months after chemo. If it does start bothering you, keep bugging your team to monitor it, as Iā€™m sure theyā€™ll have something to help :heart:

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