bruised or sclerosed vein from IV

[Guest guest]

due to the excessive use of corrosive antibiotics and blodd testing and other IV fluids, my veins were so sclerotic that not even blood tests could be performed the past year. I have had PICC lines, Hickman Catheters, and 3 Central Lines in the last 3 years. about 2 months before the Tx, they had to put in a central line that they changed and then removed a little over a month after the Tx

I was so surprised, I asked the doctor what would we do for the blood tests every day. He smiled and said that I was no longer dehydrated and my veins should recover with fluid and exercise...Only partly true. They recovered and I can have blood drawn from one or two sites at most and about a week apart and always with difficulty. They always have to call in the "aces" of the phlebotomy team when they see that it's me

*********

Lily in Boston, MA, USA - 58 yr old, 5'8", 150lbs - UC dx 1973, PSC dx 1986, Tx Apr 18, 2002. Both hips replaced 2000, both knees replaced 1995, gastric bypass 1994 (lost 200 pounds), fibromyalgia, rheumathoid arthritis, osteoporosis, fused lumbar vertebrae op'd 1970 & narrowing of medular canal 2003, Diabetes dx 1988, TMJ dx 2003

Miracles02Happen@...

[Guest guest]

Has anyone ever dealt with extreme bruising from an IV. After my last

ERCP my hand swelled up and then the vein bruised all the way to my

elbow. Its been this way since May 15th. Just wondering if it is

possible to sclerose a vein a good 8 inchs from the IV site. I

remember just before I was knocked out that the nurse pushed a

syringe of Phenergan into that IV in my hand. It hurt like hell. Just

curious about the sclerosing possiblity and what effect that will

have on this particular vein. I already have a blown one in another

area. Its pretty knotty. Guess this is par for the course.

Andi

[Guest guest]

It took almost a year for a blown vein in my hand to recover (I've got

pretty good veins, so far). This was an ER stick for morphine and IV

antibiotics. She ended up using a large vein near my elbow - the Mayo staff

was astounded when I got there a couple of hours later.

Knotty is an excellent description. Affected area was about two inches in

diameter surrounding the stick - a nice shade of plum that took a couple of

weeks to fade. I have not experienced effects further out.

Arne

52 - UC 9/77 - PSC 4/00

Alive and (mostly) well in Minnesota

-----Original Message-----

From: alw2010

Has anyone ever dealt with extreme bruising from an IV. After my last

ERCP my hand swelled up and then the vein bruised all the way to my

elbow. Its been this way since May 15th. Just wondering if it is

possible to sclerose a vein a good 8 inchs from the IV site. I

remember just before I was knocked out that the nurse pushed a

syringe of Phenergan into that IV in my hand. It hurt like hell. Just

curious about the sclerosing possiblity and what effect that will

have on this particular vein. I already have a blown one in another

area. Its pretty knotty. Guess this is par for the course.

Andi

[Guest guest]

Andi,

I usually have an easy time getting IVs started and blood drawn. But

there have been times when an IV wasn't started right, putting fluid

into tissue rather than in the vein. That caused swelling and stung.

A well placed IV shouldn't have. The first time I was uncertain for a

while about whether to call for a another IV (who wants another stick

when one should be enough?). With experience I know when it is not

right. IV sites can also begin to leak after being in place a while.

Causing swelling around the site. Regular IVs were replaced after 3

days to avoid this, but sometimes they didn't last that long

especially with some of the more toxic post-tx drugs.

Ther have been times when sticks caused large burises too. For me

this happened when the needle went right through the vein, causing an

extra hold for the blood to leak out into the surrounding tissue.

I've never had it go as far as yours, but it does happen.

But you describe clots all along your vein, not blood leakage

into the tissue. I suspect damage at the IV site cause clotting to

start, break loose and finally form at sites all along the vein until

flow from joining veins prevented clots from anchoring. Not a happy

situation. From experience, those kinds of things take months to heal.

Sorry that your IV experience wasn't a good one.

Tim R

> Has anyone ever dealt with extreme bruising from an IV. After my

last

> ERCP my hand swelled up and then the vein bruised all the way to my

> elbow. Its been this way since May 15th. ...

> Its pretty knotty. Guess this is par for the course.

>

> Andi

[Guest guest]

I'll add to the horror stories. This is something that awareness can

mitigate.

Nearly every vein in Quantell's body is sclerosed. I have been

maintaining a central line since 2001 because the only clean veins

are femoral and spinal. Most hardened after prolonged IVs and

multiple blood draws. I think that kind of comes with the terrority.

But he does have one injury that came from negligence and oversight.

When he was a neonate, an IV infiltrated, and gangrene set it. Q lost

chunks of his right forearm, and of each finger on that hand. He has

nerve, as well as muscle, damage.

If you ever feel an IV is burning, or if your arm around the site is

red and/or puffy, or it just doesn't feel " right, " get someone's

attention.

Meanwhile ... welcome to the newcomers, hello to the old friends.

I've been in deep lurk, came out to check on Ty.

Quantell (now 13, dx 1996, tx 2001) continues to sprout new

opportunistic infections -- today's count, 6 antibiotics.

And he's set a hospital record for the longest continuous stenting

posttransplant. Nothing's ever dull in the world of PSC medicine.

Happy Fathers Day where applicable.

Pam (Quantell's mom)