My wife will probably have 8 sessions, 4 at two week intervals and three more at 3 week intervals with loads of tests and appointments between each one. She was advised by every one to go the PICC line route rather than the cannula in the hand method which can have more difficulties. I wondered which method you two encountered or had planned for the infusions?
I’ve had low doses of chemo through both the PICC line and cannula, and they’ve both got their ups and downs.
The PICC, once it was in, felt much easier during the infusion. I’m not 100% sure any more, but I think the infusions were quicker too. I’ve had lines in my neck, chest, and groin. They were all uncomfortable at first, but they freed up my hands. As the infusions I had could take up to eight hours, that was a major benefit.
Inserting the line is a minor procedure though, which comes with its own problems. The line could only be inserted by a doctor, so if there was an urgent case on the ward, I was waiting. At least once it turned a ‘day trip’ (journey out from the ward) into an overnight stay. The procedure is uncomfortable, and the feeling of the line going in is odd! There’s also the issue of keeping the line clean if your wife is allowed home with it in (not everybody is, but the doctor should let you know beforehand).
A cannula is much easier to insert, and after the first few minutes, your wife probably won’t notice it. Part of my condition means that the veins in my arms are very hard to find, so the cannula would have to go in my hand. As there’s only a short amount of vein to play with, I couldn’t use whichever hand it was in. Not the end of the world, but I couldn’t hold a proper book, and learned which beep from the machines meant straighten your bloody hand! 😀
A downside of the cannula is that a new one has to be used every time, meaning a new injury as it’s placed. If your wife has trouble with her veins, they may need to use the same site more than once, and that may mean that it doesn’t heal in between, especially with a relatively short window between sessions. Again, not a major problem, but it’s worth being aware of possible discomfort.
Whichever method she chooses, I hope it goes as smoothly as possible for you and your wife, and for you too Bob.
