Been having a lot of problems with my shoulder. After my chemo treatment, it started hurting again. And when I say 'hurting', I mean hurting....really bad. Pain meds helped some, but didn't completely stop the pain. Of course, they make me sleepy and feel bad, but there was no other choice.
When I went in for my chemo pump to be removed, I told the nurses something had to be done. Just too much pain. They immediately contacted the doctor and she came in to check me. Concerned that it may be a blood clot, she requested a CT scan of my shoulder. The nurses put an IV in my hand so the contrast dye could be injected during the scan. I sat and waited....and waited....and waited. Apparently, the insurance was slow in approving the test.
The doctor came in after about 2 hours to check on me. "Have you already been, or are you still waiting?" she said. "Still waiting," I replied. She immediately went into the nurses office and I could tell she wasn't happy by the look on her face and that of the nurses. In a moment, she breezed by and within five minutes, I was being taken down for the CT scan.
CT scans are pretty easy, usually fast, run you through the giant donut tube, inject the contrast dye and run you through again, and it is over. That's the way it is supposed to be. But it was not the way it went this time. When the nurse hooked me up to inject the contrast dye into my IV, she was having problems. The flow was not good in the IV but she thought maybe the pressure from the machine would open it up. Well, it opened up, but not the IV! The vein blew out and I had instant pain. She stopped the scan and came in to check on me. "Oh, I am so sorry," she said. By then my arm was swelling and already looked like someone had shoved an orange under my skin. She grabbed several ice packs and wrapped them around my arm.
After the initial pain subsided, we still had to finish the scan, so she had to start another IV. Now, she moved to my left arm. Normally, that would be fine, but my left wing and the pain I was having....was why I was there. I have trouble raising my arm and the test requires the arm be held up over my head. So, I sucked up and did the best I could. Thankfully, the test only lasts a short time. It was over...whew...I was shaking. She unhooked my IV and I sat up. My arm with the blowout was really looking nasty, my hand was now swollen too, but the ice had helped the pain.
She helped me back to the chemo room where I would wait for the scan to be read. By now it was 4:30 and I hadn't had anything to eat. That was self imposed but for a reason. My queasiness and all that goes along with it, had come back and I didn't want to worry about getting sick when I went in. Who knew it was going to be an all day affair?
Good news though, no blood clot and nothing else showing up! But, something is causing the pain. So, blood was taken and sent off to see if there is an infection. We are ruling out all possible options. The doctor looked at me and said, "You know, it is probably going to be difficult to keep this port if the pain persists." I nodded my head, understanding what she was saying. I had initially been horrified when they told me I may have to have it removed and reinstalled. But now, with all the pain I have had, I think I could about rip it out myself. Of course, there is no guarantee that is what is causing the pain. But it has to be.
I will keep you updated.
PCQ
When I went in for my chemo pump to be removed, I told the nurses something had to be done. Just too much pain. They immediately contacted the doctor and she came in to check me. Concerned that it may be a blood clot, she requested a CT scan of my shoulder. The nurses put an IV in my hand so the contrast dye could be injected during the scan. I sat and waited....and waited....and waited. Apparently, the insurance was slow in approving the test.
The doctor came in after about 2 hours to check on me. "Have you already been, or are you still waiting?" she said. "Still waiting," I replied. She immediately went into the nurses office and I could tell she wasn't happy by the look on her face and that of the nurses. In a moment, she breezed by and within five minutes, I was being taken down for the CT scan.
CT scans are pretty easy, usually fast, run you through the giant donut tube, inject the contrast dye and run you through again, and it is over. That's the way it is supposed to be. But it was not the way it went this time. When the nurse hooked me up to inject the contrast dye into my IV, she was having problems. The flow was not good in the IV but she thought maybe the pressure from the machine would open it up. Well, it opened up, but not the IV! The vein blew out and I had instant pain. She stopped the scan and came in to check on me. "Oh, I am so sorry," she said. By then my arm was swelling and already looked like someone had shoved an orange under my skin. She grabbed several ice packs and wrapped them around my arm.
After the initial pain subsided, we still had to finish the scan, so she had to start another IV. Now, she moved to my left arm. Normally, that would be fine, but my left wing and the pain I was having....was why I was there. I have trouble raising my arm and the test requires the arm be held up over my head. So, I sucked up and did the best I could. Thankfully, the test only lasts a short time. It was over...whew...I was shaking. She unhooked my IV and I sat up. My arm with the blowout was really looking nasty, my hand was now swollen too, but the ice had helped the pain.
She helped me back to the chemo room where I would wait for the scan to be read. By now it was 4:30 and I hadn't had anything to eat. That was self imposed but for a reason. My queasiness and all that goes along with it, had come back and I didn't want to worry about getting sick when I went in. Who knew it was going to be an all day affair?
Good news though, no blood clot and nothing else showing up! But, something is causing the pain. So, blood was taken and sent off to see if there is an infection. We are ruling out all possible options. The doctor looked at me and said, "You know, it is probably going to be difficult to keep this port if the pain persists." I nodded my head, understanding what she was saying. I had initially been horrified when they told me I may have to have it removed and reinstalled. But now, with all the pain I have had, I think I could about rip it out myself. Of course, there is no guarantee that is what is causing the pain. But it has to be.
I will keep you updated.
PCQ
2 comments:
Oh my! You have really had a time with that shoulder and "wing".
No blood clot = good.
Still pain = Not so good.
I hope you had someone with you today. You need support with this kind of ordeal.
Praying for you.
Willamina
I am just thinking of you and praying that you can get this shoulder and port issue corrected. Please keep us updated on when and where things are happening. We will ALL get together soon! We can bring food and come to you if you would like that! Love you!
Post a Comment