Pic line

Good afternoon Free2bemee449c7,

Thanks for getting in touch and welcome to our online community.  

My name’s Karla, I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line. 

You’re not alone in experiencing pain when oxaliplatin’s given. It’s thought to affect about 50-80% of all patients treated.

Coping with a week of intense pain for each cycle could be difficult.

Unfortunately, there’s no standard way of managing this. Which is possibly why you’ve been given conflicting advice by your cancer nurse and the nurses in the cancer unit.

Some hospitals help to manage the pain with heat pads during and after the infusion. Sometimes lengthening the infusion time helps. Other hospitals recommend PICC lines almost as standard to avoid the pain and discomfort.

We’d recommend speaking to your cancer nurse again to let them know the nurses think a PICC line will help. You could consider asking if the nurse can suggest anything else, like the heat pads, to ease the pain. If something else is possible, you can decide if you want to try it before committing to a PICC line.

Sometimes it can be useful to meet someone in a similar situation who has a PICC line. This gives you the chance to see what they think, how they cope, what the PICC line looks/feels like and to ask any questions. The nurses in the cancer unit may be able to arrange this with someone who attends on the same day as you for treatment.

If you feel the potential benefits of the PICC line outweigh the risks, you can ask to be referred to the team who insert the lines. They can provide any further information you might need and may also be able to arrange for you to meet someone with a PICC line.

Ultimately, all you can do is what feels right for you.

I hope this information helps to guide you. Sometimes it can be good to talk through what’s happening with us. On our helpline we offer a variety of support where you can talk through what’s going on and how you’re feeling. 

Take care and best wishes,

Karla (Cancer Information Nurse Specialist)

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email or use webchat.

Ref: KS/GMcR