Burning pain in veins receiving paclitaxel

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Hi there

Just wondering if anyone has had the same experience as me?

i have breast cancer and have received and completed 4 treatments of EC two weeks apart. Both arms but particularly my left arm have become very tender and tight and it feels that it is the veins that are the source of the pain. I am now to do 4 sessions of paclitaxel two weeks apart.

My first session for taxel was last week, the canular was in my right hand, I received all premeds and then taxel started to drip in. The pain was awful, it felt like fire was creeping up my veins. The chemo nurses quickly stopped the drip, double checked everything was as it should be, which it was, and so they tried again. The same happened. They then gave me a benzodiazepine, put a canula into my left hand and tried again, within seconds it was again an awful burning pain creeping up the arm.

Has this happened to anyone else?

I am now going to get a Hickman line placed into my chest and will resume first treatment of paclitaxel. My slight angst is will I still feel burning pain? I’m told that this should not be the case as the Hickman line is inserted into a much larger vein. It would be good to know if anyone else has gone through this.

Thanks.

Coddfish over 2 years ago

I have a portacath in my upper chest. Like a Hickman, it goes into a large vein close to my heart. I have had 4EC and 12 Paclitaxel without any burning sensations.

LabradorLover over 2 years ago

Same as Codfish but I’ve not had it into my arm so I can’t compare. It shouldn’t hurt until a line in your chest.

Janemb over 2 years ago

Hi I didn't have probs with cannula into left hand .I finished chemo in April but every now and then I get a burning feeling in the back of my hand where it went in. It soon passes but uncomfortable while it lasts! Weird

Jacala over 2 years ago

I initially had EC in via a cannula and then had a PICC line inserted. I then had a lot of problems with the PICC line, my arm was very, very sore and after a scan it was removed, it was apparently sat in a very narrow vein. I then had my last EC and began paclitaxel via a cannula. My arm began to really hurt, not burning as such but definitely issues with my veins. It was taking the nurses 3/4 attempts to get the cannula in.

On my fourth paclitaxel I had an extremely bad allergic reaction to the paclitaxel. Blood pressure went sky high, flushed face and excruciating pains down my legs. The infusion was stopped.

It was then decided that I needed a second PICC line and the infusion was to be given over 2 hours with extra steroids. The second PICC was a success.

I'm sure once your port is in you will feel much better. Good luck

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Burning pain in veins receiving paclitaxel