Hi everyone!
I need some advice, as I really don't know what to do here 
So I had my final Paclitaxel infusion yesterday which was hard going as my veins have now become very difficult to get to and a couple times there was no 'backflow' so I got stuck with a needle about 3/4 times yesterday 
but anyway that takes a way a little from the point of this post. The nurse I had yesterday has put an email over to the schedulers to get me a PIQQ (or however it's spelt) line, the reason I didn't have 1 at the beginning is due to me having cats the doctor said it wouldn't be a good idea due to the part that hangs down, the same reason they don't suggest it with children around. I did have a call a few weeks about about the implanted port thing and the lady said there was no point me having that as I don't have much treatment left and it's about a months recovery both beginning and end. She also said due to me being halfway through treatment she wasn't too comfortable.
Sorry rambled a little there. Going back to yesterday's convo, the nurse has said that because of my hands issue they can't see/use the veins in my hands anymore, which is fine by me cos they are sore as heck when they do use them. She said that if I end up in her section without a line she won't give me the treatment due to the risk to my veins. She has said that with EC treatment specifically the red one that it can really damage my veins with just a cannula. She had managed to get another nurse to me yesterday who did manage to get the cannula in albeit using my hand. This was also the 1st cannula insertion that made me cry as it was super duper painful, this nurse also said about getting the PIQQ line, I have 4 infusions in total left all on the EC treatment plan.
So what I want to know is, has anyone else been on EC and had just the Cannula? Or would it be best to listen to both of these nurses they are the only 2 that have said to me about the dangers of EC. I really don't know what to do here, I'm going to wait for the scheduler to call anyway. I'm conflicted in myself as I really don't want to go through the pain I had yesterday ever again for a needle (I was in that much pain my boyfriend cried seeing it) and the nurses comments are making me go PIQQ, but then I'm like I've had this many without anyone saying at the beginning about any of these EC risks and just putting the cannula in with no issues.
So, if anyone has any advice/personal experiences that they've been through please can you help a girl out to figure her choices. This is all making me want to cry and give up right now.
I had my chemo the other way around, ie 3 cycles of EC followed by 12 weeks of paclitaxel.
When I first saw my oncologist he suggested I have a PICC line but, as I didn't like the idea of having something permanently in my arm, I asked if a cannula would be okay. He said yes, as the veins on the back of my hand were very prominent. However, towards the end of my paclitaxel treatment my veins were getting harder and harder to find and, like you, on a number of occasions it took 3 or 4 attempts to get the cannula in.
Although I haven't had a PICC line to compare with a cannula, I think if I ever needed to have this sort of treatment again (fingers crossed I won't) I'd use a PICC line or port-a-cath.
Hopefully others who have had a PICC line will pop on and share their experiences with you.
Best wishes for whatever you decide to do
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
Hi latchbrook
Thank you for your reply! I'm worried about the issues she was telling me about yesterday, something about my veins potentially getting damaged if they use a cannula for EC. Did you get warned about that at all with a cannula? 1 nurse a while back did say they could even turn brown? Which is strange, this is with the red stuff as they say.
But I agree with you if (fingers crossed I don't) I ever have to go through this or something like this again I will definitely have something inserted from the beginning.
I guess Paclitaxel makes people's veins shy 
my veins in my hands were definitely WAY more prominent at the beginning/before all this.
I don't remember anyone saying that my veins could be damaged with EC but the vein they used the first time did feel sore for a while afterwards. When I mentioned that at my next infusion the nurse said they'd put it in more slowly this time and that certainly made a difference.
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
Oh okay cool thank you for this 
it helps give me info to weigh up!
The only people that have been insisting on any lines for me are the chemo unit nurses. And it's only been in the last couple weeks. I had a call about the port but because of how far into treatment I am and the healing time from the procedure the lady said she wasn't comfortable doing it as it's too short a time frame now.
I am hoping I get a call soon about the PICC line/ PICC Port so I can at least have a conversation with them. It's all confusing me now especially since I am soo very close to the end. I only have 4 I fusions of this batch doesn't help that I think I might be a tad traumatised from the last 3 weeks so all the information given to me this week has overloaded me.
Thank you for replying to me
Thank you, it honestly has been 1 heck of a time. I start EC next week and I'm still waiting for a call from the people about a PICC line, but it's good to hear that someone who has pets hasn't had a problem. I do worry that the kittens (8/9months old) will be a slight pain especially when 1 of them is super needy and has the sharpest claws lol .
I will continue to wait and see, hopefully even without a line they do treatment next week, just hope paclitaxel hasn't made my veins too shy
