Apheresis Help

bejuce · 02-08-2011, 12:13 PM

I'm typing this on my iPhone from my hospital bed in Berkeley where I'm being poked multiple times to try to get blood flow fast enough for an apheresis required for the vaccine trial I'm on. The nurses here can't get a fast enough pull of blood from my port so they have to use the port as the return. Problem is they can't get a good vein on my left arm to
pull blood from. My veins are tiny after all the chemo.

They wanted to use my right arm but that would put pressure on the vein and potentially increase my lymphedema risk substantially, which I
don 't want to do. So now I'm stuck and certainly don't want to not even start the vaccine trial because of this.

Any suggestions???

Thanks!

michka · 02-08-2011, 12:21 PM

Oh I'm sorry to read you are in the hospital! I have tiny veins too now. Once in the hospital when I had my breast reconstruction and a lot of complications, the nurse ended up by drawing blood from my foot in order to spare my operated arm. I would not let her touch it anyway. It hurts much more than in the arm but it was OK. Hugs. Michka

sarah · 02-08-2011, 12:24 PM

have they tried near the hand? I had a similar problem getting blood tests weekly for 6 months. I would run warm water over my arm and slap it to get the vein up.

bejuce · 02-08-2011, 12:32 PM

Yeah, I came here as the first step in the vaccine trial I'm hoping to join. The apheresis is required to get my white blood cells in the beginning and middle/end of the trial to see if I develop an immunological response to the vaccine. They poked me in my left hand but because the vein is tiny they can only use it for the return line. They need another line to pull it from but the port is not fast enough for the machine. I asked if they can use my leg and they are talking with the trial folks now to see if there's a way around. I drank a bottle of water this morning to help, but that still wasn't enough.

I'll keep you posted.

Thanks!

Marcia

Colleen007 · 02-08-2011, 12:35 PM

I was having problems of no blood return from my port...when I was lying down on a bed (as opposed to one of the chairs in the infusion room), I got great return. We think it was my position. Try lying down and see if that works. Good luck to you!

bejuce · 02-08-2011, 12:43 PM

YAY! Just heard from the research nurse that the trial will allow an exception and they will just get 10 vials of blood from my port instead of the apheresis. Thank God! I really want the vaccine and was in tears here all alone thinking of this stupid disease. But onward we go! For every problem there is a solution and I'm glad te solution is a good one in this case.

Thanks for being there for me!!!

KDR · 02-08-2011, 12:48 PM

Hugs!! You aren't really alone...glad I saw this post..sometimes I engage a friendly nurse...
Take care...we're all behind you...

michka · 02-08-2011, 01:10 PM

I'm happy they found a solution (or thought of a compromise). I didn't know it was so complicated to start the vaccine trial. Hugs. Michka

krisvell · 02-08-2011, 02:40 PM

Marcia,
Yeah! You're on your way. I am so proud that you are doing the Vaccine Trial. I really believe in them.
Please accept my big hug. Wishing you all the best. You are going to do really well.
Hugs and prayers,

Kris....

Mary L · 02-08-2011, 03:47 PM

Marcia, I am so glad that you are able to get the vacine. I am a very hard stick so I know what you were going through. I wish you the best!!!! Mary L

Trish · 02-09-2011, 02:52 AM

Glad to hear the problem is solved Marcia. Out of interest I don't have a port and I have had a huge amount of chemo through my veins. My veins had become very difficult to cannulate . (I now use both arms even though I have had 18 lymph nodes removed from my right arm and thankfully have had no lymphodema to date). Strangely though in the last few weeks my veins have come good despite weekly Abraxane and Herceptin. I am speculating it is because of all the saline I have had pumping through them while I have been waiting in the chemo unit for the drugs to be made up. So my point is if you have to rely on your veins maybe you could give them a work out with saline.
All the best
Trish

Catherine · 02-09-2011, 09:35 PM

Yeah Marcia....so happy for the solution. Are you overnighting at the hospital...Type away...your buddies are here.

All the best,

Margerie · 02-09-2011, 10:05 PM

Glad they made the exception

They did the same for me at UW.

Really, they should reconsider their original protocol since most bc patients have the same limitations.

Onward you go and best wishes to you!

shelleyd · 02-10-2011, 07:28 PM

Sometimes they can do the leukapheresis through the veins on each side of your neck. I had a vaccine made at U Penn for DCIS/Her2/neu and had what they called leukapheresis (collection of white blood cells to make a dendritic cell vaccine). When they have trouble with the arms, they can do the neck. Gross as it sounds, it is the only "hump" in the her2/neu vaccine making process. I had six shots over six weeks and NO side effects other than a little redness. These vaccines are the future and wonderful because they act like roving security systems, seeking out cancer cells with the Her2/neu receptor and decimating them. Chemo usually targets rapidly dividing cells but may leave dormat circulating tumor cells to come back at ya later.

SO i sincerely hope they got your apheresis done and you are well on your way for the vaccine. It took 3 days to make mine. And I did have a second leukapheresis done after I had all six shots so they could see my new immune system. GOOD LUCK! Let me know how you do, this is the BEST NEWS to get a vaccine for Her2!

Jean · 02-10-2011, 08:15 PM

You are so courageous sending you best wishes that all goes smoothly going forward. Please keep us updated.

hugs,
Jean

kiwigirl · 02-10-2011, 10:48 PM

I had and IV line put into my good arm and it worked really well as they could not use my port this was a larger needle but was comfortable.