Question/IV treatments

[Sandy H]

Has anyone or is anyone getting Herceptin and/or chemo without saline between each drug? Hugs, Sandy

[StephN]

Hi Sandy -
No - I have never heard of someone not getting saline rinse.
I do recall someone on this board mentioning something about Medicaid not paying for the saline so she (or someone she knew) did NOT get the saline rinse.
I have mentioned this to some of the nurses in the infusion suite where I am treated and they are all appalled at such an idea! Was just curious if this could ever be the case, and they all said NO, not here anyway.

[al from Canada]

Sandy,

Here in Canada it states right on the monogram that you are required 2 saline "flushes" and wait 1/2 hour for reactions. I don't think anyone waits after the first or second time. They are used to dispurse the drug and re-hydrate you.
Regards,
Al

[Sandy H]

I asked my oncology nurses and they said the same "never here" however, I have a friend who never got any saline with Herceptin alone and when she had just chemo!!!! She asked him one day why she didn't get saline and her oncologist had never heard of it and asked her to ask me how much I was getting!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought "WOW" I guess, if that was my oncologist I would have to check him out. He said he asked Pharmacy and they never heard of using saline either! She got it the first time last week and what a difference she said! Thank you for your replies I shall pass it on to her. Sandy

When I was being treated @the first (private) oncology group, they always hung a bag of saline to flush. Typically, they'd start running the saline while we waited for labs or for the pharmacy to mix the drugs. They'd run the saline again between bags of drug and then again at the end, flush to finish, de-access the port, etc.
Then I moved to a University setting, in a bigger Cancer center & they DON'T hang a bag of saline at all. I asked about it & they said they haven't done that it years...Even when I was on TCH, it was Herceptin first while we waited for labs, then Taxol & then straight to Carbo, no saline flush in between.
I didn't feel any different w/or without the saline flush. And honestly,sometimes the nurses would just keep running the saline while they did other things.It used to drive me crazy. And honestly, when I look at my chemo bill and I'm being charged for every tube, bag, needle, etc, I'm happy to have one less thing to pay for!