Are there alternate IV sites other than hands?

If you have difficult veins they may have to go for the hand. I am a nurse that works with new mom's and we try to put IV's in the arms instead of the hands so they can breastfeed better. So if you request the IV be put in your arm it will free your hands to knit. Though I doubt initially you will feel much like knitting. By the time you go home you will no longer need an IV. Hope that helps! Good luck
with your surgery and recovery.

They put my IV in my forearm when I was 'under' so it was no hassle at all. I doubt whether you'll be too worried about knitting in the first few days anyway. By the time you're back into it, I'm sure the IV will be gone. Good luck!

Ask the nurse to try up higher on your non -dominent arm. I have found that I have the easiest time starting Iv's in the bend of the arm (anticubital) area. On some people there are alot of choices, but others have the big hand veins and nothing else. Go in on your surgury day really well hydrated...it will help your veins stand out. Good luck! i hope you have a smooth and speedy recovery!

Hello KnittingDragon, I wish I could help you out with your question, But I have no idea, I really believe that if its a vein they should be able to use it, no matter where it is. However, that would probably be one of the most comfortable areas. Good Luck with that and your surgery. I can totally relate with the anxiety disorder, I have been living with anxiety/Panic most of my life, I seem to go along quite well and then when a crisis of any kind happens, it triggers me into it again. I have recently been diagnosed as having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which totally explains a lot of things to me! Im glad your medication is working well for your anxiety and bless you for speaking out about it!! Too many of us are ashamed to talk about it, even though it is such a common disorder. I have been prescribed Paxil, but am terrified to take it..so it sits in my purse calling my name daily as I suffer with the Panic and HyperVigilence. ARG. I wish you all the best and I hope that you can manage somehow to keep on knitting.

Crystal,
My IV was put inside arm almost at bend of elbow. I think it's wherever they can find a good vein. They did look at my hand first though. Don't worry (easier said then done), because I almost worried myself to death the night prior and the morning of, but after the anesthesiologist gave me something to relax me in my IV, it was all good from there.

I've been dreading those blood draws. I have controlled diabetes. Yet another of many gifts of polycystic ovary syndrome. I think I'll ask if I can get my gallon pin when I am discharged because I'm sure I will have given the lab at least that.

I'm sure I will sleep a lot after surgery. I also get bored easily so wanted the option to knit just in case.



Crystal

Hi, I always had lidocain injected first before they put the IV line in and you could not feel it at all. Hope this helps, ask for the lidocain if not offered.

I was very surprised when I had to go to the hospital for a test the other day and she was putting an IV in my hand and she said she was going to give me something to numb my hand first. Boy, medicine has come a long way. Now I was reading on WebMD that they are trying to find ways of making colonoscopies easier.

I've had IVs in my hand and arm. I actually prefer the hand IV because the ones I've had in my arm have been on the inside of the elbow and makes bending your arm for ANYthing impossible if you don't want to cut the fluid off. I get the IV in my left hand now because I'm right handed and things seem to work well that way.

The poor nurse tried to get an IV in my right hand yesterday and she tried and tried, but she couldn't. She even wrapped a warm blanket around my hand to get the veins to show up. That didn't work either. So she put the IV inside of my elbow. It was rather uncomfortable. Well, more of annoying than anything else. But she had no choice. She tried my left hand but couldn't get a vein either. I'm right handed. I imagine that is what they will have to do when I have my hyst. Yesterday I was in the hospital for an endoscopy.