nerve damage due to IV

[Trish53]

I recently was in the hospital and had an IV and while they had to try a few times, one of these time it hit a nerve. The IV ended up in the other arm but a day or so after I got out of the hospital I started to have somwhat sharp pain in my wrist and down into the meaty part of my thumb.
I'm wondering if this will go away eventually or should I see someone about it?

[VARocky]

I wrote years ago about having nerve pain and being unable to use my arm after poor IV insertion that hit my nerve.  Someone asked whether any of these people still had problems after it happened.  It took a few months after it happened to be able to move my arm more normally, yet still with some pain.  It has been 3 years now and my arm is pretty much normal now.  I do feel the need to pop that wrist often and occasionally I feel slight weakness or slight nerve pain, but it is rare.  

[mclonghorn]

I had RSD due to a jammed hand from a door. After many kind of treatments I has surgery. They deflated my lung and took nerve out of spine. IT Worked. Good luck

[Sug_97]

Since there are so many nurses in here...

I had neurosurgery a month ago (I have Chiari and I had a shunt put in from my old incision to my abs). My surgery was at 8:30am and went well, but at about 3am, the nurse came in to put the meds in my IV (the same IV that was put in prior to surgery) and she noticed my hand was swollen (infiltrated), so she put it in the other hand (my left). My husband said it was about 4-5 times the size, it actually freaked him out, but I was so out of it, I didn't remember. When I was released the next day, I asked about it and they said it would go down on it's own over the next couple days. It took several weeks to go down, but it's still quite a bit larger (not double, but somewhere in between) and my right hand and about half way up my elbow is all a reddish/purple. The swelling sometimes goes down with Ibuprofen (since it's an antiinflamatory), but the bones in my hand hurt and are bruised (the bone on the outside of my wrist, the bones in the center of the top of my hand near the IV site, and now the bones below my thumb are bruised, swollen, and painful.

I talked to my gp about it a couple weeks ago and he had an ultrasound done of my upper extremity (arm pit and upper inside arm) and they reported that they saw no clotting and the blood was flowing fine. My gp messaged back and said that the ultrasound viewed no blockage and I should just wait, but while the swelling is about the same, the pain in the bones is increasing.

I've been elevating it since it happened and I often wrap it in my electronic hot pad... cuz that's what they told me to do.

Any suggestions?

[knighty87]

Why do some nurses get an iv first time,and other's make numerous attempts. Apparently I'm a hard stick,and after 5 times being poked, it is utter misery. My daughter has been an er nurse for 20 years,and she said there is no excuse for that. I have been told I'm dehydrated,that my veins roll,and on and on,when they can't get it. They have put the iv in places,that swelled up and am bruised everywhere. I have also had wonderful nurses,that get it on the first try. What's up with that? Lack of skill? Dread having a procedure,because seems like the luck of the draw. Also,have felt the electric shock pain,but didn't last.So painful.

[ADoyle]

HI there,
would love excersises for arm nerve that you have!!  

My father had a prostatectomy about 6 wks ago and felt some numbness and pain in his arm after iv insertion...he's having more pain now that goes up to his shoulder and a little towards chest (collarbone) and is wondering what to do.  Any info would be appreciated!!  
Thanks!
Amanda

[igreen40]

My husband was in the hospital recently for an accident....he received an IV in his left hand that burned his hand and forearm down to the nerve. He still has scars from that and he just went to see the doctor about it last week for his last checkup and the doctor told him his has permanent nerve damage now in that hand because of the damage the IV did to his hand. He had 2nd and 3rd degree burns on his hand and arm from an IV. Obviously, someone didnt know what they were doing. In then end he has permanent nerve damage.