iv hand swollen

[jdillon 355]

I had surgery on 8/15/14. I just noticed how swollen my right hand is. I was poked a lot to get the iv just right. Should I be alarmed with the swelling?

[agirlnamedfrankie 69]

This happened to me as well. After two days on the IV, my hand swelled up and my arm got really hot and painful. The nurses shrugged it off. Fairly sure it was phlebitis. The swelling went down eventually but the pain stuck around until I started using a warm compress on it and now it's dissipated quite a bit and will hopefully disappear in the next couple of days.

[jdillon 355]

Thank you

[WhoKnows 288]

I hope you've mentioned it to the nurses. I had very sudden major swelling at the site of the IV in my arm, and it was cause one if my veins had just given up and said "Enough!" I guess the liquid was just filling up the surrounding tissue? It wasn't a problem, but I also all told the nurses right away when I noticed it and they immediately removed that IV (I had another on in the other arm).

[BitterSweet* 835]

Really warm compresses will fix the problem.

[Pepper123 320]

Swollen iv area happens all the times...not just from having the sleeve....i had my Appendix taken out and had swollen iv area......a warm compress will fix that....congrats on you're surgery!!!

[katonaboat 44]

My surgery was in June and I still have a bruise/discolored area where the IV slipped from the vein. It was hours before I noticed the goose egg lump on my arm at the hospital and alerted the nurses. It took a week or two for the swelling to go down, but no other complications.

[KarinaVSGinTX 1]

I was in the hospital last week dealing with a leak in my sleeve. My hand swelled up like a balloon. I didn't know about the warm compresses, but because you're dealing with the lymphatic system, the way I got that swelling down was by lifting up my arm as much as possible. I slept on the hospital bed that same night with my arm over my head (with my head and torso position upwards at a 45 degree angle), and the next day the swelling was gone. I hope one of those ways works for you!

[scrapbasket 83]

rest elevation ice RICE ( rest elevation compression ice for all injuries)

AND traumeel which is an ointment with arnica, a herb that is good for bruising. love sara

[BitterSweet* 835]

Elevation, rest and the arnica yes. Ice no. Warm compresses are needed for phlebitis.

[Juba 19]

When I was still in the hospital post op I remember looking over at my left hand where the IV was and crapping my pants! My hand and wrist were HUGE, like HUUUUUUUUUUUGE! lol! It looked like it was going to blow up. Vein collapsed so the IV was draining under my skin. They removed and put on other hand but it took a few days to completely go back down.

[dhenderson66 0]

Oh boy I'm so glad I came across this forum. My right arm swelled up so much in the hospital, it was so painful I had to keep it elevated. I only found relief on my walks around the nurse's station pushing my IV cart with my both of my arms lifted high in the air. They did an ultrasound on my last morning just to rule out a blood clot. Other than my arms swelling up and painful, my surgery went fantastic!

[gottagonow 82]

Happened to me b/c the PA couldn't get a vein and tried to go through an artery in my hand. She also kept looking at the clock because she got off at 7 and didn't seem to have time for this. Yeah, great lady. Blood went flying everywhere but the vial and my hand was a mess for almost a month.

Then a nursing assistant came in later that day b/c the lab said the little in the vial was not enough and took some easily from my arm vein.

What are you going to do....

[NurseHeather 1]

This is very normal.....give the IV Fluid time to absorb and it will be like normal in no time.....this is nothing to be worried about!