I'm on chemo therapy.. on my last cycle... as the nurse was putting the medication my hand started blowing up

like a ballon... the nurse pull the iv out right away.. and she finished the treatment on my other hand.. now it's have been three weeks and my hand is still swollen and discolored and numbed and i can't strech my arm normally. and it hurt alot... is this malpratice??? should i seek legal measurements...??? i want my hand back.. :( please help me... went yesterday to for a 2nd opinion and the dr said the nurse missed my vein and the medication is in my tissue..

It is called medical negligence. If the same has been done under the supervision of the doctor, the kind of accident should have been avoided.

Right. Man that is to bad it also because you had chemo things take a little longer to heal add lots of ice to it on 10 off 20 on again -

No it's not malpractice your vein was likely very hard to see and she missed and chemo medication isn't nice its nasty.
Sadly we all make mistakes it is just more costly with humans.

Be sure you let the MD who works with her know how hard this has been -

It was an accident, not intentional. But, I would be angry too. There really is no room for error in cases like this and the nurse should be told that. Did you ask the doctor why the medication is still in the tissue three weeks later? What kind of chemotherapy drug was used?

My son has a central line and has not encountered that type of problem, but he has had a serious bacterial contamination caused by a careless nurse. She never worked with our son again.

Hope you feel better soon.

I had an experience on my 2nd round of chemo where the nurses stated they were "pushing" the drugs into my system too fast. I almost immediately had shotness of breath, my chest tightened & my face turned red according to a nurse. They stopped it right away too but unfortunately the damage has been done. I talked to my oncologist 3 weeks later at my next treatment & he seemed very concerned, discussed it with the nurses but now dances around it when I continue to tell him I am experiencing similar tightness in my chest. They don't want to own up to any of this, they are professionals administering this & finding veins all day long. My nephew who is a paramedic can find a vein easier & quicker traveling 70 mph down a bumpy road in the back of an ambulance than these oncology nurses can so I know your frustration. It's great that you got a 2nd opinion, as did I & my regular doc seemed concerned too but nobody really wants to address it. I know it seems like the last thing you want to do but since you aren't completely healed, you still have evidence that this ocurred where I didn't. I would find an attorney that will talk with you for 20-30 min. & follow his recommendations. God Bless! Make notes & document & take pics if necessary.

Almost every time that I have had to have an IV put into my hand, the same exact thing happens. It's not uncommon, scary yes, but not uncommon. I was told by a friend of mine who is a nurse that when this happens the vein has collapsed or is too small. Hang in there and good luck.

Seek legal advice, on a no win no pay situation. This medication is now going to have to dissipate into your body through other channels, if this is at all possible. You need to find out if it will go away, what the side effects of the drug will be. You may have dire consequenses set in action. The nurse should be accountable. I would go back to where you had the treatment and speak to someone higher than her, and show them. Have photos taken of your hand, just in case you need them, and have another independent assessment of the damage done and follow up visits of assessment, in case they are ever needed in court.