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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Sensitivity To Both Heat And Cold In The Vein?

Have a pain on the inside of my left arm. From December 2009 until February 2010 I had a picc line for antibiotic treatment for septis. The picc line was reinserted in May for approxmately 3 weeks. I am now very sensitive to both heat and cold in the vein that runs inside my arm - sometimes I feel it go right around my armpit. The sensitivity ranges on the pain scale from 2 when I am at my best to 7 or 8, if I am lifting heavy packages or in extreme temps. What can this be from?
Tue, 22 Aug 2017
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  User's Response
Hi there,

The most likely cause of pain and discomfort after a PICC line is that the vein has been thrombosed, or clotted off. Usually, the vein that the PICC line is inserted in is the cephalic or basilic vein in the arm. This is not to be confused with a deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The fact that you had one of these veins affected is not usually a big deal, and may cause some discomfort, but does not pose any significant health risks. I recommend using warm compresses when you have the pain, and ibuprofen may help you as well, as this reduces the inflammation that is associated with it.

I hope this answers your question. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.
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What Causes Sensitivity To Both Heat And Cold In The Vein?

Hi there, The most likely cause of pain and discomfort after a PICC line is that the vein has been thrombosed, or clotted off. Usually, the vein that the PICC line is inserted in is the cephalic or basilic vein in the arm. This is not to be confused with a deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The fact that you had one of these veins affected is not usually a big deal, and may cause some discomfort, but does not pose any significant health risks. I recommend using warm compresses when you have the pain, and ibuprofen may help you as well, as this reduces the inflammation that is associated with it. I hope this answers your question. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.