Emla Cream

[dyannalw]

Does it work well.  What are your experiences with it.  I was given a Rx for it and asked one lady at dialysis who uses it, she said it worked great but when they are hooking her up I see in her face and hear her wince when they stick the needles.  They have been having problems with my blood clotting and have been sticking me more than 3 times in order to get it to work.  I'm so tired of the pain.  I really hope the emla works.  Thank you for your replys in advance.

[peleroja]

I've heard of Emla, but don't know anything about it.  I used to use Topicaine (5% Lidocaine) when I went in for my lab draws.  Never felt a thing.  I don't know how it would work on those large needles, though.  Topicaine can be bought through the internet.

[dyannalw]

I was able to get the emla cream with medicaid and I will try it on Saturday to see how it works.  Thank you for your reply.

[dwcrawford]

The emla (also refered to  as lidocaine/?  works well if they acidentlly hit the spot where you put it.  (i think maybe one is generic)  Either ways iis it far better than nothing.  Says hour or so  before they stick but surveys indicate it  works better and I agree at hour forty five minutes.

They showed us a spray on last week at an expo that supposed works better and you put it on 2 minutes before.  So  the tech could do it for you.  Haven't tried it but do have a prescription to  fill and I'll  "tell  all".  Problem is the prescription doen't really list a name but just says "Pain Ease for dialysis patients"... 

By the way,  I am a big Wuzz....so I hate pain or any kind.  It hurts.

[Darthvadar]

Hi Dyann...

When my mum was on haemo, she found EMLA very good... If, as Dan says, they hit the right spot... Mum used to apply it to about five spots along her fistula, and they (usually) hit the right area... She didn't find that spray applied just before needling at all helpful....

[dwcrawford]

Datrh, I believe this spray is something new.  The doctor brought samples last week  and was discussing it with the main nurse guy.  It freezes the entry point... but I'm not sure.  I'll pick some up this weekend and try it out Monday.

[Brianna!]

I'm going to start using the spray when they use my fistula at my new unit. It makes some patients arm really cold when they spray it, apparently. And it can make the skin tough? I'll let you guys know how that goes, when they use my fistula again.

[Darthvadar]

Appearantly, that spray was being used in some countries in Europe for the past couple of years... Mum only came off haemo about a year ago...

I'd love to hear that it works for some people thouggh.......

Darth...

[nursewratchet]

Some of my patients used it (the spray).  It is a freezing spray, not harmful.  The cream has to be applied all over any possible stick points, at least 30 minutes pryor.  It's messy.  If  you have a nice FA, they will order the spray for you.  It's about 30. a bottle if insurance won't cover it.  The Emla cream is more expensive if your insurance won't cover it.  Neither will hurt your access.  The lidocaine shots will however, shortne the life of the access. 

[Darthvadar]

Ah Ha!!!...

Thanks Nurse Wratchett....

I think by the time Mum finished haemo, she'd have needed a complete nerve block to make her capable of continuing... As it was taking an average of eight or ten attempts to needle her (her fistula never matured), she was beyond reasoning with!...

Interesting though... I hope that the spray gives comfort to lots of people...

[MissyKew]

Please post the name of the spray when you know what it is.....

[Fluffykiwi]

Hi there,

I've been prescribed Emla cream for a very painful fistula. I tried it and didn't really find it worked that well for me. But I think the problem is, my entire arm was painful, so Emla wasn't really going to help. It's important that you don't rub in the Emla, just apply it as a thick layer onto your skin, then place the dressing supplied with the cream over the cream you've applied onto your arm. It will self absorb. It's supposed to be some anesthetic type of cream. Problem was I couldn't apply it across my entire arm plus the fact that it is far too expensive.

Good Luck, I hope it works for you

Cheers,
Natalie

[Gramapat]

I have used the emla cream for 2 years and it works fine for me.  I use a line of it on both my arterial and venous stick lines.  I put it on one hour and a half before my put-on time.  I hate being stuck so don't want to use the lidocaine shots.  Try it but make sure you use enough and put it on way ahead of time.

[thegrammalady]

i put it on an hour to an hour and a half before, then cover it with a bit of seran wrap or part of a plastic bag. most of the time i never feel a thing. but even if i do, it's no where near as bad as using nothing.

[dwcrawford]

Ok, here's the latest I know about the spray.

It is called:  Pain Ease Medium Stream Aero Spray
The active ingredients :  Gebauer's Spray and Stretch.

Walgreens hasn't received it yet but they will order for me for Monday.  I only asked for 1 month supply since it is
   $34.00 and not on the generic llist for my Part D Medicare.  The insurance only paid $10 for the Specicalty price. 
   This is enough to try since the Lidcain/xxx cream is for no cost for 3 months supply on Mail Order.  9 tubes for nothing or
    one can for $24...  Any math people wanna help me out with that.  lol  But will tell you more if it is miraculous.

The cream works but way messier.  Gotta figure out how much its worth to not make a mess.

[MissyKew]

Thank you for the info Dwcrawford.  Is it a prescription med?.

[dwcrawford]

yes, it is prescription...at least my doc thought it was and wrote one.  Good though other wise it would have been 34 instead of 24.  If you can wait till after wednesday next week, I'll tell you if it is better or not.

Re the cream.  some sayd 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours is what they do  (me too) and it works most of the time.  doesn't make much difference if 45 or 74 min (according a a survey). but if you leave it on 1 hour 45 minutes the pain seem to be lots less.  I'll try that on Mondy.  (read a survey on internet)...

Good Luck,  Dan

[murf]

i have been using Emla cream for about three years and it works like a dream. I apply a liberal amount up and down the forearm and wrap Glad Wrap around it. A couple of tricks I have worked out by trial and error. Wrap the Plastic wrap tightly and leave for about two hours. It may leave a red mark but that goes away the next day. Some people can't use the cream at all as they have an allergic reaction. I don't find it too messy as the plastic protects the clothes and when I get to the centre, I wash it off. Oh yeah, one more tip. Don't wash it off until the nurse is just about to needle. Once washed, ii immediately starts to lose it anesthetic quality. It can be expensive but I'm on a pension so it only costs me $A5.

[dyannalw]

Thank you for all the replies.  I forgot to try it on Saturday and used the shots instead.  I'm a bit nervous about trying anything new.  I'm just so tired of the pain.  Thank you again.

[Pam]

I used Emla cream for 3 months ans it worked great. Then I got buttonholes. for the first month I put a dab on each hole but one day I foregot. I was nervous that morning! Well I didn't feel a thing. Maybe just a little pressure, and I haven't used the cream since.

What part of Mo are you in? My Son and GS and inlaws all live in SE Mo. We want to go visit this spring but I am very leery of going to a different center.

Pam

[nursewratchet]

A good buttonhole doesn't require anything for pain.  They are wonderful.  Again,  if you have a decent center, they may order the spray for you, just keep it in the med cabinet.  We always ordered it for a couple of patients if they had no insurance for it.