It’s already one of the most common procedures during a hospitalization, but what should you know about getting an IV?

If it’s your first time with IV therapy or your 100^th time, we feel it’s important for you to know the following about IV therapy.

That’s why we sat down with ivWatch Clinical Director Libby Price, a registered nurse for over 20 years, to tell us about what you should expect.

1. This might hurt, but it shouldn’t hurt for long.

Getting any type of needle inserted in your skin will likely cause some level of discomfort depending on several factors, but generally, IV therapy shouldn’t hurt any longer than that first insertion.

“It shouldn’t hurt when your IV is being accessed or when your medication is being infused,” Price said. “A lot of times, nurses will say the medication might burn, but it really shouldn’t hurt. Often, it’s a sign that something is wrong with your IV.”

If your IV continues to hurt long after insertion, then there’s a chance you could be dealing with IV infiltration or extravasation.

MORE: Read on the Causes, Signs, Side Effects, and Treatments for IV Infiltrations and Extravasations.

Both and IV infiltration and extravasation are causes for concern for your medical team. Always alert your team whenever you’re dealing with any amount of pain at the IV site.

2. Alert your team of any issue with your IV.

Speaking of your care team, letting them know of any sort of issue with your IV is paramount. That’s why if you see any kind of bruising, swelling, redness or leaking, letting your nurse to look at things will not only put your mind at ease, but will also help hospital staff maintain a high level of care.

MORE: READ MORE: Why does my IV hurt?

“While your nurse does a great job of routine IV checks, they’re not in the room with you all the time, so it’s beneficial for you to keep an eye on your IV,” Price said.

On top of those issues, Price says to also make sure to tell your care team if your IV site becomes loose or wet during treatment.

3. Avoid the “areas of flexion.”

You’ve likely seen an IV in someone’s wrist or envision it on the inside of your elbow. Turns out, those are places on your body where your IV can fail sooner, according to Price.

“I think it’s one thing when you get your blood drawn through the vein in your elbow considering it’s easy to access but imagine having a catheter in there every time you bend your arm. Every time you bend your elbow or move your wrist, it could cause a problem.”

If your IV is in one of those areas, you’re also looking at the chance of your IV medication not infusing correctly or extra pressure or movement being placed on the site.

4. A clean site is a happy (and safe) site.

Remember when your mother used to tell you to wash your hands when you came inside or left the bathroom? Same rules apply when it comes to handling your IV site.

Price says to make sure anyone that touches your IV cleans the site and the port with alcohol to kill any potential bacteria.

“What’s huge in hospitals is trying to prevent infections,” Price said. “Having the patient help make sure ports are being swabbed is just another critical part of care.”

Some hospitals, according to Price, may use disinfecting caps instead. The caps are colored caps that go over IV ports and provide disinfectant.

MORE: Read on Techniques to Prepare and Care for an IV.

“Not all hospitals use this,” Price said. “But you can still help the hospital and yourself maintain the integrity of the port and the site by making sure your ports have caps after the nurse is finished.”

Price says you should also ask your nurse or care team to put a fresh cap on your IV port once they have accessed it. Better safe than sorry.

But what if the cap falls off? Time for a new one, says Price.

5. “Take care of yourself” is not just good advice for life.

While your care team is ultimately in charge of your health during a hospital stay, consider yourself part of the team as well.

That’s why it’s important to help keep your IV site and the dressing dry – even when you shower or wash your hands.

“Keep the IV dressing dry as best you can,” Price said. “Obviously, don’t submerge your entire IV dressing in water, but work to make sure the IV dressing is dried once it’s made contact with water.”

Also important is making sure you avoid situations where your tubing can stuck in bed linens or bedrails. Having IV tubing caught on anything is a great way for your IV to be pulled out or dislodged.

Bending your arm can also be an issue for IVs. If bending your arm causes your IV pump to beep, avoid bending it.

Finally, try to avoid sleeping on your IV site. Increased pressure on the IV site is another way to cause an infiltration or extravasation.

A hospital stay with IV therapy is not something to be afraid of when it’s all said and done. At the end of the day, staying in constant communication with your care team when it comes to any changes will make your stay more pleasant and productive.