Feraheme IV iron injections, not "infusions" = full insurance coverage

There weren't a lot of responses to my last post asking about Feraheme, so I wanted to put this out there in case anyone else is looking for iron options.

I got the word today from the hematologist's office that my insurance will cover the Feraheme injections at 100% because they're considered office services, similar to something like an in-office allergy shot.  The Ferrlecit infusions I had in '09 cost a pretty penny, even after insurance paid their portion, so I was a little nervous about how much this was going to cost.  What a relief! 

FWIW, my hematologist says the Feraheme is two IV injections (each a only 10-minute push), with the second injection eight days after the first.  Little risk for allergic reaction & iron levels should be good for at least a year (ymmv).  Sounds like a wonderful alternative to oral iron and/or lengthy infusions.

I go next week for the first injection & a week later for the second.  I'll post my experience with it when I'm done.  Hopefully the results will be good - I can't wait to have some energy again!

Thanks for posting this and the future follow-up results. I will need this info in about 18 months!

Curious, how low do you go with your iron levels before they recommend this and iron infusion therapies? Because I have been anemic all my life and NO doctor has ever recommended infusions, ever, or referred me to a hemotologist or anything. I was so low they gave me blood transfusions when I was in the hospital over the summer!

The first time I was ever tested for anemia was in October '09, about 2 months after my DS.  I'd had a 5-week, very heavy menstrual cycle in addition to surgery, plus I'd caught a stomach virus!  My doc took one look at me & ordered labs to check for anemia.  I wasn't what she called severely anemic, but my serum iron, hemoglobin & hematocrit were below normal, plus my ferritin was at 7 (which is pretty darn low!)  She wanted to order a transfusion, but I asked for an infusion instead.  I'm her only DS patient & she's not overly familiar with infusions, so she consulted with another doc & then ordered a series of 4 Ferrlecit infusions.  I received them weekly through late Oct & early Nov, and although my numbers came up, but I would have liked to see my ferritin especially get a little higher (the highest it got was 90.)  I've had regular bloodwork every 3-6 months since then & my iron levels have steadily declined. 

I just recently had my 18-month labs drawn & my serum iron, hemoglobin & hematocrit are all at the lowest possible end of normal, and my ferritin is 6.  I'm exhausted again, cold all the time (especially my feet!), experiencing restless leg at night, chewing popsicles like crazy, etc.  This time, I told my doc I wanted to be more aggressive with the infusions, possibly do the big 8-hour infusion I've read about here.  Again, since she's not very familiar with infusions, she eventually decided it would be better to send me to a hematologist who would know more about the different options.

It's entirely possible, and highly likely, that I've been anemic most of my life, too, especially with the severe periods I had as a result of my PCOS.  No one ever checked or ordered infusions or anything for me before either, and I had SEVERAL doctors.  I never knew about infusions until reading about them here.

Well, I'm without insurance again so when I get on insurance in the fall I'm going to be more assertive in this arena. Right now I'm taking double Proferrin doses a day so let's hope it works. My ferritin was 4 when they gave me the blood transfusions, then that brought it up to 43 but it dropped again my last labs to 17.

Thanks for posting this information, I'm bookmarking your threads.

Larrissa, if when you get on insurance again, if it's PPO you can just go to a hematologist on your own.  I just explained my situation and that oral iron wasn't working and I had no problem with getting infusions.

Make sure the nurse knows what she's doing when she injects the Feraheme- she has to use the Z-track method or you might get tatood.

Pup

Um, I have no idea what the Z-track method is, but I'll double-check with her! 

I sure HOPE the nurse knows what she's doing!  I'm going to a cancer center where they do chemo & other IV drugs on a regular basis, and the hematologist said he orders this often, so I'm assuming they'll know how to administer it....wouldn't be my first tattoo, but it probably wouldn't do much for my iron levels!

Ok, NOW I wanna know what and where the mystery tattoo(s) are...

No mystery here...I have a Brian Froud fairy on my back/shoulder blade.