Iron Infusion Update

So I wanted to post the results of my iron infusion I opted for the all day version of the infusion vs. several visits over several weeks. I had 1,000 mg of iron dextran and it took about 6-1/2 hours. The doctor wanted to give me 1,200, but the hospital policy limited it to 1,000. I ended up working from home the next day, but not because I felt bad from the infusion. There were delays in the procedure and I didn't end up getting home until 1 am. If I hadn't been so desperate to feel better, I would have left and done it another time, but I wasn't leaving until it was done. No side effects, no complications. I had labs done 2 weeks later and my results were great. The doctor is very pleased with them and I feel a gazillion times better (took a week or so to really feel like I was back to "normal"). My Ferritin was 3, Iron was 11 and Hemoglobin was 8.0.Ferritin is now 239 (actually a tad high), Iron is 57, and Hemoglobin is 10.4. I have a standing order with the lab now to get everything checked every 2 months and will get another infusion when the numbers decline or I start to feel how I did before. If you are struggling with low levels and low energy, push the doctor to get an infusion sooner rather than later.

That's great to hear. Those who get iron infusions often swear it's like a new lease on life.

Everyone should be getting their ferritin checked once a year, for life!

Hi,

I can't wait to get mine! I have been feeling crappy and non energetic!!

Yay, so glad you're feeling better. My infusion is Monday.

Hope everything went well and you have great results from it.

Damn. All the cool kids are getting iron infusions.

Since you exclusively eat red meat, I doubt you will ever get to be one of the cool kids. I think you are better off though, so don't go changing to try to fit in.

I'm so glad to hear that you're feeling better and your levels are up! That's great news.

Once, my ferritin levels fell to 5, and my doctor decided to try iron shots instead of an infusion. I'd been on iron pills for years and they weren't helping.

I had an allergic reaction to the shots, and they stopped giving them to me. The doctor said it was a good thing I hadn't had the iron infusions. He switched me to a different iron pill, called Palafer, which is commonly given to pregnant women. It has folic acid and vitamin C added to the iron, and my ferritin levels slowly went up.

This was all way before surgery, so I'm hoping my levels are still OK; I have to go for blood work next week.

There are different kinds of iron infusions. Those older ones were prone to bad reactions. They usually gave a small infusion first, waited a week to check for a reaction, then gave a cpuple more infusions. There are new varieties that are pretty much reaction free. But insurance often won't cover some of them.

Oh, that's a relief. I'm Canadian so insurance isn't a problem :-).