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Iron Infusion: 1st one, what should I expect

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 9/26/2008 7:08 AM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone... saw the GI last Thursday... my CD meds have been changed and I don't know if its just the transition phase but I am having more cramping, cold sweats and spending half the night bent in half in the bathroom than before. I 'm having a lot more pain.. when I eat, drink... just a constant pain in my upper left quadrant... hurts even more when I lie on my back. Anyone else experience this.

Also , I am having an iron infusion on tuesday... and I'm not sure what to expect. Will it be uncomfortable. The GI said it would take about 4 hours... Will there be any nausea... ? Do I feel better soon after. Right now I am so fatigued all the time, really fatigued . and my joints hurt a lot... lots of headaches too. I'm hoping this will improve after Tuesday... I don't know if I should give the new meds a longer time to 'kick' in.

It is called Salofalk... which is aspirin based isn't it? I can't take Ibuprofen without getting a bleed... wouldn't the aspirin do the same. ? I used to be on Sulfasalazine but was getting headhaches all the time. ... .

Any advice. ?

Love and prayers to you all ,

Mary

Posted 9/26/2008 9:20 AM (GMT 0)
I had my iron infusin done a few months ago,mostly its just boring other than that i got bad nausea the next day which ijust got prescribe sum anti nausea stuff but after my 2nd dose i didnt get ne nausea as for being tired well i did find it better but atm im feeling quite fatigued
Posted 9/26/2008 1:35 PM (GMT 0)
I am interested to hear what others say about it too. I am still waiting for them to call to schedule my infusion. I am hoping its soon, I am sooooo tired all the time, and I really am looking for some relief. Good luck!
Posted 9/26/2008 1:53 PM (GMT 0)
I had a couple of iron infusions last time I was in the hospital. Honestly, I didn't feel any different when it was happening, but I did feel a little bit stronger the days following. Everyone reacts differently to them though so just make sure and notify the nurse of any of the possible symptoms they tell you about. Other than that...there really isn't much to it. Bring a book?
Posted 9/26/2008 5:39 PM (GMT 0)

Mary,

I get iron infusions periodically and it's nothing to sweat. This is the way they do it at my center:   you're first given a small bag of iron to see if you have an allergic reaction.  (this lasts about 15-20 minutes). then they run saline to flush the line and you get an analgesic and an antihistime. After that is over, they wait about 15 minutes then hook you up to the big bag and that's it. The nurse/tech comes in every half hour to take your temp and bp. if you're doing ok, they may increase the drip, or if you're having issues they will slow it down.

The first time I did this it took almost 8 hours - my bp wouldn't play nice. But now that I'm doing better, it takes about 5 hours from the time I check in until I'm out the door.

Everyone at work says I look much better the day after this has been done and I know I feel a lot better.

Besides bringing a book and maybe some music to listen to, I would recommend bringing a few lemon drops or lifesavers to suck on. The iron tends to give me a metallic taste in my mouth

Good luck, Jade


Posted 9/26/2008 6:07 PM (GMT 0)

I had a series of 8 iron infusions last Winter.  One a week for 8 weeks.  It's totally not a big deal.  I didn't have any ill effects at all.  Most of the time they took anywhere between 2-4 hours.  Mostly because the infusion center I went to was pretty busy and the nurse had to start a line before she could even order my iron, so it took a while to get things up and running.  I had been having lots of fatigue and blood loss.  I really didn't feel an increase in my energy or even feel less tired until after the 5th or 6th infusion.  Then I felt like a new woman!

Good luck to you :-)

Posted 9/27/2008 2:41 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you for your reply everyone. I'll let you know how it goes. My biggest fear is two fold: I have restless leg syndrome and have to take clonazepam to manage it otherwise I 'll never be able to lie for 4 solid hours without going absolutely squirmy.
The other thing is nausea... I get nauseous at the drop of a hat... can I ask for something to control the nausea if I get it? My Bp doesn't behave at the best of times. I have to take 2 Ramipril a day ... otherwise my BP would be around 104 / 170 yo 190...
To tell you the truth I'm a bit nervous about this... but if it helps me feel better I'm ready and willing.
I am so fatigued all the time... by 3 in the afternoon, I just want to cry I'm so tired. ... if someone asked me my name , I'd have a hard time remembering it.
Mary
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