Posted 6/3/2011 2:46 PM (GMT 0)
I was offered weekly iron injections, but I refused when I saw photos on the internet of the bumpy brown splotches on your upper thighs that often result from iron residue left on the needle as it's withdrawn. And my doctor absolutely vetoed the idea of one massive iron infusion, since it can result in anaphylactic shock and has to be done in the hospital.
So she suggested that we divide the required iron dose into sixteen parts and that I come in for weekly infusions of Ferrlecit. Ultimately, she decided that I needed two full treatments, so I received 32 weekly infusions. No side effects, no scarring--and the only trauma involved a couple of times that the nurse couldn't immediately locate a vein.
The plus side was that I got to have my infusions (either in my doctor's office or at the hospital where I worked) surrounded by cancer patients taking their chemotherapy. Which turned out to be an important experience. Their humor and courage inspired me and gave me some perspective about my own disease. Also, the infusions forced me to stop multitasking and stressing for 90 minutes each week. I had to slow down and just read, or talk to the people in the recliners around me. Even with the infusions (which nobody likes, including me), it was an experience that was meaningful and enjoyable for me.
Since those infusions in 2003, my body has sort of jump-started itself, and my iron levels have risen to much less critical levels. So it's something that I'd recommend.