First Iron Injection Today

[Audrey-B]

Hi all, just thought i'd post about my experience on getting my first iron injection (not to be confused with infusion).

I had my first of five injections today and it was such a relief. First it took the chemist three weeks to get the iron from a supplier and then my doctor was sick last monday and this monday. I began to think i'd never get the ball rolling. I had psyched myself up to think that it would hurt a lot, but once it was done i thought "is that it!!!". He then applied a small bandaid and said i can go home. I guess some doctors are good at giving injections, drawing blood ect, while some aren't and cause a lot of pain and bruising. This doctor definitely knew how to give an injection considering i hardly felt a thing. So if you hear horror stories about how painful iron injections are then i'd say it all comes down to the actual doctor doing the procedure.

The only thing i had done wrong was that i had gotten off the surgery bed too quick plus i'm getting over a winter virus and i had lost my appetite and my stomach was empty. As i was walking through the surgery to leave i had an overwhelming feeling that i was going to faint. Sitting in a chair with my head bent forward doesnt work for me, i need to lay down horizontally. Somehow i got to my car and passed out on the back seat and within minutes i was fine.

That was 7hrs ago and the only thing i can feel is the typical pain in the muscle you get when you have had an injection. The injection is in the upper bottom cheek area and that area is always iffy when getting injections.

As i've still got the flu it's difficult to tell whether i feel any different at this stage due to the injection. Will post again next monday when i get my next injection.

[osteoblast]

Audrey- Sounds like a little excitement with collapsing in the backseat but overall you thought is was ok, right? What was your ferritin level , and why did the doc think an injection was called for?

Glad to hear that you made it through and hope that the injections get you where you need to be!!!

[Audrey-B]

Hi Osteoblast - Basically April 2006 my ferretin was 8 and then i took iron tablets which began to constipate me, then i move to a liquid iron and had no side effects, but progress was very slow as a lot of this over the counter stuff isn't strong enough dosage-wise.

In Feb '07 i saw a Trichologist and he got me onto a much stronger supplement, then i got IBS symptoms from it, then he got me taking organic iron tablets with it to settle my stomach and this worked. In March my ferretin was 29 and in May it was 26. It really killed to get that result showing that i was going backwards rather than forwards.

Due to the slow progress and the initial iron supplement he had me on giving me side effects he suggested that iron injections would work much faster, especially as i need my levels up much higher to stop my hair shedding. Also my thyroid is a tiny bit out and he feels it's all due to low iron levels for so many years.

As my haemoglobin and my b12 are good i got the go ahead for the injections. I wasn't aware that certain key things in your blood test had to be at the right levels before they would do the injections and they generally do the injections for people who are having difficult absorbing iron.

After creating this thread yesterday the muscle at the injection area (at my backside) became a bit stiff and sore. When i went to bed last night i heated up one of those wheat bag thingies in my microwave and laid it across my hip and derrier and today i hardly feel a thing. Maybe this has only happened as it was a first injection, i'm not sure. Will see what happens on monday when i get my next one.

[Audrey-B]

Had my 2nd iron injection today and dont feel any muscle soreness like i did with the first injection. I actually don't feel a thing and i'm having no side effects.

I've been laid low with the flu for the last 2 weeks so missed out on last weeks injection. My gp who is doing the injections asked whether i had noticed a difference in hair shedding. It was nice of him to ask, but it does go to show how little gp's know about low ferretin levels and hair loss/regrowth!! I think he is getting educated along with me getting my injections.....oh well, at least i'm trying to educate him and hopefully he can utilise this with future patients. At least he isn't fobbing me off or trivialising my situation.

As for hair loss, well mine normally stops shedding quite a lot over the winter months. When summer arrives it will be a real test then as that is when i typically begin shedding monstrous amounts from early summer to start of winter.

[clairenichols01]

Audrey,

I also suffer from hair loss and am taking aldachtone and minoxidil from a trichologist. I am going to get an iron injection today as the blood tests tat I have had show that I am low in iron an zinc.

Is there any tips that you have found helpful as summer is coming and I fear the hair loss that will happen.

Also do you have any probs with growing extra hair e.g on arms and face?

Thanks it's good to know that I am not the only one.

Claire