Monday, May 5, 2014

A Day Of Iron

May 5 - Monday

Today I am scheduled for a 6 hour iron infusion, making up for the one I missed the previous week.  My oncologist is also a hematologist thus he really pays attention to blood.  He said diet and supplements would not bring my iron level up fast enough due to my continual blood loss thus an iron infusion is necessary.  He is new to this practice and he prescribes a different type of iron infusion than others.  Most others have a two hour type iron infusion, he prescribes a much more extensive infusion, this length really plays havoc on the schedule at the infusion center as I will be occupying one of their chairs for most of the day.  This center mostly does the outpatient chemotherapy treatments and other oncology shots, etc.  I arrive at my appointed time at 8:00 am and I am assigned my chair for the day.  The setup is nice, an electric reclining chair and a tv and plenty of plugs so can plug in my phone and laptop that I brought along.  The nurse takes my vitals and explains the procedure and I add up the hours as she describes them and it really sounds like this is going to be 7 or 7 1/2 hours instead of 6.   I am ok with that, have nowhere else to go.  The nurse put the IV in, the stick is good, no practicing today :-).   Sets up a bag of regular saline. Then hooks up a small bag of iron.  This is a test bag of iron, it goes in over the next half hour. It just seems strange watching a brown liquid flow into your arm and you think,  this is supposed to be good for me. Then I have to wait an hour to make sure I don't have a reaction.  The the nurse brings out this huge bag of iron along with another of saline.  She says these will flow in over the next 5-1/2 - 6 hours.  In my mind, I see all those fluids and I think they are just trying to float me out of here.  With that much iron going in, I am glad it is not raining out, for sure I will rust.  Other than being very boring the infusion goes very well.  As I walk out I feel quite good.  I have a little more pep in the step, I guess a body does not like to be anemic.

Feeling good today.  Looking forward for treatments to start tomorrow.

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