[TwiceThe Woman]

Two things - they hurt like a b*stard, I was sitting on one bum cheek for 2 days afterwards, and they leave a mark - basically a rust stain. Yes, even 4 years later I have 6 rust stains on my bum

^^^Part 1 is true - they do hurt & Part 2 is only true if the injection is not administered properly.
It is surprising how many don't know it should be administered by a "Z" injection, with pressure applied for 3 minutes after, then there will be no skin stain.

[Glowworm80]

I had an iron transfusion in Dec last year. It only took about an hour and a half, and a had it done at a pathologist. My doctor said the transfusion is preferable to the injections as the injections just sit in the muscle, and can have side effects like the 'staining' whereas the transfusion is straight into your blood.

[71Cath]

^^^Part 1 is true - they do hurt & Part 2 is only true if the injection is not administered properly.
It is surprising how many don't know it should be administered by a "Z" injection, with pressure applied for 3 minutes after, then there will be no skin stain.

Too late

[Thestral]

Hi OP! I used to have them, and they worked for me. I felt really energised within days.

[creepersgonnacre...]

I had an infusion and it worked well

[rosiec]

I've had both the iron injection and the infusion.

The iron injections sting a bit and they can stain, but as I said to my dr, I don't look at my butt so I don't care if there is staining. A course is 6 injections given over a couple of months. I had three courses 18 months apart. The highest levels I achieved were very low ferritin stores (10) on the injections. I didn't notice any dramatic changes other than I didn't have a constant cold or flu or whatever else was going around. Whilst I still felt tired, I didn't need to have nanna naps every day.

It was then decided after my DD was born that I should have an iron infusion as my iron levels and stores continued to be very low. I needed to see an endo and haematologist, get a colonoscopy, endoscopy and then pill cam - again (all showed up nothing wrong with my digestive system/bowels, no bleeding etc). The infusion took about 4 hours (they start off REAALLYY slow as there is an increased chance of anaphylactic shock but then once decided that I would be okay, they ramped it right up. A follow up blood test gave me the highest iron levels and stores I've had in 20 years. It's been 3 years since I've had the infusion and my iron levels have dropped but are still within normal range. I've felt significantly better with these, though it was a gradual process rather than waking up one day and thinking 'wow' I'm full of beans.

Good luck.

This post has been edited by rosiec: 02/07/2012, 11:55 AM

[Chill-Pill]

I am another that had injections (with a couple of permanent stains that look like bruises to prove it) but found they weren't effective and ended up having an iron infusion which worked really well. The infusion meant being in hospital for at least half a day and because of the risk of a reaction a Dr sat beside me for the first 30 mins or so. After years of being anaemic I really wish that I had the infusion sooner. I also expected that my levels would drop quickly after the infusion but surprisingly they haven't even a couple of years on. I did need to see a haematologist though but I am not sure if this is required?

This post has been edited by ******: 02/07/2012, 10:39 AM

[Witchipoo]

I had my first injection on Friday in the hip/lower back region. I didn't realise that the nurse had finished as I was expecting it to hurt a lot more (I had just had a B12 shot in my arm which stung and they told me that the iron shot was going to be worse but it wasn't). Once I got up and started moving around it did start to hurt and the car ride home was uncomfortable.

I didn't feel tired or run down and am not vegetarian so was surprised when my haematologist told me that I was going to need a course of B12 and iron injections. The last few weeks have been extremely hectic with a million different things going on. On Saturday night we had a party for DF's 40th and although he was sick as a dog on Sunday, he got up with the kids while I slept till 10! I haven't slept that late for years but I think I have been running on adrenalin for the last week or so!

I have my second iron shot today and will have another 4 shots over the next two weeks. I had a B12 shot daily for three days and will have another one in a month.