Iron Infusion

To try and start getting on the mend with all my iron stuff, I decided to have an iron infusion.

Basically you go in and sit in a chair for 4-5 hours while you wait for the iron to slowly drip into your blood.

Few things I did not know before:

1. It takes about 10 days for it to start helping :(
2. It causes you to have flu like symptoms for 2-3 days following :(

The nurses were great! My veins, however, were not! The first one rolled when they put the needle in and then it collapsed when they got it. They had to go to the next area. The next one they got in but while doing prep stuff the lead into my vein moved, I could feel it was wrong and fixed it. The nurse was trying to add the equipment to get the machine hooked up to me and she moved the lead back to the position it was in before (the one I could feel was going to cause problems). Before I could fix it again, my vein to collapse. The clinic has a 2 poke rule so the next nurse came over. She got into my vein and before she could do anything, I once again felt it collapse. I thought 3rd time was the charm but not in this case! The nurses had 1 more chance then they call in an anesthesiologist.

For the last one they tried to keep it to an easy one...they put it in my hand. I HATE hand IVs...they hurt so BAD but I was also really tired of having my veins collapse - that hurts more!

After that they do a trial of the iron (takes about 45 minutes). As long as you can tolerate it and not go into shock they start the full bag. Everything went fine with the trial so they then gave me 2 tylenol and a bag of benadryl (didn't know about this part either and it took about an hour). Finally after being there for 2+ hours they started the iron bag (which in and of itself takes 3 1/2 hours).

It was a LONG day at the Dr. office. I did get a nap in for a while (after all Benadryl puts me under with just a little dose and this was a much larger dose!) and some chatting with some nice women that were having chemo.

Today I am having the "flu like symptoms" they spoke of! BOO!!!

Yesterday I once again was reminded how precious life truly is. One sweet lady next to me was having Chemo for breast cancer. She has 5 children and 9 grand children. She is my mom's age. She work a cute little hat to cover that she no longer had hair. She was on her 3 of 6 chemo treatments. Her sweet kind husband sat next to her while the liquid poison was dripped into her veins. A poison she was hoping beyond hope would save her life!

This whole blood thing could have been that for me! I could have ended up with cancer and chemo and no hair. I am grateful that my trial right now is not that!

While I have so many trials right now, I hope and pray I will come out on top smiling and with growth! Ben's unemployment, my working full time, my being sick, hospital bills that have monthly payments for the next 10 years and so much more...I am blessed. I have my life! I have my loving husband and 2 beautiful children. I have the gospel. I have a home. I have a car. I may not have as much as many around me but I can't look at their lives because it does not help. I may not have all that I have dreamed and worked towards but I DO have everything I need plus more in the things I do have. Everyone has trials in life and no one gets out of them but how we grow and learn in our trials is the important part.

I am looking for happiness in the small things each day! Today small blessing in life that I am counting as big is my patio area that holds my kids play house! They love the playhouse and having an outside area to play in during the summer. I love that they have somewhere they can play.