Iron Infusions Changed My Life

But I had to fight for them.

Wow, I had such a great response to my first post about my midlife menstruation woes. Here’s the 2nd part of the story with more information about iron infusions and how much they helped me.

A Little Back Story About My Heavy Periods

I’ve always had heavier than normal periods, but I also went most of my adult years between ages 26 and 38 without many because I was either pregnant with or breastfeeding one of my 4 babies. And when my period did return between each pregnancy, it would start out murder-scene worthy, but always settled to something much more manageable than I ever had before I got pregnant the first time.

I mean, I really thought that my debilitating periods were behind me. I certainly paid my dues in my teens and early twenties with such painful periods I often spent at least a day unable to move from the pain, while projectile vomiting. To this day, I’ve been to the ER more for period complications than anything else. I missed school or work every month for them.

How The Covid Vax & An IUD Plays Into This

My period returned when my youngest was 1, even though I still breastfed him for almost 3 more years. It remained manageable - after it leveled off- until a few months after I had my first Mirena IUD inserted. I had just turned 40.

Also worth noting: I had my first Covid vax- Pfizer- that year in April.

NOW. Please do not read too much into this.

I mean, yeah, it’s normal and ok to question if the vaccine had any effect BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT SCIENTISTS DO, but also I’m not saying for sure that caused it or that I’m anti vax now. It’s just another factor to consider, and this isn’t a political statement.

So a few months after my Mirena was inserted, I got the vax, and then the next period was HEAVY, and they got even heavier as the summer went on. This was after my period had diminished to next to nothing the months between getting the iud and getting the vax. At the time, we were just beginning to see a lot of talk about the vax’s effects on menstruation, so I assumed that I was experiencing that, and the next month’s period would go back to normal, or the next months, or the one after that.

It’s worth noting that while all of this was happening, I was barely holding myself together mentally. And when I’m not well mentally, I don’t have the desire or the energy, or really even feel like I deserve, to take care of myself physically beyond the most basic things.

I also assumed I still had an IUD inside me for birth control up until I reached out to my OBGYN about my extremely heavy periods that I talked about in my last post about this. They didn’t find it in my uterus via ultrasound. I wound up having an MRI on my abdomen to confirm it wasn’t floating around inside me. It was straight up missing. It fell out and I had no idea when, but I really thought I for sure felt the strings in May, and even thought I still felt them after that. Though, admittedly, that part of my cervix isn’t super smooth so idk wtf I was feeling.

If you’re new here, welcome to the part of the internet where you learn a lot about Jill Krause’s uterus and vagina. The OGs know my reproductive parts well at this point. Been talking about cervical mucus to the world wide web since 2007.

So that brings us to the fall of 2021. I’m extremely anemic from almost half a year of Niagra Falls periods. I’m also really fucking glad I somehow managed to not get pregnant. (I was seeing Jay throughout this.)

Iron Infusions Enter The Chat

After I did some digging, some asking, some crowd sourcing, I decided I wanted to try to get iron infusions if at all possible. My ferritin numbers were so low and I got so sick on iron supplements that it felt like the only way to get healthy in a reasonable amount of time. Unfortunately, my OBGYN would not call those in for me, and that felt defeating. I definitely had a good cry.

Then I called them back and took the advice of many other women who had been in this exact situation. I demanded a referral to a hematologist. Within a week, I had met with one, they ordered another round of labs for me, and they confirmed I was a great candidate for iron infusions. They ordered a round of 4 for me, one a week for a month. I was hooked up to an IV at a local oncology center for my first infusion shortly after that- the first week of October, 2021.

The hematologist told me that many doctors believe that iron infusions are risky because of allergic reactions, and that is a possibility still, but the treatment has come a long way and isn’t nearly as dangerous as it used to be. I was prepped on the risks and what to look for before my first appointment. And while I never had an adverse reaction while I was there, another patient did. They administered Benadryl to her and transferred her to emergency care. It seemed urgent, but not like anyone was afraid she’d die.

OBVIOUSLY I am not a doctor and am simply sharing my POV with you here. I’m not saying allergic reactions are no big deal, just that if your doctor uses that as a reason not to order iron infusions for you, talk to a hematologist, instead, for a 2nd opinion.

Of Course, That’s Not The End

I really hate how true the whole “you have to advocate for yourself” shit is. 100% I would still be miserable…. maybe worse? If I didn’t fight for those infusions. They did make a HUGE difference.

By the end of 4 rounds, the color was back in my face, my brain fog lifted, I could get up my stairs without blacking out, and I clocked the fastest 5k I ever have in my entire life.

For reference, I started a 50 mile run challenge right around my first iron infusion at the beginning of October. For the first 7-10 days I could barley run/walk 2 miles at a very slow pace. By the end of the month, I had completed all 50 miles, ending with a 10k (a little over 6 miles) with a pace 2 minutes faster than the 1-2 mile runs I began the challenge with.

I remember running that super fast 5k at the beginning of November and feeling euphoric simply because I could breathe, and I wasn’t dizzy, and I could push myself without feeling my heart race out of my chest.

“I am iron woman!” I yelled as I ran.

In 6 months, my ferritin would be back down to 2, and I’d feel worse than ever.

Part 3 to come