How IV Iron Gave Me Back My Life!

“Health challenges are often multifactorial. That was certainly the way my health plummeted and my iron literally fell off the charts.” 

My pre-existing Celiac genetic issue was activated by a ripe combination of the Covid virus, vaccination and a long-term relationship break up. Events like these act as a series of assaults on the immune system, and they are traumas that many of us have experienced.

I remember driving home from work and being dizzy, wanting to go to bed by 8pm before my youngest daughter because I just didn’t have the energy to stay up. I would wake up and feel like my legs were lead pipes, and I could start seeing my scalp from minor hair loss.

Something was seriously wrong. I am healthy! I am a naturopathic doctor. But I knew something was seriously off.

Diagnosing Iron Deficiencies

I asked my colleague to requisition my bloodwork and check everything. What came back was that my Iron (serum) was a 2.0 (well below where it needs to be), and my Transferrin and SAT were also at the lowest possible limit, with my Ferritin being at a “healthy” 75 as my MD told me.

I was anything but healthy.

I did a lot of research and realized that my celiac had probably been activated (any GI upset or disturbance can interfere with iron absorption and metabolization) with both the Vaccine and the Virus that had caused me to lose 10 pounds and stay in bed for 2 weeks.

And due to my celiac activation, I had not been able to utilize, activate or metabolize iron properly.  I got into my sauna blanket one day for 3 hours, and I knew that something was terribly, terribly wrong.

Iron has over 180 metabolic functions in the body, and oxygenating your blood and tissues is only one of them. I felt like the dizziness was getting worse.

IV Iron Infusions

I asked my MD to refer me for an Iron Infusion but he was scared to do so, and said he didn’t know enough about it. So I referred myself to a very good friend and colleague in internal medicine.

He looked at my numbers and asked me how I was alive and I remember replying, I am barely that.

I recall the day I got the infusion, May 25 2022, I could actually feel my brain getting oxygenated as I was sitting there.

Did you know that 1ml of IV IRON (MONOFERRIC) can boost your Ferritin by 10 points, so 10ml will boost it 100 points? This is an incredible one and done approach to revitalizing your iron stores and allowing you the feeling of health immediately, versus using oral supplementation and taking forever to rebuild. This is especially true as a woman who bleeds and loses more iron/ferritin every month.

An optimal Woman’s Ferritin is 150, whereas a mans is closer to 300.

Most of my patients are below 80, and we recommend infusions for those 50 and below (while taking into account all concomitant factors).

Within 3 days, I was no longer dizzy,  I was no longer freezing, my legs no longer felt like lead, within weeks I could see that my hair was looking healthier and more robust, and within 6 weeks my Iron levels and Ferritin were retested and all were looking great, healthy and normal. I work out daily and have the energy to do that along with hiking my dog and playing with my kids.

Iron Infusions have come a long way, and the new medication (that has been FDA approved in North America for 3 years, but Europe for over 10) has very few side effects. It is a one-and-done approach that even the hospital cannot offer since they do not use MONOFERRIC (10ml/1000mg).

I screen every patient who is low energy for thyroid and iron issues, and it is almost always one or the other.

My greatest takeaway is that I didn’t have to live like I was dying. I could find the reason why and deal with it through treatment.

 

Written by Dr. Jordana Aziz, ND

 

Did you know IV iron infusions are now available in Kelowna and Vernon with Naturopathic Doctors? Get in touch today to learn more or book an appointment through the Jane App.