Venofer

Do you know what is Venofer?

• Venofer® (iron sucrose injection, USP) is a brown, sterile, aqueous complex of polynuclear iron (III)-hydroxide in sucrose for intravenous use.
• It contains no preservatives or dextran polysaccharides.
• Venofer® is indicated in the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in non-dialysis dependent - chronic kidney disease (NDD-CKD) patients receiving or not receiving an erythropoietin, and in hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis dependent - chronic kidney disease (HDD-CKD) and (PDD-CKD) patients receiving an erythropoietin.

How do I know Venofer? Well, I almost fainted when walking to the toilet, on the evening of the day after delivering Hao. My blood pressure indicate normal. So the doctor did a blood test for me and found that I have insufficient blood. Normal reading is 11.0. During pregnancy, my reading was 9.9, slightly lower than the normal. However at that time the gynae said still fine as long as I keep on taking the iron supplement (which I did). And the latest blood test indicate my reading is only 7.9. In addition, they found my blood is quite thin/diluted also.

The option given to me is either getting blood transfusion (the fastest way), or get the venofer, the iron dripping. However due to there is limited intake per day, I have to undergo a total cumulative dose of 1,000 mg of iron, on 5 different occasions (on alternate day), on 200 mg slow IV injection each time.

Obviously I do not wish to go through a blood transfusion. No matter how, there is certain level of risk. Taking iron supplement needs to take very long time for me to reach the normal reading, so it is not recommended. So I have opted for taking the venofer. They gave me one drip before I discharge to go home. And then subsequently I have to come back to the hospital, for the rest of the 4 dripping sessions.

I'm not a kind of person that is scare of needle and injection. However after this one whole week of dripping, I'm afraid I may want to change my mind. They have to put the needle into my blood vein. The iron is straightaway flow into my blood stream and mix with my blood. And the needle is about 2 inches long. So it is quite a painful process. After the dripping finish, they will remove the needle and normally the blood vein will become swollen and remain painful for the next few days. So just imagine within this one week, I have to be poke 5 times for the dripping, 5 swollen blood vein, and both hands remain painful for few days. And on one occasion, after the nurse has put the dripping on, the solution does not flow into my blood vein. So she has to remove it and poke on another hand.

Finally now 5 sessions of the dripping are done. Next week I need to go back hospital to take another blood test, to see my reading after the venofer treatment. Well, I hope the results will be good. I do not wish to get more venofer treatment.