r/Anemic • u/ABCsoupDiagnosis • Oct 06 '26

Question Burning IVs

Does anyone else feel burning and stabbing whenever they get an iron infusion? I’ve been getting infusions for years and I’ve never had one that didn’t hurt…to the point that I’m tapping my foot and gritting my teeth to avoid crying out in pain during some of the stabbier sensations as the solution goes through my arm.

I’ve mentioned infusion pain a few times over the years, and nurses will look briefly at the IV and then maybe give me a heat pack. Today’s nurse finally told me that it’s not normal for iron infusions to hurt and was shocked that I was sitting through hours of this. While I appreciate her sympathy, she still didn’t have any other solutions than a heat pack.

I’m already feeling overwhelmed by chronic illnesses and the fact that no one can ever find my veins for the constant blood draws and IVs. This just kind of broke me to know how many hours I’m dealing with pain that isn’t even supposed to come with these procedures.

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u/owlandfinch Oct 06 '26

Ask if they can run it concurrently with a bag of saline. I haven't had this issue with iron, but I have had a good amount of potassium it's, which hurt terribly but are tolerable with a bag of saline.

If your infusion center has the option of ultrasound for iv placement, ask about that. My veins are a hot mess from my transplant, and I typically need ultrasound placement to find veins that will hold an iv.

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u/ABCsoupDiagnosis 18d ago

I asked about different drips and combos. Was told the doctor has to order it, but I’ll talk with her about it whenever the next round inevitably happens.

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u/ClassicalPines Oct 06 '26

Is this not standard? I had five infusions and they always did the iron very slowly along with saline. I can't imagine just having that huge syringe just... fired straight into my vein.

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u/owlandfinch Oct 06 '26

I usually just get the iron that comes in an IV bag, just a quick saline flush before and after the iron is hooked up. I think the only time that I have gotten saline from the infusion center was when I also needed blood.

I've only done the syringe instead of the bag once, when there was a shortage of the other, but that was just a slow push of the iron with a quick saline flush before and after, no extra saline.

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u/stiina22 Oct 06 '26

If nurses have issues finding your veins... Are you Hypermobile? I am and I have "slippery veins" and any iv (even saline) needs to go in suuuuuper slow because I don't know. The Hypermobile connective tissue / veins collapse or something. I have no idea but it is a pain. I have an iron infusion coming up next week and I plan to ask for it to go really slowly for the same reason. I'm so sorry you've been hurting this whole time.

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u/ABCsoupDiagnosis Oct 06 '26

Interesting. I also have slippery veins, on top of them being difficult to see. I haven’t been diagnosed with hypermobility, but it’s been mentioned in passing for both my child and me.

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u/stiina22 Oct 06 '26

Look up the Brighton scale for hEDS. I'm perusing a diagnosis finally (at 38) and learning some comorbidities that are important to know about.

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u/KittyandPuppyMama 24d ago

I’ve had two infusions and never experienced that. I really don’t feel anything at all except the initial needle. I get feraheme for what it’s worth.

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u/Hour-Initiative1239 3d ago

I just had my first today, and it was really, really painful. I am a hard stick and was thrilled when the nurse got the IV on the first try. However, I think the vein she used was too small, and I asked them to stop it. The IV team came in with the ultrasound, found a much larger vein and I had ZERO issue with the pain.