Iโm at the age where, yes, birthdays are exciting but to be honest, right now Iโm just so grateful to see another year that everyday is a celebration. This year, being freelance, I opted to keep my โregularโ schedule which meant I was teaching in the evening and then home for an early night ready for my 5am alarm the next day to teach my Lift classes at Frame, Shoreditch.
I had the day to myself before teaching and booked myself an appointment at Vitamin Injections London, Marylebone Clinic. Since early September, Iโve been feeling a lack of energy, a little moody and generally not quite myself. I thought a holiday would fix it all but on vacation I just seemed to be even more tired (which I initially put down to jet lag).
Upon my return, and still feeling no better I realised after a chat with my mum that maybe my iron levels were low.
This has been a recurring issue with me since I was a lot younger but for some reason it never even dawned on me this time that thatโs what it could be.
I promptly went down to Boots and picked up some iron tablets along with some vitamin d. Iโd already been taking multivitamins along with my usual magnesium supplementation.
I didnโt expect a miracle, but a couple of weeks later and I only felt a little bit better so when the opportunity arose to go along to Vitamin Injections London, their iron injection was top of my list.
For some reason now, it didnโt dawn on me until the very day that needles would be involved (I know). I havenโt had any issues with them previously but itโs been so long since Iโd needed any type of needle work that I started to feel a little anxious.
I arrived for my appointment in good time and eventually was taken into the room with my Therapist (I didnโt end up being treated by the therapist I was booked in with so I didnโt catch her name).
She spent some time talking me through the treatments and the principles behind vitamin injections and to be honest it all made perfect sense…
For example, when we pop an iron pill only a certain amount of it actually makes it to your bloodstream so why not just bypass the digestive system altogether… with an IV (intravenous) injection.
Now, itโs not quite like you see on TV where youโre hooked up to a huge bag and have to sit there for hours on end with it dripping into your bloodstream!
Firstly, the needle wasnโt that big; she inserted this into the vein in my right arm and I barely felt a thing. She then mixed the iron solution with some water and hooked that up to the IV before she started to administer it.
Initially, I felt a little tingle in my shoulder and that was it. Didnโt feel another thing. In no time at all, we were all done!
She popped a tiny plaster over the needle hole (which we could barely even find!) and off I went with the advise of drinking two litres of water per day for the next 48 hours.
So that was the Wednesday. Sadly, on Thursday I started to get a niggly throat and by Friday my sinuses had declared war! That was my weekend plans put to bed which meant plenty of naps, good food and reading lots about globalisation and precarious work for a university essay I need to start writing.
By the time of writing this post though, Iโve started to feel a little better and my energy levels arenโt too bad considering. I mean, I no longer feel the urge to cry because Iโm so exhausted from having done nothing, so thatโs progress right?!
The clinic recommends you have a course of vitamin injections (up to 6 I think), on a monthly basis to really help boost your energy levels. A single IV injection costs around ยฃ50/60 (depending on IV or IM – intramuscular – so don’t quote me on this) but when bought in a course you make a decent saving.
My Therapist also sent me off with some trial packs of vitamin patches. Each patch, when stuck to your skin, delivers the dosage for the next 24 hours.
She told me to place them on my foot where some big artery is but itโs ended up with my sock / leggings getting the main boost of vitamins when Iโve gotten undressed!
I popped one on the underside of my arm to see if I could avoid peeling it off with clothes and so far it seems to have worked!
Despite battling this head cold, I’m pretty sure overall I feel a fair bit better than before. Would I do it again? For sure. Would I recommend it? Yup, already have!
How do you feel about vitamins, vitamin injections and supplements?!
Elle
Unknown says
Interesting! I feel like I've just got used to being generally shattered (I always get off the train with the window frame imprinted on my forehead after a commuter snooze!) and would be so keen to do this if it wasn't for the fact I need to prioritize sleep first! Glad to hear you're feeling more yourself xx
Liza says
This sounds really interesting! I'd love to try it but I'm not a big fan of needles either… yaiks!