You're two weeks out from a procedure at VCU Medical Center, and the fatigue hasn't lifted the way your surgeon said it would. Discharge labs showed more blood loss than expected during the operation, ferritin came back at 20, and the recommendation was an over-the-counter iron supplement.
That's a pattern we see regularly with Richmond patients recovering from surgery, whether it's an orthopedic procedure, a hysterectomy, or anything with more intraoperative blood loss than anticipated.
The body can rebuild iron stores on its own eventually, but oral supplements are slow, and slow is the last thing you want when you're also trying to recover strength and get back to normal life. A follow-up infusion through the hospital system often means another trip back to VCU or a satellite clinic, on top of the appointments already stacking up during recovery, plus parking near a campus built for volume, not a quick visit.
That's a pattern we see regularly with Richmond patients recovering from surgery, whether it's an orthopedic procedure, a hysterectomy, or anything with more intraoperative blood loss than anticipated.