Venesection therapy

During a venesection, your nurse will remove a quantity of blood which will lower your iron levels and red cell count. It's similar to the procedure for donating blood and will be carried out as an outpatient appointment.

First, your nurse will check your blood pressure and clean an area on your arm, before inserting a needle into a vein. They'll remove approximately half a litre of blood. It's not uncommon to feel lightheaded or faint, which is nothing to worry about.

The procedure should take around 30 minutes, and your entire appointment will usually take around an hour.

Before you have a venesection, your consultant or specialist nurse will explain the procedure to you. They'll probably recommend eating as normal beforehand, as this will help minimise any feeling of dizziness or lightheadedness during or after the venesection.

It's also important to drink between 2-3 litres of water at least 24 hours before.

You'll be offered something to drink after your venesection, and your blood pressure will be checked again. If you feel lightheaded you can lie down to recover. It's sensible to avoid driving immediately after a venesection, and we would advise you to rest for the remainder of the day.

Follow up venesections will be needed until your iron (ferritin) or red cell count is within normal range. Initially, you may need to repeat the procedure once every two weeks.

Over time, this could reduce to every 6 to 12 weeks. Regular bloods test (full blood count and iron/ferritin) will be done as per your consultant's recommendation to monitor your levels.