Home Infusion and Sports

I’ve never liked to do infusions myself, and I will be glad when I don’t have to do it anymore!

Prior to Adam’s birth, I knew nothing about giving an infusion. As a matter of fact, I would become faint at the sight of blood. I couldn’t even stay at a hospital any length of time without feeling nauseous and like I would pass out. Then Adam came along, and I had to change.

The first time we infused at home was when Adam was very young. He started having bleeds in his ankle when he was about six months old. We lived an hour away from our treatment center. Making that drive back and forth once or twice a month when I was trying to work and do the other things I needed to do really messed up the schedule. Just after Adam turned two, he had a bleed during the night. It was winter, and we had to drive to the treatment center in the middle of a snowstorm. So I said, “You’ve got to teach me how to do this because I can’t live this way.” They were pretty hesitant, but we learned. Initially, it took both his father and me to infuse Adam. One of us would have to hold him and the other would do the infusion. When it was over and done with, I experienced such a sense of relief. Even now, I am always relieved when the infusions are done.

Adam was a very quiet young boy, and he seemed to be able to deal with situations pretty well. He didn’t cry or scream and yell when we did infusions, and he had fairly good veins. So, relatively speaking, it was a smooth process—until he got a little older. Then for a time, when he needed factor, he would go running down the hall screaming and yelling at the top of his lungs. Kids are strong, and it would take three adults to hold him down to be able to do the infusion. By the time we had finished, I needed to shower and change my clothes because I was drenched in sweat. But, I was so relieved that the infusion was done and, for the next couple of days, I didn’t have to worry about it.

With Zachary, we thought, “He’ll be just like Adam, and we’ll get through this okay. We’ll have our year where he goes a little crazy on us and then we’ll move right back to the status quo.” That was not to be the case! Zachary hates to get factor, absolutely detests it. He doesn’t bleed as often as Adam does, so when he was younger, we didn’t have to infuse as often. But even though we were quite capable of infusing at home, he would not allow us to do it. Instead we would have to go to the ER when he needed factor, and that was not always pleasant.

I’m happy to say that, at the age of nine, Zachary began to realize his factor was kind of like a key to his freedom—if he wanted to do something, he would have to be able to sit down and get factor as a responsible young man. Now, at 10, Zachary understands that connection, and we can usually have the infusion done in about five minutes, with no screaming and yelling.

I am often asked how frequently Adam and Zachary infuse. It depends on what sports they’re involved in. They’re very active. So, for example, if they’re playing basketball or baseball, we infuse every other day. When Zachary is playing football, he practices three nights a week and has a game one night. So, we are administering some level of factor four times a week. Adam isn’t involved in any sports right now. But he still infuses twice a week because he bleeds pretty regularly.

Adam, who is now 16, is old enough to infuse his own factor and has been for some time. I just have to nag him every now and then when I haven’t seen the bottles or the entries in the log or anything like that. I’m waiting for Zachary to get to that point. Every year, I say to him, “Are you going to try infusing?” He says, “Sure I am.” But then he goes, “I changed my mind.” He is making progress, though. As of his 10^th birthday, he has taken on the responsibility of mixing and “setting up” for his infusions, as well as logging the information. I think this is a huge step for him.

I am really looking forward to the time when Zachary is ready to self-infuse. I’ve never liked to do infusions myself, and I will be glad when I don’t have to do it anymore!

Before your child begins any physical activity, always consult with a doctor or Hemophilia Treatment Center to make sure the activity is right for him or her.