by body weight only...to the very last drop! So this is a kind of time you can not lie about it.
My first infusions were at very low doses of 4-6 hours a day for four days. That's to see what sort of bad or good reactions you mite get. You are watched pretty closely for BP, temperature, skin flushing, problems breathing, diahrea, headaches and nausea. After the first couple of 'rounds' [months] the rate that it's infused may be sped up as long as you don't have any reactions.
INfusions at first should be done in a hospital or doctor's office [some doc's have 'infusion suites'. This is done for safety's sake, if you do get a reaction right away you are in the best place to have it taken care of. If someone could drive you, drop you off and pick you up for the first time or two...I'd recommend it highly. Once it's found that you don't get any bad reactions [for me, my usual has been a bad migraine-like headache if the infusion is done too fast] you can talk to your doctor about having it done at home - but it may depend on your insurance's terms and conditions as well.
Not all folks get relief right away. I did so within the first hour of infusing. For some people it can take 3-6 months to feel good effects. I felt much less burning and 'muscle tightness' that is ever-present in the feet and legs for me. I reserve 2 days each month for my infusions [doctors come second to this!]. They last about 3 hours from start to finish and I usually take a 2 hour nap afterwards [I'm infused at home now] because I have to take 3 Benedryls to avoid side effects - napping after also sort of lets the stuff go to work.
Another good source about IVIG is the following:
http://www.igliving.com/
This is a magazine published by many of the IG makers and you can read many of the back issues to learn more about how it's made, who uses it, and for what medical conditions....You are going to be a member of one very special, select group of folks who find IVIG a life saving treatment. I do hope that you get good results! We both will be getting infused next Thursday!
To read up a bit more here, use the 'search' feature on the top dark blue bar -click it and in the space -just type in IVIG and read away on other posts about it...Melody went thru a similar Q& A last Jan/Feb - I think, and you can read all those posts.
Wishing you really good results! - j