Clark, first of all, welcome to the Tysabri thread.
I had my 46th infusion today, piece of cake when I compare it to giving myself a shot, whether it's daily, every other day, or once a week!

Infusion is the same as starting an IV because it IS an IV. It's called an infusion because that's what you are doing with the drug, infusing it. They start you with saline solution, then start the drug, then you go back to the saline for the observation period. If you've ever had steroids, it's the same procedure except for the wait time for observation afterward.

Most infusion centers will have lidocaine on hand to numb the area, They use a tiny needle and they inject a tiny amount of lidocaine under your skin where they are doing the stick for the IV and wait a minute or two for it to numb up and then go for the IV stick. Tell them you have pain and needlephobia and ask for the lidocaine if they don't offer it.

It took me 2.5 hours today from start to finish.

It sounds like your doctor is already a part of the JC study and that you won't have any trouble with testing for PML. A lot of us have been on Tysabri since before the test came out for the trial and some folks are having a hard time being tested.

Good luck with whatever you decide. Let us know how it goes!