Hi, Jan. I hope it helps you a lot. The nurse will put an IV in your arm, and hook it up to a tube attached to a small bag of clear fluid. I don't know if you've ever had an IV before. It's inserted with a needle, but then the needle is withdrawn, leaving a very narrow, flexible plastic tube in your arm. It doesn't hurt once it's in, and the fluid doesn't burn or anything. Then you just sit and wait for a few hours--have something to do! If you want to move around, you can, because the IV bag is on a pole on wheels. It's plugged in because it has an electronic monitor, but there's a battery back-up so you can unplug it.

Some people get headaches as a side-effect, so a lot of people pre-treat with tylenol and benadryl. If you tend to get headaches, they will also slow down the infusion for you. I have been headachy for the days following the treatment, but nothing ibuprofen can't handle. Otherwise, I haven't noticed any side effects. They say to be very well hydrated. Drink a lot of water before and during IVIG. This helps reduce side-effects, and if you're well hydrated, it's easier for the nurse to insert the IV.

Sometimes it takes a few days after the last infusion for the effects to really kick in. But IVIG is a very successful treatment that's literally a life-saver for many MG patients.

IVIG is made up of the antibodies taken from the plasma of thousands of blood donors. It's not clear exactly how it works on people like us with autoimmune diseases, but it somehow alters our bodies' immune systems so we get a break from the attack on our neuromuscular junctions.

Lots of people have more experience here than I do, so feel free to ask any questions. I hope it makes you dramatically stronger!

Abby