IT means 400 mL for 5 days! Trust me, you are going to feel GREAT after it!

I get 500 mL for 5 days every month or so.....makes me feel like a new woman!

The PICC line was the scariest for me - but only b/c I am afraid of needles!

Hang in there!

Big hugs and prayers!
Erin

When my neuro recommended the IVIG for me, the distance was only a 60 mile drive...had to do it alone for 5 days by myself & it took 4 hrs + the hour wait while they prepared it....have to see the whites of your eyes to order it prepared, lol...so it took practically all day, & boy was I tired afterward....when I asked if it could be done close to home, he said no, at least the 1st time should be where they are used to doing it, so I drove....it did not do such great things for me as it does for Erin, but he is ordering a once a month "booster" for me soon...& I do feel somewhat better...& they did not address the tylenol & benadryl but I got it from this group & did it every day with no problems whatsoever.....JME... good luck....

Dottie

Go with the pros. I had a bad reaction and almost died (you won't have that - I have other health issues) but you really want to be with people that know what they are doing. It is worth the driving.

I would go with the people in the know as well. I had IVIG before my thymectomy. I have had IVIG twice and it went very smoothly. The results were amazing. The only thing is that I got a bad headache after the treatment but it was very shortlived. For your very first time I would make sure that you have all your bases covered. Take care ~ Melanie

Hey JCPA,

The docs. really don't know exactly how IViG works...They use it for people who have common immune deficiency disorder (hypogammagloglulineria sp.?) to provide immunoglobulin where there is none, and for others who have autoimmune diseases that are usually neurological...They think that it works for autoimmune diseases by flooding the immune system with 'normal' antibodies and thus neutralizing the abnormal ones.

Since they don't really know what the mechanism of action is, there are also side-effects that they're not aware of...For example, you can get hemolytic anemia from this procedure...Apparently, this is something that they just discovered...I know that after my first treatment, I developed a bit of anemia...Also, it can cause meningitis...this is where the water comes in...The water helps to bind with the extra fluids (apparently...this is how my nurse explained it to me), and allow you to pass it...You must drink lots of water up to a month after the procedure (I read this somewhere...The headache can be brutal, so I'd heed it).

You can get infections from this procedure, as I'm sure you're aware...The risk is minimal, but it's still something that people should keep in mind...Because you're having surgery, this or plasma exchange is a necessary procedure for you in order to make sure that you are at your strongest, so you don't have much of a choice...But the plasma exchange seems to present a lower risk of passing on blood-borne viruses, prolly 'cause only 5% of it is human...I also found that the effects of plasma exchange are very rapid...IViG seems to simply stabilize wherever I am at the time of getting the procedure done...But everyone's different...

I definately hope that things go very well for you, and that you're feeling as great as Erin does after it!

NIcky