[nschneider350]

I am asking for help from any of you as to anything that might be being missed by Doctors.

Here is the situation:

My Dad has had MG for about 8 yrs and also CIDP, he is now 59 yrs old. He has been doing OK for the most part, he has been getting IVIG's for years and I know he takes Prednisone and Cellcept. He also has back problems. He hurt his back and was in bed for a couple of weeks and of course he just got weaker and weaker. Eventually we called the ER to get him and he was taken to the hospital. They gave him an Epidermal in his back which didn't seem to help much. They also decided to give him the Plasmaferesis treatment which he has never gotten before.

While getting the Plasmaferesis and the few days afterwards, he just got more and more weak. After it was done they decided to send him to PT at a different location. He was complaining that something else was going on and was coughing up green mucus. They also said his white blood cell count was high and said it might be an infection. They did a chest X-ray which found nothing so they assumed the Prednisone was the cause. They sent him on his way.

He lasted 1 day at the PT place and ended up in the ER at the PT because he complained on difficulty breathing. They ended up transferring him to the ICU back at the hospital. They said at this point he would not last the night if they didn't put him on a ventilator. Now they said he got an infection (assuming from aspirating something he ate). They gave him antibiotics and his fever has gone away. They also have him on a 5 day IVIG, 24g per day. His last IVIG treatment is today. They said he had Pneumonia but it looked to be clearing up nicely. He breathed with the ventilator for 2 days doing most of the work they said.

They decided to take him off it yesterday and pretty much as soon as they did he had nothing but problems, tons of mucus in his lungs apparently and he doesn't have the strength to cough it up. He eventually had to be put back on the ventilator and that is where we are at now. I don't see why they took out the tube so soon?

Sorry this has been so long, I just feel the doctors could be missing something or not trying different medicine or something. If the Plasmaferesis didn't seem to do anything and the IVIG doesn't seem to be working (might be too soon to tell), then what options are left or is it just a matter of waiting? I know I've read when an MG patient goes in to a crisis that Plasmaferesis is usually what is done, is it worth another try or since he just had it 2 weeks ago, would it be safe to assume it won't help?

Any input anyone could give would be very much appreciated.