I am just starting to look into IVIG and I have a few questions so far.
Is there any risk of getting a disease with this treatment like you can from a blood transfusion?
I see people say they feel better for about 2 weeks then crash. Does a person who uses IVIG eventually get lasting benefits?
Typically how long does it take to build up the immune system until someone does not need this any longer?
Thank you!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
info sent
Posted by hopingandpraying (Member # 9256) on :
Ivy - Gamma Globulin is a blood by-product so there is no 100% guarantee that something won't get through.
It is, however, very highly processed to prevent this from happening. The best products are Gammanex and Gammaguard.
Each patient is different. What works for one may not work for another. Yes, many people benefit from this treatment and get better.
I don't know how long it takes to build up the antibodies in the system. I know our Immunologist takes blood samples from my son before every third treatment to monitor the trough levels of the Gamma Globulin (the ideal number is 2,000).
The longer a person has been ill, then the longer it takes to see results. My son has been ill for 12 years now, so his Immunologist told us it would take a year to see improvement.
Well, praise God, small improvements have already been noticed (after 9 months of treatment) by our son's Lyme doctor, our son and us. We will continue fighting to get him well.
Hope this answers your questions. It certainly has been a learning experience for all of us!
Posted by hopingandpraying (Member # 9256) on :
I forgot to ask you, Ivy, are you looking into this treatment for Lyme disease or because you have an autoimmune deficiency? This is not a treatment for Lyme, per se, but a "re-booting" of the immune system.
You have to have blood tests run to check to see if you have deficiencies, i.e. low IgA, low subclasses, etc. Otherwise, insurance will not cover it and it is a VERY EXPENSIVE treatment!!
Posted by Ivy (Member # 18365) on :
Lymetoo - Thanks for the info. It will help a lot to research if this is a treatment I would want to do.
Hoping- Yes, thank you your info. It is helpful and does answer my questions.
I had a low IGG test with 3 subclasses deficient. For years I have caught every bug that flies by me.
A repeat test will have to be done in a month or so to verify these results before I will seriously consider anything.
I prefer to heal using nutritional methods, but I am not sure if that is possible at this point. My doc said he was shocked at how low my test was.
I am so happy that your son is seeing improvement! Twelve years is so long to be sick.
Posted by sickmate (Member # 31502) on :
quote:Originally posted by Ivy:
I see people say they feel better for about 2 weeks then crash. Does a person who uses IVIG eventually get lasting benefits?!
I would love to hear from others about this.
Posted by surprise (Member # 34987) on :
My daughter had 2 IVIG's, before we knew about Lyme. Be careful of steroids, they are often given after/throughout to minimize side effects (headache, nausea)
She was not immune deficient. The first was one large herx. The 2nd one done, done 5 weeks after the 1st, was bliss- happy, content.
That only lasted 5-6 weeks, by then the product is completely out of the body. We were back to square 1. And more broke.
But, it led us to Lyme testing....
There was a recent article about possible babesia being in the blood supply.
Sorry. Don't mean to be a downer. Remember, we were not immune subclasses deficient, so for folks who are, it may be totally different.