IVIG

"So when the nurse-of-many-years asks to put an IV in your hand and you request it in your forearm because you think it'll be more convenient to wear to work the next day, you should've listened, Jess. Because now, you have a huge bruise in your forearm AND an IV in your hand."

This is what I was thinking yesterday. Today I'm thinking--"man, that giant sore spot that used to house intact veins in my hand hurts, but not nearly so much as the PICC line they started today."

Okay--so my neurologist in Birmingham FINALLY (3 weeks late) convinced my local neurologist (that hard-headed man) to read his orders and start IVIG therapy this week. Well--the experience has been unique. I get to spend 4 hours every morning this week at the hospital and as I shared a bit before: the IV situation has been a fiasco. But I've survived two days and now have the PICC line (a semi-permanent IV site that threads into your heart but looks like an IV imbedded in your upper arm) for subsequent days and months.

Even though they don't know exactly what's wrong or what's causing my body to malfunction, Dr. Oh is trying a treatment that involves a high dose of steroids along with this IVIG. The Prednisone is an immunosuppressant and the IVIG is just immunoglobulins gathered from multiple donors. If I understand correctly, this should keep my body from producing the harmful self-attacking antibodies and flood my system with good donor antibodies which will destroy all antibodies my body produces, both good and bad. This should, hopefully, allow my body to kind of restart building my immune system from scratch when it's all over. Is there anybody medically minded out there who has a better understanding? A little enlightenment would be nice... :)

Anyway, so this has been a tough week. But I have faith that, eventually, this will all work out for the best and I can return to good health...it's a shame how much I took my health for granted when I had it.

But I'm still surviving...although it feels like I just barely make it some days. :D My baby sister wants me to go with her to the Peanut Festival tomorrow evening--and I'm gonna make that happen even if it kills me. I want, for at least one day this week, a sense of normalcy back in my life.