Reply To: Random questions for those who have CIDP

As far as IVIG, my treatments take 4-5 hours. For many years I had them done at an infusion clinic, but for the last year they have been home based. I pretend I’m on a long flight and watch TV or a movie or, more commonly, just work on my laptop. I can get up and walk around a little bit pulling the IV pole with me. I get up mainly to use the restroom or grab a snack. Depending on my dosage at the time, sometimes I’ve had to take the next day off of work due to being fatigued.

The change from clinic-based to home-based infusion was dictated by my insurance company. Evidently, they can get the IVIG much cheaper through a mail-order supplier than they can going through a hospital. At first, I was a little nervous, but it has worked out well. An infustion nurse comes out to my house, starts the IV and stays while administering the drug. It’s really more convenient. The mail order pharmacy I’ve been working with (NuFactor) has been great and I highly recommend them.