Reply To: catheter for plasma exchange

it went pretty well. i did faint for a brief period during the first exchange due low BP. After that they gave me extra calcium to prevent it. my insurance company wanted them to do the 5 exchanges in 6 days, that didnt work because my clotting factor fell too low so it took 8 days for the 5 exchanges. I have felt tingling, vibrations, different sensory things since having it. Not a lot of strength increase right away like i had hoped but i think it is finally coming—-sloooowly.
My Dr wants to wait two months to decide how it worked. i was surprised at that, because it seems like most people here felt the difference right away. I am scheduled to see her in March to discuss how it worked and what our next step will be. Have you ever heard of results from the PE taking up to two months to see?
The catheter insertion was nothing—i think if I had this done again i would prefer to just do it this same way with the temporary one that can be removed after. Thanks for all your info—made the whole thing much easier knowing what to expect. Lori