Reply To: Is the plasma exchange working??

Lori,
I have relied on PE off and on for the past 15+ years. Have had series of 5 days straight, then weekly for several months, then gradually tapered off to every two weeks, then monthly, etc. until finding the combination that helped me improve and maintain. As you noted, everyone reacts differently to the various treatments and response time varies. Early on, I saw improvement within a couple of weeks. My exchanges have always been followed with an infusion of 500mg solumedrol, which always gives me an immediate “boost” of energy. When I plateaued with the PE treatments, I tried everything you see on this site, plus some of the MS treatment protocals, but when I saw signs of regression, I have always been able to fall back on PE and solumedrol infusions and continue to have success in “maintaining”. I never got back to 100% after the CIDP was diagnosed, because I had a lot of residual from GBS 10 years before CIDP, so I consider being able to maintain to be victory. I would not give up on PE to quickly. Over the past 15 years, I have had well over 300 PE’s (not a typo) and I still maintain a pretty active life, so for me, its been the best treatment. Others have great success with IVIG and prednisone. You may have to search a little to find what works best for you. Good luck
GAVol