Hello,
I think the best one to help you with advice is one of our members named NORB. Norb and his wife made a trip to Thailand. Look for a post by Norb and click on his name to send him an email or click on members list to find him.

I found a number of web pages with information about contraindications between IVIg and vaccines. The gist of the information on all of them was the same. Here’s a paste that’s representative of what I found.

[I]Can I have immunizations while on IV Ig?
IV Ig may interfere with the immune response following any vaccine and thus make the vaccine less effective. Therefore it is best to avoid vaccines for at least 6 weeks (sometimes longer, depending on the exact vaccine) after receiving IV Ig.[/I]

There is some concern with getting vaccines & having CIDP. You really should speak with your neurologist about this.

Having a small child who gets IVIG has meant that I’ve had to learn about vaccines & IVIG. You should not get a vaccine within 3 months of receiving IVIG. The vaccine will not work because of the IVIG.

I’ll be interested in what you find out with regards to traveling. A while ago there was an article in the IG Living magazine about a woman who gets subQ IVIG & she went to Africa. She did have to take the malaria pills.

Hope that helps.
Kelly

Mogo, what vaccines are you having? I’m a little surprised by your doctor’s answer so I’m quite curious which vaccines he researched.

Also, since you’re on IVIG, if I recall correctly, IGg is used as a short-term hepatitis A vaccine subsitute in people who can’t have the actual vaccination. Anyway, I’d love to know more about what vaccines your doctor said are permissable while on IVIG.

-kat

Stephanie, Please check the thread on the Main Forum called “Should I have vaccines?” CanuckGirl, another MF variant, has a thread that might help you decide.

stephanie,

absolutely, positively NO flu shot. he will recover. gbs stands for Get Better Slowly. plasmapheresis washes out the ivig & should not be given for at least 4 weeks after ivig. as long as he is not getting worse he is on the road to recovery. take care. be well.

gene gbs 8-99
in numbers there is strength

[QUOTE=Stephanie]Hi… I have a question about vaccines. My father has been diagnosed with miller fisher and it is not yet known whether he will recover. He has double vision, eyes that do not focus or move properly, some facial numbness, and has been treated with the immune globulin and plasma exchange 5 times but we still have not seen a whole lot of improvement, actually none, and it has been 2 months. Anyhow, I was wondering if he should get a flu vaccine before this winter or would that be a bad idea?[/QUOTE]
Stephanie – I was dx’d with Miller Fisher 3/06 did not get my vision back until around 4 months – the Drs told me eye exercies would not work but I did them anyway – just made myself keep the patch off and looking around the room or outside in the yard (my eyes were locked) – bottom line especially with Miller Fisher 1 out of 800,000 people get it they are not really sure what works and does not. I started improving after 4 months then started sliding back (I started back to work and NO rest) all I can say is rest, rest, nap, nap – from reading the forum for GBS, etc. with the cranal nerve it will not heal without resting – I wish my Drs would of been a little more forceful with me regarding that – especially the PT’s – with Miller Fisher your muscles are really not that involved just your nerves – I had a bit of my cerabelem? nerve affected as well – I did not receive the IVG for 6 days after onset. I have the facial thing, numb teeth, burning tongue, no salvae, shoulders and back ache, etc. What was your father’s protein count – mine was 93. If you don’t mind me asking how old is he – I am 59 yrs old and was in pretty good health except I had two knee replacements a year before that and they never heald!!
Good luck and go to GBS area as well.
Sally

Team GENE

As you know the GBS Symposium was just held in Phoenix. One of the guest speakers, I don’t remember which doctor, during the question and answer session answered the question about flu shots. He said that we should get the shots and because only vacines made from a live virace would be a problem. Vacines for the most part are not made from a live virace. So no problems right. I still don’t take the shot.

Jim

jim,

my opinion is that you made the right choice. among the many, many things you were not told is that vaccines are egg based & can be a source of gbs. search this site for all the info. take care. be well.

gene gbs 8-99
in numbers there is strength

Team Gene

One of the other things that have been discussed to avoid are nerve deadening agents like you get at the dentists. Novicain or members of that family. I would like to tell you what has just happened to me. I have been avoiding having a wisdom tooth removed because of the Novicane issue. Well I finelly had it removed. First the Novicain had almost no effect on me. After massive doses my lip was just starting to tingle. They didn’t want to give me any more. I-V Valium really does work though. After surgery I had little to no pain in my jaw. I never had to take any pain medication. When I went back for my check up, the doctor could not believe my lack of pain. Some of my face muscles have not come back from the M-F and I think one of the nerves effected was the one that ran down my jaw. Who said Miller Fisher was bad?

Jim