One month after the plasma exchanges, I still have numbness and weakness.  I’d say I’m at 45-50% recovered, but it seems I’m stuck at this point.

My doc wanted to start Ivig this week and filed an emergency appeal with Anthem/Blue Cross and they once again rejected it as medically unnecessary.

So I finally went to see a lawyer that handled my family’s trust last Tuesday. He looked at all the rejection letters and took other relevant information and said he would call Anthem that afternoon or Wednesday morning.

Thursday morning my doctor’s office calls and says Anthem reversed their decision and Ivig infusions were approved! My lawyer said once he laid out my case, the cost benefit analysis shifted to my side.  In other words, 9 other people didn’t fight their decisions, but I did.  Anthem saved their money on the other 9 people and me, the squeaky wheel, wasn’t worth the fight.  So, if this happens to you, make sure you fight for yourself.

Yes, it just cost me a $1000 in fees, but in the state I’m in, I’m in NO MAN’S LAND.

I can hobble around the house, but my hands are still numb enough and shake a bit that I can’t work on my vintage watch collection because the parts are too small.

I can’t lift and yard work is hard to do with a cane, when you can’t reach the ground, and you run out of energy.

Getting out of a chair is still difficult and getting off the ground, I did a test, and it took all of my strength to pull myself up and it was a close call.

With Ivig treatments, I fully expect to be functional by the end of the month. Of course, if I have the usual positive reaction.   Wish me luck!

Thanks Dave,

I’m been on Cell-Cept, 2000mg for about a year.  Maybe it just can’t overcome the vaccines…

I was in the rehab hospital getting PT and OT, but my wonderful insurance cut it short 5 days, so I just decided to come home.

I’m spent spiritually and physically.  I can get out of chairs and walk short distances with a walker.  My friends are doing my laundry and helping me where they can.

So now it is a week after my last plasma exchange.  I went from basically unable to move, unable to feel touch to my hands arms, legs, and feet to regaining some mobility.

But, it seems so short of what I expected.  My doc wants to start Ivig again in 3 weeks, but we have to get the insurance to approve it.  I’d feel so much better if I could restart Ivig and I’d expect I would physically feel better as well.

I’m rather bummed out.   I’ve never crashed this hard and have never had to recover this much.

Bryan

Thanks for sharing on the cellcept and the solumedrol.  I’ll ask him about it.

I knew I shouldn’t have gotten the shot in my heart but I let the hysteria carry me to my decision.  One, at the moment, I deeply regret.

So ended up in the ER this morning.  Could hardly walk.  My friend had to basically walk me to the car, lifting my legs to get down some steps, into the car.  Was in awful pain.  They gave me some nifty pain killers, which actually help.

They then sent me to their infusion center to get my second dose of IVig.  Without the excruciating pain, I could feel the IVig working.  Enough so, I could make the two steps into the house, which I couldn’t do yesterday.

Even better, my doctor finally seems motivated, and we are ditching Imuran and replacing it with CellCept, which from what I’ve gathered from the forums seems to have helped a lot of people here.  Additionally, IVig treatments are going back to every other week for 6 months.

I’m excited to try CellCept and hope it helps me as much it has helped others here.