My Monthly Dose of IVIG

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is a blood product prepared from the serum of between 1000 and 15 000 donors per batch. It is the treatment of choice for patients with antibody deficiencies. IVIG temporarily increases the platelet count in about 80 percent of ITP patients.

If antibody levels become too low, doctors sometimes recommend that people with lymphoma receive intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) to bolster their immune system and help protect them from infection.

IVIG is produced by pooling antibodies from thousands of blood donors. The antibodies are purified and sterilized to prevent the transmission of any infection.

What does it involve?
IVIG is administered via intravenous infusion in a medical setting. IVIG treatment is commonly given once a month while antibody levels are low. Antibody levels may rise with effective lymphoma treatment or recovery from chemotherapy or stem cell transplant. As Ig levels rise, you may need IVIG less frequently.

COMMENT:  Since I am being treated with immunotherapy for both Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Metastatic Melanoma, my Oncologist has recommended that I be given IVIG on a monthly basis to bolster my immune system, my low platelet counts, my anemia, and my constant sinus infections, and facial infections that have resulted from over a decade of cancer treatments.

I notice a change after each treatment in that my overall mental and physical health seems to be more vibrant, although that could be psychological...  and if it is, I really don't give a damn because the bottom line is that I feel better.  The only downside is that all my treatments come with steroids and that keeps me awake at night and since I have chemo treatment the next day EARLY...  then I need to fall asleep quickly.