Oncology November 15th Visit

Miss Haven went in to Oncology for her 6 week visit on November 15th. We were told at her last visit on October 4th she would need IVIG. So we made a plan to be there the entire day - this is usually a 6 - 7 hour dose for Haven. However, Haven's nurse Katie (above photo) called and said that Haven's IgG level tested at 500 (normal is between 700 - 1400) and that her doctor wanted to skip IVIG this time and see how her body handles itself and see if it can boost up on it's own. So Miss Haven did her labs and was out within a few hours.

Her next Oncology appointment is in January. To explain a bit of IVIG -

Intravenous immunoglobulin

IVIG is: a blood product administered intravenously. It contains the pooled IgG (immunoglobulin (antibody) G) extracted from the plasma of over one thousand blood donors. IVIG's effects last between 2 weeks and 3 months.

IVIG is used mostly for the following diseases:

• Allogeneic bone marrow transplant
• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
• Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
• Pediatric HIV
• Primary immunodeficiencies
• Kawasaki disease
• Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). Only the "Gamunex" brand manufactured by Talecris is approved for CIDP (in 2008), under the U.S. Orphan Drug law provisions
• Kidney transplant with a high antibody recipient or with an ABO incompatible donor

However, it is in Phase 3 testing of Alzheimer's Disease but can be used in these and others as well:

• Autism
• C. Diff
• Guillain-Barré syndrome
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Stiff person syndrome
• Opsoclonus Myoclonus

Haven really has never had any side affects from IVIG except she does sleep the entire day it is received - but back to normal the next.