Re: product....sticks...etc....to those who have replied and then some

November 5, 2006

Viva is the least volume to infuse because it is a 16% solution which means you

get more strength in less reconstituted fluid. Macey was infusing 75 cc's

during her Gammagard time.

The amount per site is still up in the air. I have seen adults slow push 50

cc's into thigh tissue in as little as 5 minutes. No one knows for certain (at

least in this country) what amount could be a problem. Then there's te

question, is it that it will be harmful to the skin? Perhaps the muscle

underneath the subq tissue? Systemic problems? Since the fluid seeps in to the

body eventually then the skin has no lasting trauma. The longest we've seen

Macey keep her " bump " is 36 hrs. And that's usually because she was completely

still during infusion. The more she's up and moving during infusion the faster

the bump clears and circulates into the tissue and eventually the system.

Macey had blood work twice a month in the beginning of her SCIG (August 2004)

that showed she carried no trough levels and that her IgG was in a therapeutic

range for her (not everyone can stay well at the same levels). She's had less

down time from fatigue and less infections. She just could not handle the down

time before the next IV infusion was needed (she was an every 3 week dose).

Plus she had a history of lines and a port for access. She was headed back to

needing access again and since I had seen a port infection almost kill her once

we weren't about to stress her veins when her tissue could do just as good.

If it was up to me I would start dosing the Viva in a continuous infusion pump

like the diabetics have with their implanted insulin pump. The body comes to

know the product on a more routine basis (hence no " shock " reaction from

introducing antibodies the body is not use to seeing) and more of a trickle

affect than even the subq.

Macey still has some fatigue problems and some headaches. If the body is

tricked into thinking there is an antibody system there on a daily basis then it

might be able to produce more energy for her and calm her system down enough for

the headaches to go away.

Ursula - mom to (13) and Macey (11, CVID)

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