Trying to see the end, cont'd

After my reaction to medication on Thursday, I was asked to call my doctor's office first thing in the morning on Friday. After speaking with them, we decided that the reaction could be prevented by pre-medicating with Benadryl and running the IVIG at a slower rate. Sure enough, this method proved successful. I made it through my treatment with no ill effects. Now I had the weekend off. I was hoping to see some progress in the positive direction, but it seemed that my left arm was now showing more symptoms. I had less feeling in my hand and my arm did not seem to work as well. Still, I tried to remain optimistic. However, waking up on Sunday morning did not seem to bring improvement. My left arm felt detached from my body. I would try to steady myself using my left arm against the wall when suddenly my arm would slide, giving me the sensation that my whole arm had gone through the wall. In fact, last night I was trying to take my oatmeal out of the microwave, which is located on top of our refrigerator. With no sensation in my left hand and limited sensation in my right hand, I was having difficulty holding the bowl and managed to tip the bowl, depositing half of my oatmeal on the floor.

This morning I woke up again hoping to see some results moving in a positive direction. Unfortunately, no such luck. I went in for my treatment at 9. Again, I was pre-medicated with Benadryl and the IVIG was run at a slower rate. And again, no reaction. At least not to the IVIG. However, the Benadryl did make me rather sleepy and I took an hour and a half nap.

I can't say enough good things about the nurses at PPR. They are the most wonderful and caring people I could ask for to be taking care of me in this difficult situation. Just today, I was told that one of the nurses that was on duty on the night I had my reaction had called to see if I was doing better. I have had so much support during this hard time for my coworkers, my husband's coworkers, our families, as well as a lot of my Facebook friends. It really means a lot to me - I can't thank you enough.