Hi Jaime,
My husband takes IVIG monthly as he is diagnosed with CIDP. He was first given the IVIG in the process of being diagnosed and he did then have a query of ALS. The neurologist said that if he responded well to the IVIG that was a very positive indicator that he did not have ALS. He started with a loading dose of IVIG which was 2 Grams of IVIG for every kilogram of his body weight. So he had to go into a day care unit at the hospital for 4 days for about 8 hours a day and then come home nightly. The product is quite thick and people who take it often have side effects such as severe headaches and almost flu like symptoms after receiving the IVIG. It is really really important to start drinking lots of water a couple of days before gettting your first IVIG, and to continue drinking throughout the IVIG treatment. And most people do what they call "pre-medicate" before they get hooked up to the IVIG. This means taking a benydryl and a couple of tylenol before getting the treatment. My husband doesn't need the benydryl as he isn't prone to any rashes like some people get with IVIG. But he is very prone to the horrific headaches that can occur and the terrible fatigue for a few days. He has found that Aleve (Naprosyn) works the best for the headaches and if he takes 2 before his treatment, and one when he gets home he generally can avoid the dreadful headaches. He carries on with this regime throughout his treatment days. But drinking the water seems critical to avoiding the headaches as well. He has forgotten a couple of times and paid the price. So in a nutshell the IVIG is given intravenously and you just sit in a chair or lie in bed hooked up to the IV while getting the IVIG. You can get up and walk around and go to the bathroom etc. It is no big deal unless you don't know about pre-medicating and drinking water, and we learned it through other patients versus getting this from the neurologist which is disappointing. I guess they haven't suffered from IVIG side effects so they aren't too empathetic. My fingers are crossed that you may have Multifocal Motor Neuropathy or CIDP and that you respond well to the IVIG. Let us know how things go, and best wishes.
Laurel