My 7 year daughter was diagnosed with a mild case of hypogammaglobulinemia about 3 years ago. Since then she has been to various immumologists including Children's Hospital in Wash DC. The dr's seem to agree that her case does not warrant the use of IVIG. She has been put on prophelactic antibiotics to try to keep her healthy. She gets constant sinus infections particularly during the school year. The longterm use of antibiotics has recently caused her to have a lot of diarehea and vomiting. Her current dr. took her off the oral antiobiotics and is treating her current sinus infection with injected antibiotics. He is recommending we start Gamma Globulin injections (Baygam). He feels this is less invasive than the IVIG and will get her off the constant antibiotics. Has anyone had any experience with this type of treatment?

Are these shots usually covered by insurance?

If you like you can e-mail me direct at CJCCRobin@aol.com.

Thanks for your input!

Hi, I received IVIG for a year up until I got a "bad batch" I had serum sickness for 3 months. I will admitt that I felt like the treatments helped me dramatically up until I needed the next dose the next month. I would go in for up to eight hours at time, once a month to get infused. I had to be premedicated with solumedrol and IV benadryl. I even got a port put in for the infusions. My levels were too high to qualify me for the shot so I think you should take it. It would have been my miracle drug. I've been through both the steroid and antibotic regimen, I understand. The IVIG was nice but nothing could have prepared me for how bad the serum sickness was- I was achy with a 103 fever for weeks on end.. I missed an entire second semester of high school. Good luck to you. Keep us updated!

Hello Jana!
Baygam is a shot of antibodies given in the muscle (IM-Ig).
It is the old way hypogammaglobulinemia was treated, before the blessed days of IV-Ig.
I strongly encourage you to prefer IV-Ig over Im-Ig for two reasons:
1. Scientific research proves IV-Ig more effective.
2. IM-Ig shots are very painful. I know, I had them for 11 years as a child. It is not a pleasant memory. IV-Ig on the other hand in a simple infusion, nothing but a needle prick.

E.
Dardamel@gmail.com