I have had some people ask about my treatment and how it is done here versus in the USA so I thought I would give you some specifics.
My treatment is receiving IgG intravenously. In the US I had a nurse come to my house and administer the infusion. All the supplies would come directly to my house, the nurse would come stick me with the needle and I would sit and watch TV for the 6 hours it took to administer the medication. I will assume you know how most hospitals work in the US for this topic.
This was my first infusion so there were some problems that hopefully will be solved after doing this a time or two but some things are just strange to me.
When we arrived no one knew I was suppose to be coming. We had discussed it the previous week and all the doctors agreed but I did not call the hospital the day before to remind them I would be coming. This is standard procedure it seems. I will need to call the hospital each time the day before my treatment so they can try to reserve a single room for me and be prepared for me the next morning. They do not have an infusion suite like most places in the USA. I could go to the place that has an infusion suite but they only deal with rheumatoid arthritis and would want me to use IgG from India. My doctor works both in India and for a University in the USA and does research on my condition. She insisted on continuing with my current medication, even if that meant having it shipped from the USA. This is a huge deal as each IgG product is different and there really is no such thing as generic IgG. So for me it is better to be in a hospital bed with a doctor I trust than to be in a more comfortable location with doctors unfamiliar with my condition.
It took two hours from the time I arrived until the nurse tried to start the IV. During this time Ken had to go to the cashier and put down a deposit on the estimated amount of the procedure. They decided we needed to put down enough to cover a stay of two days even though this is an 8 hour procedure.
When the nurse went to start the IV, she also needed to draw blood for lab work. She did not hit my vein on the first try, which is not unusual for me, so she had another nurse come in and literally hold my vein still so she could start the IV easier. Then they took the cap off of the blood collection tube, held my arm toward the ground and let gravity do the work in getting my blood from my vein into the collection tubes. I felt like I was taking part in a blood letting from centuries ago.
The infusion finally started and things went pretty smoothly for about 4 hours. Once I felt comfortable I told Ken he could leave because the boys would be home from school soon. Of course that is when the trouble started. The infusion pump started getting errors and the nurses were not sure why. It was doing an error code that there was air in the line when clearly there was not. One of the nurses decided to let some of the medicine flow onto the floor(along with some of my blood) to try to clear the line. Sometimes that is necessary but what shocked me was that they literally let it drip on the floor and did not clean it up until I asked them to an hour later.
When we were done the nurse told me I needed to go to the pay station to settle the amount due before she could give me the discharge papers. So I had to go downstairs and wait in line to get my refund before I could get my papers. It was all very different. At least I now know what to expect next time.
My treatment is receiving IgG intravenously. In the US I had a nurse come to my house and administer the infusion. All the supplies would come directly to my house, the nurse would come stick me with the needle and I would sit and watch TV for the 6 hours it took to administer the medication. I will assume you know how most hospitals work in the US for this topic.
This was my first infusion so there were some problems that hopefully will be solved after doing this a time or two but some things are just strange to me.
When we arrived no one knew I was suppose to be coming. We had discussed it the previous week and all the doctors agreed but I did not call the hospital the day before to remind them I would be coming. This is standard procedure it seems. I will need to call the hospital each time the day before my treatment so they can try to reserve a single room for me and be prepared for me the next morning. They do not have an infusion suite like most places in the USA. I could go to the place that has an infusion suite but they only deal with rheumatoid arthritis and would want me to use IgG from India. My doctor works both in India and for a University in the USA and does research on my condition. She insisted on continuing with my current medication, even if that meant having it shipped from the USA. This is a huge deal as each IgG product is different and there really is no such thing as generic IgG. So for me it is better to be in a hospital bed with a doctor I trust than to be in a more comfortable location with doctors unfamiliar with my condition.
It took two hours from the time I arrived until the nurse tried to start the IV. During this time Ken had to go to the cashier and put down a deposit on the estimated amount of the procedure. They decided we needed to put down enough to cover a stay of two days even though this is an 8 hour procedure.
When the nurse went to start the IV, she also needed to draw blood for lab work. She did not hit my vein on the first try, which is not unusual for me, so she had another nurse come in and literally hold my vein still so she could start the IV easier. Then they took the cap off of the blood collection tube, held my arm toward the ground and let gravity do the work in getting my blood from my vein into the collection tubes. I felt like I was taking part in a blood letting from centuries ago.
The infusion finally started and things went pretty smoothly for about 4 hours. Once I felt comfortable I told Ken he could leave because the boys would be home from school soon. Of course that is when the trouble started. The infusion pump started getting errors and the nurses were not sure why. It was doing an error code that there was air in the line when clearly there was not. One of the nurses decided to let some of the medicine flow onto the floor(along with some of my blood) to try to clear the line. Sometimes that is necessary but what shocked me was that they literally let it drip on the floor and did not clean it up until I asked them to an hour later.
When we were done the nurse told me I needed to go to the pay station to settle the amount due before she could give me the discharge papers. So I had to go downstairs and wait in line to get my refund before I could get my papers. It was all very different. At least I now know what to expect next time.
Can you tell me your doctors name..My father has same disease. I just want to get him check from best doctor in India.
ReplyDeleteSujatha Ramesh in Hebbal location. She can recommend a Dr. In his area. If you post your email I can message you more information.
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