Vivaglobin and needle sets....READ THIS if you are using Sub Q

[Guest guest]

Good Morning all......I have a very strange experience to tell all

you Sub q users out there. Last night, for my infusion, I was a

guinea pig. I tested out a new needle set on myself before trying it

on Molly. It is a set made by MiniMed that consists of stainless

needle guides with a plastic catheter. You place the needles...just

like usual and then remove the needle to leave only a plastic

catheter in place for the infusion.

Every infusion, both my daughters and I have bad itching at the

infusion site as well as developing a 3 inch red welt that dissipates

after 24 hours. This happens every time, despite premedicating with

benadryl. They tell you it will get better the more you infuse, but

we are not finding this to be true. It is this itching that has made

Molly so upset about her infusions. Last night, I had NO

itching.....No red spot.....no swelling....no pain....I would not

even have known that I was infusing with the exception that I stuck

myself.

So.....now my curiousity has me questioning things. I now wonder if

the local reaction that we have experienced is NOT from the

medication, but is from the needle. Is it possible that we are

having a localized reaction to a foreign body (the needle) that is

being fueled by the immunoglobins that are being infused into the

area? And that, for some reason, is it possible that the plastic

catheter is not recognized or does not cause the same histamine

response that is caused by the stainless steel needle?

I forwarded this info on to ZLB Behring. But, if anyone else out

there is experiencing the itching burning swelling red thing, you

might want to give these needle sets a try. I cannot tell you how

HUGE of a difference they made!

Terri (mom and both daughters CVIDers