How much water should a person take in before IVIG treatment?

[Rachel]

My son had trouble with constipation afterwards.Sorry if this is too much information but I need some information about how to prevent this from happening again. If it's at all possible. My son normally drinks fluids throughout the day because of his low blood pressure problems. So I thought he would be getting enough fluids in. Is there a rule about how much extra fluids need to be taken in according to body weight? Also how many days before infusion should I start pushing more fluids? Besides water is there any other fluids that I should be pushing or is water the best thing to do? I want to do a better job of this before the next infulsion. Any suggestions would be appreciated and hopefully it will be a better experience this next time around for him.

 

I do think he is finally back to his baseline before he had the IVIG. It did take 5 days, and I'm hoping for a little more improvement for his part. He felt pretty rotten the first three days of being home after the treatment. His headache and pain levels did go up. When this happened he toldme he did not want to go through another treatment. However, I was told in advance this was to be expected.I just don't want him to get discouraged and was hoping someone might have some additional tips on how to make his next treatment go smoother.

[JenniferG]

A LOT. I started a week before (recommended by other parents here and RN at MD office). My dd was 8 at the time and around 50lbs. We always had a bottle of water with us where ever we went. I counted. I made sure she drank at LEAST 8-8oz cups a day of water. Anything else was a bonus. And during too. She had no post IVIG symptoms. None.

[Rachel]

Thank you so much for this information. Our doctor said to push fluids but did not give us a a specific guideline. I have marked our calendar so I know when to start next time.

[Vbakersimon]

Ok, this explains why my 6 year old has been constipated since his first IVIG 10 days ago. I thought it was because of a slight change in the composition of what he wanted to eat, but it wasn't substantial enough to make him so constipated.

 

Do magnesium supplements help? Anything else that you've tried? I've used slippery elm, extra Vit C, digestive enzymes, and of course, lots of water post-IVIG. He's miserable, though :-(.

[Rachel]

Have you tried a magnesium citrate supplement? This keeps my son regular but I did not give the supplement to him when he was in the hospital for the treatment. I am going to ask his doctor if I can give it to him this next time while he is receiving treatment. My son was back on track 4 days after I start his dosage back but I do plan to increase his water up take before his next treatment. Maybe, he will be able to avoid the increased headache pain and constipation issues.

 

Miralax also works well for my son but he's 14. Don't know if it can be given to a 6 year old child.