Ampligen Treatment #3

The Good Great:

On the WOW side of life, I went to the Super Wal-Mart today. Scoff if you will, but I have not been anywhere except my home, the doctors and occasionally church for roughly five months. Or maybe six. I lost count. I pushed a basket around for 45 minutes. I did it because I wanted to and I actually could. Sure, I came home and took a nap, but I don’t feel horrible. I feel about the same as I did pre-Ampligen. I cried coming home because I am so grateful to God that I actually could go to the store. While Super Wal-Mart is not my dream destination, it provided a glimpse into a future that could be headed my way in the near future. Basically it was just awesome.

The Bad:

The past four days were not fun. After my initial excellent night’s sleep last Friday my body decided to rebel. Saturday through Monday I fought ever increasing muscle pain and major fevers. I was both sick and unhappily playing the role of insomniac. I fretted over the next needle puncture thanks to my left hand’s prior noncompliance. By the time Tuesday rolled around it was all I could do to toss on clothes other than PJs and allow myself to be driven to my infusion appointment.

The Wierd:

Side effects from this infusion have been similar to the prior two infusions with one noteworthy exception. I do not know how it is possible to dream so much and remember dreaming so much in one single night. I awoke this morning feeling as if I had been dreaming for years. Since I do not dream very often (and if I do I almost never recall them) I was quite surprised. What caught me even more off-guard though was the vibrant colors and explosive sounds continuously surrounding me in every dream. I can now honestly say I have dreamed in full HD with surround sound. Thank you internal George Lucas – it was trippy.

 I have a headache now, but since migraines and headaches are a weekly occurence for me I do not know if this is at all related to the dreams of last night, the third Ampligen treatment or just life.

And the Helpful:

Fortunately for me, my doctor and the staff at the facility are exceptionally knowledgeable (and kind). The doctor made a couple of suggestions about the IV infusions which bear repeating here for those of you thinking of taking the Ampligen plunge.

1. Ampligen is non-caustic meaning that the same vein can be used repeatedly with no damage. This is excellent news for people like me who have decent veins, but only in certain locations.  

2. Topical lidocaine, topical Lyrica and other topical medications can be used before or after the IV – depending on the patient’s needs to both dull immediate pain and control nerve responses post IV.

Until the weekend – Sophie