07/18/2026
My IVIG days are officially over 🙌🏽
For those who don’t know, I was diagnosed with CIDP(Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy) in May 2024.
For years, I dealt with constant back pain. It was really the only symptom I noticed, and back pain is not usually something that immediately makes doctors think of CIDP. The only imaging I had ever received was X-rays, and because those came back normal, it never triggered anyone to order an MRI. I was continuously sent to physical therapy or given muscle relaxers, but the pain never truly went away.
One day, I was talking to my primary care provider about the pain, and she asked me, “Have you ever had an MRI?”
I told her no.
She ordered one, and that MRI is what started the testing that eventually led to my CIDP diagnosis. After years of not knowing what was wrong, I was honestly relieved to finally have an answer.
Some of the testing also revealed weakness in both my upper and lower extremities, which is one of the main symptoms of CIDP, but I had never noticed it myself.
Things were going well for a while. I was taking prednisone and Lyrica, and I was finally feeling some relief from the back pain.
Then October came.
I was getting ready for work when my legs suddenly went numb, followed by a pain I had never experienced before. It lasted about three minutes and went away, so I still went to work. Within an hour, it happened again, but this time the pain was ten times worse.
My manager dropped me off at the closest hospital. After spending hours in the standalone ER, I was transferred to the main hospital and admitted for further testing. They wanted to keep me longer, but single-parent life immediately kicked in, and I had to figure out what I was going to do with my kids.
I promised the neurologist that if the symptoms came back or got worse, I would return for the treatment she highly recommended.
Y’all, two days later, I was back in the hospital.
This time, the numbness and pain did not go away. I was there for a week, and that is when my IVIG journey began.
Let me tell you—it was rough, and at times it completely broke me down. I lost so much weight, and I barely weighed anything to begin with 😂
As time went on, we had to keep adjusting my infusion schedule. I went from every four weeks, to every three weeks, to every two weeks, and then back to every three weeks with an increased dose. My last IVIG infusion was three weeks ago.
Recently, I had a conversation with my doctor and told her, “I’m in real estate now, and the downtime after my treatments is really starting to affect how I do business. I need something that can be just as effective with less downtime.”
She explained my options, and together we decided on a weekly subcutaneous injection called VYVGART Hytrulo. I give the injection to myself, it only takes about 30 seconds, and the goal is for me to no longer experience the same side effects and recovery time that came with IVIG.
Today was my first dose, and I’m excited to begin this new journey.
I wanted to share this because there is so much more to me than the Realtor you see posting homes and open houses. Behind the business is a woman and a mother who has had to keep showing up, even on days when her body made it difficult.
Here’s to a new chapter, less downtime and continuing to take care of myself while building the life and business I’ve been working toward. 💚
