The day after meeting Dr. Calabresi, I had my first Tysabri infusion.
I was very happy to be able to combine something that was a dream of mine and that I had been looking forward to for quite some time with something that I wasn’t looking forward to at all!
This made my experience more memorable and definitely more positive!

Everyone that knows me is well aware of my reluctance in taking this MS medication.
From my past neurologist to Dr. Greenberg, from my dear friends to the people that I have met along my MS journey, everyone was well aware that taking Tysabri wasn’t my choice and wasn’t my “ideal” treatment.
Having seen first hand how quickly my MS progressed over a short amount of time and after going through 3 different medicines, steroids and plasma exchange, I realized that my only choice, at the moment, was to open my body and my mind to receive Tysabri.
Because I knew so much about the medicine already (I spent two years reading about it and thinking that I wasn’t going to have to take it for many more years to come) I didn’t have to learn anything more about it. I just had to get my mind to accept it and to see it as a “good and helpful” medicine and not as another poison.

This didn’t happen right away…in fact, on the morning of the first infusion, my veins weren’t too thrilled about having another needle touching them and bothering them again and they closed up, moved and “jumped” away from the nurses that were trying to start my IV.
I have to admit that I didn’t take this as a good sign and while I wanted to jump away from my seat and run away just like the veins were doing, I stayed seated and I waited patiently for one of the four nurses to find a good vein that was willing to take the needle, that would allow us to start the IV and to let Tysabri get into my body.
The infusion was finally started and apart from a few eletrical shocks in my head, I didn’t feel anything at all.
I didn’t have any allergic reaction and everything went well.
It lasted exacly an hour and then I sat for another one to be monitored, something that has to happen after every infusion.
While I am not too keen on accepting the medication, I am a very patient person and I know I won’t mind sitting there for an extra hour because I do understand the reason for having to be monitored.

The side effects after my first infusion were the following:

Strong Fatigue (which I only have during a serious relapse) - Strong head pain
Pain all over the body, especially in the joints - Abdominal Pain – Weakness – Balance problems (which I never had before)
The first 3 days were the worst and then things got a little better and the side effects continued for more than two weeks.
After this period of time, I started feeling much better and I had 6 good days during which I felt more like myself, more energetic and more willing and able to do more.
After the 6 days I went back to having more symptoms and then it was time for my second infusion…

My journey with Tysabri has begun!