You or someone you love has PI. Now what?

Tips for adults living with PI

Privigen helps protect the health of patients with PI by supplying their immune systems with antibodies to help prevent infections. But there are several things you can do on a daily basis to further help your immune system:

• Work with your doctor to manage your PI and ask about treatments that can fit easily into your lifestyle
• Eat a healthy diet. A healthy diet provides nutrients necessary for normal growth and development, body repair, and maintenance. A well-balanced, nutritious diet is especially important for people with PI, because a lack of adequate nutrition can lead to many illnesses and infections
• Exercise. People who exercise regularly tend to get sick less often than those who do not
• Get enough sleep. Adequate sleep is essential for good health
• Adopt good hygiene habits:
  • Bathe or shower regularly
  • Wash your hands before meals, after using the bathroom, after coughing, and any time there’s a chance that germs have gotten onto your hands
  • Carry disposable hand wipes or antibacterial gel for times when soap and water are not available
• Visit your dentist regularly, and brush your teeth and floss daily
• Avoid exposure to people with infections or signs of an infection
• Manage stress. Your body doesn’t work as well when you are stressed or overwhelmed with fatigue, so it doesn’t help to push yourself at those times. Make time for rest and relaxation. Take a nap, learn how to meditate, or use deep breathing or other relaxation exercises
• Maintain a positive attitude. Focus not on what you can’t do, but what you can do instead. Consider the gifts and abilities you have and use them regularly

Tips for caring for a child with PI

• Coordinate your child's care across all members of the healthcare team
  • You may find it helpful to keep a diary to record important information such as lab results and current insurance information
• Be your child's advocate, but slowly transition those personal responsibilities to him/her as he/she gets older. These include:
  • Asking doctors questions about the diagnosis, treatment, and plan
  • Keeping track of how Ig therapy is going and if there are any side effects
  • Asking what can be done to improve your child’s health in regard to diet, physical activity, sleep, and social engagements
  • Effectively communicating with schools when your child misses class due to PI
  • Building positive relationships with your child’s teachers, therapists, coaches, etc. Communication is key