My LIT Adventure
A Confession
If you've been following my blog for the last 8 or so months, you might remember a post about my rants on LIT* and how the F*D*A has banned it in this country. Well, let me restate that. They've banned it as far as my doctors are concerned. No medical facility, physician, laboratory or the likes in this country may administer this treatment to me. It's banned, pure and simple. But there isn't a ruling about me administering it to myself.
So. Three centrifuge purchases later I am proud to say that I have successfully conducted my first LIT self-treatment.
Yes, I know that this is crazy. Four IVF cycles will make you do crazy things. But it's not that crazy when you think about it. I have a very strong science background. I was premed, applied to 22 medical schools but none would have me. Yeah, I've considered the idea that I'm a frustrated doctor-wanna-be and that I'm a bit resentful about not getting into medical school. There's a bit of truth there I'll admit. But what really pisses me off is that due to the F*D*A ruling on LIT, I am supposed to fly to Tuscon, Arizona, rent a car, drive to Nogales Mexico, where I hand $600USD in cold hard cash to Dr. Q so that he can do this procedure for me.
All in all, a single LIT treatment with airfare, car rental, gas, meals, hotel, and the 600 buckaroos runs about $1500.
Insane, yes?
YES.
This also begs the question: Why do I have to go to a freakin' 3rd world country to get the treatment I need?
So I set out to figure out how to do this for myself.
My first centrifuge came from the East Coast. $140 or $150 with shipping. It came with some slight damage to the hinge and after complaining, FedEx refunded me my costs and shipping. The rotor and buckets were salvageable. Second centrifuge, with a fixed angle rotor, came to me by way of the famous online auction site (need I say more?). A mere $40 or $50 with shipping. A dentist from the central valley mailed it to me and it works like a charm. I can only get it to approach 3000RPM but that's about all I need. My third centrifuge was very much like my first, but it came with an extra rotor and buckets. Let me tell you: swing out rotors are the sweetest thing to a lab-rat who has to do separations.
The centrifuges were about the most expensive part of the lab set-up. The rest of the materials were obtained from various online resources which I won't divulge as I don't want it to be difficult for other do-it-yourselfers to obtain materials in the future. Everything I bought is sterile and is of the highest laboratory quality. The same stuff you'd see in any well run hospital laboratory.
So on June 16th I conducted my first run. I used about 60ml of my partner's whole blood, which is what one would call a "double dose" if you were in Mexico doing the same treatment.
I used 10 sterile separation centrifuge tubes with 3ml of separation media in each. To each tube I added 6ml blood and topped off with sterile saline (2 to 3ml) to aide in separating out the RBCs from the PBMCs. I then spun the tubes at 2500RPM for 15 to 20 minutes. Removed the band of PBMCs (peripheral blood mononuclear cells) with a sterile pipette, placed the bands into two sterile 15ml conical centrifuge tubes, and top off with lactated ringer's solution (ie, a "wash" step). My second spin was at 3000RPM for 20 minutes to pellet out the PBMCs. I resuspended the pellet in more sterile lactated ringers and away we went.
The injections are placed, four in each forearm when doing a "double dose". I did sub-q injections but intradermal also work. Injection sites aren't to be touched, scratched, or otherwise molested for a number of days. No benadryl, steroids, or anything that impedes the immune response. The injection sites itch like hell from the reaction but, as Martha would say, "It's a good thing." My body is creating blocking antibodies that will protect the embryos if, when, they implant.
Today is 11 days after my first LIT and the reaction looks just like what you'd get if you'd go to Mexico and see the good doctor in Nogales. Exactly the same. I'm blown away at how easy this was for me to do. I'll redo my treatment in about 10 days so that the treatments are 3 weeks apart. I'll retest my LADs shortly thereafter. I expect to see my T and B cells (IgG and IgM) go thru the roof. Okay, if they're back at 99 I'll be thrilled. This treatment is also great for reducing NK cells, so I hope that it will reduce the number of IVIg treatments I'll need should I get pregnant.
So, there you have it: DIY LIT. We're joking that we should call my office Linda's LIT Laboratory. But I'd rather turn it into a nursery.
Knocking on wood.
*LIT = Leukocyte/Lymphocyte Immunization Therapy/Treatment
So. Three centrifuge purchases later I am proud to say that I have successfully conducted my first LIT self-treatment.
Yes, I know that this is crazy. Four IVF cycles will make you do crazy things. But it's not that crazy when you think about it. I have a very strong science background. I was premed, applied to 22 medical schools but none would have me. Yeah, I've considered the idea that I'm a frustrated doctor-wanna-be and that I'm a bit resentful about not getting into medical school. There's a bit of truth there I'll admit. But what really pisses me off is that due to the F*D*A ruling on LIT, I am supposed to fly to Tuscon, Arizona, rent a car, drive to Nogales Mexico, where I hand $600USD in cold hard cash to Dr. Q so that he can do this procedure for me.
All in all, a single LIT treatment with airfare, car rental, gas, meals, hotel, and the 600 buckaroos runs about $1500.
Insane, yes?
YES.
This also begs the question: Why do I have to go to a freakin' 3rd world country to get the treatment I need?
So I set out to figure out how to do this for myself.
My first centrifuge came from the East Coast. $140 or $150 with shipping. It came with some slight damage to the hinge and after complaining, FedEx refunded me my costs and shipping. The rotor and buckets were salvageable. Second centrifuge, with a fixed angle rotor, came to me by way of the famous online auction site (need I say more?). A mere $40 or $50 with shipping. A dentist from the central valley mailed it to me and it works like a charm. I can only get it to approach 3000RPM but that's about all I need. My third centrifuge was very much like my first, but it came with an extra rotor and buckets. Let me tell you: swing out rotors are the sweetest thing to a lab-rat who has to do separations.
The centrifuges were about the most expensive part of the lab set-up. The rest of the materials were obtained from various online resources which I won't divulge as I don't want it to be difficult for other do-it-yourselfers to obtain materials in the future. Everything I bought is sterile and is of the highest laboratory quality. The same stuff you'd see in any well run hospital laboratory.
So on June 16th I conducted my first run. I used about 60ml of my partner's whole blood, which is what one would call a "double dose" if you were in Mexico doing the same treatment.
I used 10 sterile separation centrifuge tubes with 3ml of separation media in each. To each tube I added 6ml blood and topped off with sterile saline (2 to 3ml) to aide in separating out the RBCs from the PBMCs. I then spun the tubes at 2500RPM for 15 to 20 minutes. Removed the band of PBMCs (peripheral blood mononuclear cells) with a sterile pipette, placed the bands into two sterile 15ml conical centrifuge tubes, and top off with lactated ringer's solution (ie, a "wash" step). My second spin was at 3000RPM for 20 minutes to pellet out the PBMCs. I resuspended the pellet in more sterile lactated ringers and away we went.
The injections are placed, four in each forearm when doing a "double dose". I did sub-q injections but intradermal also work. Injection sites aren't to be touched, scratched, or otherwise molested for a number of days. No benadryl, steroids, or anything that impedes the immune response. The injection sites itch like hell from the reaction but, as Martha would say, "It's a good thing." My body is creating blocking antibodies that will protect the embryos if, when, they implant.
Today is 11 days after my first LIT and the reaction looks just like what you'd get if you'd go to Mexico and see the good doctor in Nogales. Exactly the same. I'm blown away at how easy this was for me to do. I'll redo my treatment in about 10 days so that the treatments are 3 weeks apart. I'll retest my LADs shortly thereafter. I expect to see my T and B cells (IgG and IgM) go thru the roof. Okay, if they're back at 99 I'll be thrilled. This treatment is also great for reducing NK cells, so I hope that it will reduce the number of IVIg treatments I'll need should I get pregnant.
So, there you have it: DIY LIT. We're joking that we should call my office Linda's LIT Laboratory. But I'd rather turn it into a nursery.
Knocking on wood.
*LIT = Leukocyte/Lymphocyte Immunization Therapy/Treatment
Labels: IVF3 Take 2, LIT
posted by linda at 2:14 AM
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A Confession"
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