If he takes IVIG, make sure he is well-hydrated before, during, and after, and that he is medicated with tylenol and benadryl, before, during, and after. After, for my kid, means a day or two. We didn't know this the first time, and she had a horrible headache so bad she had to return to the hospital to rule out a head bleed. She was pretreated, but the tylenol and benadryl weren't kept up round the clock. Once we knew this trick, her side effects were minimal to nonexistent in the later treatments. I'm sending you prayer and good thoughts, because I recall all too well the anxiety you feel. I know the feeling about the car rides. I called my kid "the egg," during that time, because I feared she would crack if someone hit the brake too hard or she had a spill. I made unnecessary solo trips to the grocery store to have some time alone to cry in the car, since I couldn't cry in front of her and my family and friends didn't really understand. This can get better. My kid's counts now stay at or near normal, but it took well over a year to get there, and they still dip a bit when she has a virus. All treatments have side effects and risks, which must be weighed against the risk of injury and low counts. If he needs a cyst removed, teeth pulled, etc., treatment is good. IVIG works for my kid, and I'm glad there is a "rescue treatment" available to her. It has a risk, however, and we reserve it for "rescues." On the other hand, while steroids make one feel bad, they don't have the side effects of IVIG, nor the risk. Has there been any discussion of trying a brief course of steroids, with a taper off of them, of course, to boost his count enough to deal with the cyst?
Norma