It varies person to person.
I was on IV Rocephin for 13 months and another 3 months on IV Doxy. There is no set timeframe on how long it takes, except for affordability. Out of pocket it costs around $800/month for Rx and supplies and you'll need to have someone change the dressing weekly.
First, you need to decide to get PICC line which is a tube inserted into a vein in your bicep that runs to the top of your heart to deliver meds in high concentration. PICCs make it difficult to shower, they can get infected, and the dressings needs to be changed often.
Another way is a Port that is surgically inserted into a vein in your chest and you use a syringe to inject the abx. Not too familiar with rest, but it make bathing easier.
Next there are 3 ways that I know of to infuse IV Rocephin.
1. Drip Bag. Takes about
an hour, but you have limited mobility
2. Infusion ball. Takes an hour, but you can move around and even drive.
3. 20 cc IV Push Syringe. Takes 20 minutes or so and limited mobility, entire process takes 30 minutes.
For the first month I infused once a day for 7 days a week. Then I changed to twice a day for 4 days ON then 3 days OFF.
Its no silver bullet, and your mileage my vary. Some get well using just herbs and/or orals. Other need to use IV for a wide range of reasons. I did IV, orals, and herbals at one stretch in my treatment, and still not well after over 5 years.
If I would have know that back then I would have skipped the IV.
Post Edited (tickbite666) : 10/1/2015 5:10:00 AM (GMT-6)