max's immune deficency.

Hi, all. I am writing this tonight so that our family and friends can have a better understanding on what has been happening with Max.
Max has been diagnosed with primary immunodeficiency. What this means is his immune system doesn't function properly, if at all. Max has been consistently sick with different infections his whole life. His first year was marked by repeated ear infections, his second and third by sinus infections that, up until a few months ago, we were able to treat with repeated antibiotics. His last infection has been resistant and unable to clear. A few weeks ago he saw the infectious disease specialist that did a full work up and found that his IGG level, an antibody that protects against viral and bacterial infections, was significantly low. Further testing revealed that he was not making antibodies to his vaccines. This is significant in that the vaccines he has received so far are not protecting him against diseases, but moreso, his body is not making antibodies to other bacteria or viruses he has encountered. It explains why Max is always sick. I am counting my blessings tonight that this was discovered by Max's pediatrician at a point where Max's illnesses have been self-limiting and not the type that could have made him much, much sicker.
I'm sure everyone's child has had a cold, ear infection, or sinus infection in their first years of life. The difference is their body is able to clear it up on its own or with antibiotics. With Max it would clear for a very short time, usually 2 weeks, and then return. These last few months it has been unable to clear. He also has a big scabbed up scrape on his tiny ankle that started from a new pair of sandals he wore in August. Four months later, many tubes of hydrocortisone, boxes of band-aids, and kisses from me later, it will not heal. All of this was his bodies way of showing us that it could not heal itself.
Treatment for Max will be immune globulin replacement therapy.  He will be getting blood transfusions with the fraction of plasma that contains immunoglobulins (antibodies). Since the blood is only replacing what he should be making and not correcting the problem it will only provide him temporary protection. Consequently, he will need these transfusions every 3-4 weeks. If we are lucky and this is something he outgrows, he will be doing this for 1-3 years. Otherwise it is necessary for Max's whole life.
His treatments will likely be at Mary Bridge or Children's. They last 2-6 hours, sometimes half a day depending on his body's response. Most patients have no side effects from the procedure but feeling sick afterwards is expected.
Even with treatment, Max will be more susceptible to infections and more ill then his peers when an infection develops. But the treatment itself should improve his health tremendously and most importantly protect him from so many scary things out there.
As his mom, it weighs on my heart to hear what he will have to go through in this next year alone. The blood draws he has had in the last few weeks have given him an emotional beating. He went to get his haircut the other night and melted down in the airplane chair, thinking he was going to get poked again. For me, the hardest part to get over is the emotional aspect of the repeated needle sticks for him (and for his dad, anyone who knows Geno knows he will faint just reading this last paragraph about needles.)
I am thankful that this was found and something we are able to treat. I wish that the treatment wouldn't be so much for his little self to endure. But thankful all the same that is something that has a treatment. A gift that not all families faced with diseases are given.
One of the truest quotes I have ever read is to have a child is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. And tonight my heart feels heavy. But just as in everything else we have come across with these boys...an emergency birth, hospitalizations, Luke's time in the NICU...no matter how hard it is in the moment, it always gets better. And so will Max.