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Hi, Dick!
My dad was treated at a facility that did not offer the shots. Looking at Bailie's account of how much the shots costs, I'm guessing that may have dictated why my dad's medical group chose the IV infusions. They were roughly $6,000 for the seven days of infusion (he was with Kaiser Permanente).
The actual infusion of the Vidaza only took about 10 minutes. The infusion center gave him an anti-nausea medication and an allergy medication about 1/2 prior to doing the infusion. They allowed him to keep his IV in for five days so he didn't have to be poked each time. So, it really only took him about 45 minutes total for the infusions each day. I'm so sorry you have such a long commute to your hospital, but if the closer clinic is willing to do IV infusions then you are not looking at a too long a time in the clinic.
In terms of how my dad felt with Vidaza, he had very few problems. It made him a little more tired, but no problems with feeling sick. His biggest issue was a change in his sense of taste, and until we good find some things that tasted good to him, he had trouble keeping up his weight. For him, Vidaza didn't really work, and eventually he had problems with his numbers falling too low and never recovering and with his kidneys suffering major inflammation problems from even low doses of the medicine. However, I definitely think it is worth a try, since most people seem to tolerate it well and for some it really does make a huge difference.
I wish you much success with your treatment and hope that all goes for you!
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