PDA Conference

Have any of you attended the annual PDA conference? Have you taken your kids or teens? We are considering going this year since it's not too far from us. Thanks, in advance, for any insight you may have.

I went to the one in Chicago a few years ago, and am traveling out to Boston this year. There is a lot of good information available. I would not bring my son, but he's too little. If your kids are old enough to sit through presentations, and are interested, it may be good for them. Otherwise if they are old enough they can hang out at the hotel too...

We are thinking of going but will not take our girls. They are too young. I think the best part will be meeting parents that have children with ITP. At times I feel like no one understands this rollercoaster.

Thanks for letting me know it seemed worth your time and that you got a lot out of the conference last time you went. I agree that it would be nice to meet other parents of kids with the disorder. Our son, who has ITP, is 15. Our daughter is 11. They are definitely old enough to sit through speakers, etc., and we think it may be good for our son to meet other teens who have similar frustrations. I think we feel a little funny going because our son has only been fighting low platelets for 7 months now, and we realize that so many people have been struggling for years...we will think about it some more before making definite plans.

I'm an adult with ITP so I can't speak to the parent aspect. I've been to a few of the confrences since they were started and have been posting to this forum long before it became PDSA. I always learn something from the conference and the fellowship and contacts are invaluable. I was in Vegas last year since it's close to me. We had several teens there.

Yes, many of us have been struggling with this for many years, but that doesn't lessen your son's need. Each of us has to find our own course in our own time and his journey is just as important as any of ours. Given the hormones and peer impacts of that age, his may be even more important during this time.

I'd personally say that for the first 18 months after diagnosis I was a slightly possessed. Having been diagnosied with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and ITP on the same day, I haunted multiple discussion groups and surfed the internet several nights a week. I printed articles, made my PCP read them, suffered through the "now you can read anything on the web" lectures and fired back that I only provided info from sources like teaching universities and reputable medical sites. 16 years later, I find that I have spend far more time worrying about things than ever experiencing them. For most of those years, I never had to treat and stayed in the 50K range. I've only had to treat in the last 2 years.