Diagnosed after 1 year of stable count, good sign?

Hi All,

About a year ago I went in to see a kidney doctor thinking I may have an issue there.

Kidney was fine, but during my blood-test the doctor told me I had low platelet count.

He advised me to see a hematologist to confirm and give me more info.

Being the generally lazy person I am, I never ended up going till a bit over a year later.

My original count was around 75, during my just recent redraw, I have 69.

The hematologist told me that I had ITP and basically didnt need to do anything except get a blood test once a year to see if things change.

Is it a good sign that my count is more or less the same a year later?

When I read peoples stories here it sounds like when they find out their platelet count is dropping very quickly, like over a matter of days etc.

Can someone share info with me on how fast platelet counts drop?

Adam:

Everyone is different. Most people find out when their counts are already low because they had some bleeding or bruising issues. Some find out when counts are in a range similar to yours, but most do not ignore that and they have counts monitored for a while. It's alright that you did not do that because it obviously worked out okay. You would not have been treated with those counts anyway. Since you're already a year into it and counts are in the same range, you should be able to just do what the doctor said, unless you see symptoms. In that case, you need to call and request a CBC to see where you stand.

Counts can drop in a matter of days, but usually there are symptoms like bruising, petechiae or bleeding. That is when you get medical intervention.

Over the years, I have seen many people have counts that just hang out in a good safe range like yours. It's just their 'normal'. Sometimes an illness can bring them down, but most rebound on their own without medical intervention.

Hi Sandi,

Thanks for the response!

Just a couple questions for you:

1. No one understands for sure what is causing their ITP. I get the general "If its not obviously something else, then it must be an auto-immune issue". However that leaves open hundreds of reasons as to why ITP can be happening.

I have always bruised easily my entire life since I was a kid. Does it seem reasonable that my low count is probably not a recent thing, but possibly something I have unknowingly had for years?


2. Because of the broad range of possibilities for ITP, are there any generally outlined diet or lifestyle changes that people follow to try and assist? Beyond of course the normal "Exercise and try to eat healthy etc.".

Thanks!

Knowing the reason behind ITP would be a magic answer for everybody. No one knows why it happens. Some people suspect that an illness or medication triggered it, but there is no proof and no way to fix it. We just don't know. I've been researching ITP for 18 years and I can honestly tell you, there is no real answer.

It's possible that you could have had ITP for many years. Have you never had a CBC before? That would have shown it. If you believe that you may have had it for years, then there is no reason to get upset now that you do know. You've been doing just fine. (Not implying that you are upset, in fact, you seem very calm).

There are no rules about lifestyle with ITP. The only thing is that if counts are down, you have to be more careful with physical activities. Other than that, no diet restrictions or changes. If you want to live a healthier lifestyle to see if there is improvement, that would be beneficial in the long run as far as general health, but may not make any difference with the ITP