Hi everyone. I am a 53 year-old male living with ITP for 5 years. I was diagnosed in February, 2012, with symptoms starting a few months earlier. I underwent a prolonged period of stress in 2011 that was primarily work-related. I worked long hours for a terrible boss with no time off. Fortunately, things improved in 2012 and are much better now. I just wondered if other people experienced undue stress for a lengthy period prior to their ITP diagnosis.
Like most others, my platelet counts have fluctuated over the past 5 years. When I was first diagnosed, they were just 5k. My oncologist/hematologist put me on 60 mg. of prednisone with no success. It caused several side effects, including a bad rash/acne on my face as I was tapering off of it. Later in 2012, I underwent rituxan treatment, and it seemed to work. My platelet count improved to within the normal range (around 165k) where it stayed for 2 and 1/2 years. It dropped again in early 2015. My sister suggested I try eating a healthy diet (low carbs, gluten-free, etc.). She thought my diet may be causing inflammation, which might be triggering flare-ups. I took my sister's advice and my counts did improve. They dropped again in January, 2016 and my doctor had me try another round of rituxan. My platelet count improved to 137k in May but dropped to 17k in August. They were 15k as of the end of September. I go for another blood test at the end of this month. My doctor said he may have me try rituxan a third time. He has a couple other treatments in mind, but didn't elaborate. He will consider a splenectomy as a last resort.
My family thinks I should get a second opinion. They believe my doctor should take my blood counts more often and try to pinpoint if there is a trigger causing this. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
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