Hey ITP friends!
I've not checked in here in quite some time, so thought I would.
It was many mango seasons ago, I believe about 33 years ago. I was a young man of 19 or so in the U.S. Navy and stationed in Puerto Rico. The ITP monster got me big-time. I was down to some ridiculously low count of platelets, and spotted all over. It was kind of scary at the time, the Doctor at my base clinic didn't want to say what was wrong with me, he just told me to go CAREFULLY back to my barracks, pack a few things in a bag, and "walk CAREFULLY" back to the clinic.
The next week or so was terrible. They put me in a Cancer ward in an overcrowded VA Hospital, and did a bone marrow sample to rule out Leukemia. They told me I couldn't fly back to the mainland because I might get a nose bleed on the flight and die.
So here I was stuck in a over-crowded terrible VA hospital away from home, and feeling healthy and great except for the spots.
An expert came in and said I had "ITP" - and explained what it was.
They put me on steroids - didn't do a thing.
And it took FOREVER for the steroids to not do a thing!
They didn't want me to brush my teeth, brush my hair, get out of bed - nothing. I hated it.
They told me that they were going to try and remove my spleen and that should do the trick.
They took out my spleen - my platelets came back.
My ITP nightmare was over.
I've been doing great, but to this day sometimes I'll think about ITP, and it's funny, I was so young at the time I didn't even realize how scary the whole thing was.
Anyway all is good and I thought I'd say hello to all of my ITP friends and hope you're hanging in there.
Eric (Now in Montana)
