Yes, ITP affects people at their jobs, not a weird question at all. ITP affects people with frequent doctor visits that they have to take off work for- I go for Nplate injections every Weds afternoon which sometimes interferes with work- hard to take off, plus having to explain where I'm going and why I need weekly injections at a cancer center. I don't bruise much but have worn long sleeves, long pants due to bruising and petechaie. I avoid driving on the freeway with low counts. I am not at risk for injury at work as its a safe easy environment. Others have real trouble with a high-risk physical job. We all try to get some kind of treatment that works for our life style. But sometimes the person's work or favorite sport activities have to change. Hopefully those folks will tell their story.
My advice to you is don't use prednisone as a long term treatment, its really not a good idea. The side effects are so bad and there are other treatments that are much better. Especially if you have depression, prednisone can make it so much worse. I've had steroid psychosis from dexamethasone (stronger drug like pred) and depression from prednisone. Has your doctor suggested anything else for treatment? Promacta and Nplate are drugs designed specifically for ITP and have a good success rate with fewer side effects. I don't have any side effects from Nplate. Unlike prednisone which caused me to gain 30lbs, thin hair, high blood pressure, insomnia, anxiety/depression, permanent bone loss PLUS the withdrawal took nearly a year was terrible with joint aches, muscle pains, fatigue. AND it really affected me at work- impatient, irritable, short fuse, exhausted. I yelled at a 96 yr old woman client while I was on prednisone- not good. I apologized and she said she was hard of hearing so didn't notice, in fact she thought I was wonderful. whew got out of that one! But I realized I was out of control on prednisone, so got very serious about tapering off.
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