New ITP

Hello to all!
I'm Nick from Evansville, IN, recently diagnosed with ITP. On the spectrum, Ive been lucky, with platelets staying around 80 with no tx and have been asymptomatic. Diagnosis started with a low platelet count on a routine blood test. The worst part so far was the months of numerous tests and the waiting with high anxiety that it might be a myeloma, leukemia, liver issue, etc. But everything came back normal.
Just wanted to say hi!

Hi Nick, Welcome to the ITP forum! Thanks for sharing your story. This is a good place to find the latest information on ITP.

Your numbers are really safe so you are lucky there. "Watching and waiting" is a valid plan. People can live well with low platelets plus the treatments can have serious side effects so its best to avoid treatments if you can. Its good that you are researching ITP because there is a lot to learn and we all need to make informed decisions as to medical intervention/testing and treatments. Like you, when I was first diagnosed 12 years ago they told me my low platelets could either be lymphoma or HIV. I was so worried for 2 weeks. Then when I finally got to a hematologist and he explained that I had ITP, I was delighted! That was the best news I had ever heard.

I read in another thread that you got your second dose of Pfizer. It will be interesting to see if it affects your counts. I had Moderna and my already low platelet count (19) fell to an unsafe level of 9. My medication Nplate was increased. Then after 2 weeks my counts came up to 47. I think the vaccine caused a temporary drop.