TOPIC:

Hi, I was diagnosed with ITP last Aug 09 with a count of 6K, since then had various problems with my health. After reaching a normal count of about 100k, my folic levels have plummeted and Ive now got Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS). Are all these linked to ITP? Nobody seems to know the answer. As my counts go high either my folic drops or I have an outbreak of HS.
Any advise welcome x

Hi Amanda, I can't shed any light on your HS, however, my husband has had Transverse Myelitis (an autoimune disorder) for 10 years and just recently has ITP. We asked our hemo doc if there was any relation and he said no, although I've read that ITP can be either primary or it can be secondary to another condition mostly Lupus and RA.

No, it's not linked to ITP, however, if a person is prone to one autoimmune disorder, they may acquire others.

Funny that you mention that as one count goes up, the other drops. There used to be a woman here who had hemolytic anemia and ITP. She had the same problem...if her platelet counts went up, her iron dropped and vice versa. It was a see saw that she dealt with for quite a while and there was no real reason for that.

I hope you can get both under control soon.

Thanks for replying. I just get very frustrated with it all. Because you think you've beaten one, the other flares up. I supposed Ill have to get use to it. There is no other way. Im trying to stay positive at the moment, as I dont want to feel sorry for myself and then have depression on top of everything else!!

Thanks

It is very common for people to get more then one AI disease because their immune system is so whacked out. The immune system CAN be healed. It takes diligence and a long time but it can be done (I've seen it done multiple times) with diet, fixing underlying issues, etc. Places to look at for a beginning are food allergies (the ELISA 96 food panel is the best one available), chemicals you use/eat, exposures at work/home, etc. We've come a long way in healing my own body of an AI but I've been at it for 5yrs. Once we figured out what triggered it (latex allergy mostly) we were able to go from there. So I would say, don't give up and see if you can find a friend or someone that is natural oriented that can help turn you in the right direction. That will usually lead to a natural health practioner that can help you. I do NOT believe (as one harsh hemo/onc. told us about our son) that the immune system can't be healed. Our bodies were made to heal if we give them what they need to heal. Stay encouraged.

I have two autoimmune diseases.... I was diagnosed with ITP nearly eight years after being "cured" of ulcerative colitis at age 18 and having no immune-related problems whatsoever.

Ulcerative colitis is a disease where the immune system attacks the large intestine, and can be "cured" (I take that with a grain of salt) by complete surgical removal of the large intestine and rectum.

And then out of nowhere, BAM, I turn 26 and I get ITP. suckage.