Mental health and platelet counts?

Hello,

there is something I would like to discuss with you.

In January this year I started a psychotherapy (due to depressions, all kinds of phobias). My therapist now suggested sending me to a clinic for stationary treatment (4 to 6 weeks). She said that this would help me not only with my depressions but also to deal with my ITP (to be able to accept it). She also said that it might have a possitive effect on the ITP.

(Oh boy, this is difficult to explain in English. I hope it is clear, what I want to say :blush: )

Has anyone made such an experience? Is it possible that the state of mind has an effect on the platelet counts (or the illness in general? Could ITP be healed by healing mental diseases?)?

Well, I believe that improving mental and emotional health has a positive impact on overall health, but I don't believe that it would heal or cure ITP.

There is no harm in trying, and it seems that it might do you a lot of good emotionally.

other than being tired my emotional issues have been hugh for me.Than compounded by the steroids...It cannot hurt....maybe if I had delt with my ups and downs.i would still be married...oh but theres the imaginary boyfriend she lives with now.

think of your mental state as being a factor in your ITP - you can't solve any auto-immune disorder with happy thoughts alone.

When you're down or depressed, you stay home, you eat junk, watch TV, sleep at odd hours and feel sorry for yourself - when you're not, you tend to get out the house, be more active, eat better, sleep bettter and see people. The former is likely to have a detrimental effect on your count - i don't know about anyone else, but if i've eaten a lot of takeaways, drunk lots of fizz and been a couch potato, i do seem to have lower counts. when i eat properly and exercise a bit, they seem to go up. not drastically in either case, but enough for me to notice.

so if you think the therapy will help with your depression, then hopefully it'll have a knock-on effect on your lifestyle and your platelets. if nothing else, learning to accept it and to know that it's not your fault is a good thing. it's not caused by something you've done or haven't done - it's just happened and that doesn't make you a bad or lesser person.

I have ITP - ITP does not have me. It is there and i acknowledge it, but it does not define who I am or what i can be.

I think mental health plays a huge roll with ITP for me. I struggled through 2 bouts of depression. Took me a while to admit/accept that I needed some help. I was amazed what a little pill could do. Discovering I had ITP did not help matters, all I thought about was ITP, wich in turn made me even more depressed. Counts have been great for 10m now. When my counts are up I really do not think about ITP. I searched "how stress affects the body", it really affects ones overall health.
Take Care.

I agree with you Dean. Stress, I believe, is what helped trigger my relapse after being in remission for 4 years. I'm always trying too hard to please other people, work to hard, volunteer too much, etc. Along with stress (which makes me tired), eating foods I am allergy to, and other environmental allergies--I believe this brought on my new bout of ITP. I will try not to let this happen again. I should have learned my lesson by now!

Good Morning,

thanks for your comments and thoughts.

On Monday I experienced firsthand, how much stress can affect our disease: When I went to the hospital Monday morning, I had no visible bleeding signs. A few bruises, but nothing too serious. After the News, that my platelets were at 4k only and statement of my Doc, that it will be difficult to get the Promacta, I was desperate. And within an hour or so I got these little red spots (what are they called in English?) all over my hands. A few hours later, when my Doc called me and told me the good news, that I could have Promacta, most of the spots vanished overnight.

@ DeeDee Marie:
Same here. Although I know, what would be good for me, and what isn't, I changed nothing so far. Well, I'm working on it, but changing life isn't easy. Especially when you're caught in a depression :ohmy:

Hello Petra, I know changing life isn't easy; especially, since you've had low platelets for quite a while. Have you tried any treatment plans during the last two years? Actually, for having low platelets, you've done real well with not a lot of the bleeding side effects. And, when you are younger, I think your body has a lot easier time healing itself. Try to just work on one thing at a time. And the first positive thing is that you will be getting the Promacta--this is very good for you.

Take it one step at a time, and hopefully, things will improve for you. And the petaechie vanishing overnight is a good sign.

Dee Dee

Hi
Am new to this site though new about it through the UK ITP association and not new to ITP though mine is the idiopathic version.

I have had ITP on and off since 1994 having had my spleen removed and yes one of those rare people whom the spleen grew back and had that removed too. Over the last five years I have survived Meningitis and Septic Shock (Septicaemia). Off which has left me nearly deaf in my left ear, tinnitis and managed to self treat virtigo by wearing a hat outdoors. But that has only stopped the spinning and sickness I think.

I haven't had a drop for around 8 years until two weeks ago they dropped to 10 and then raised to 37. Which was my last known test because I went to see my Heamatologist and had the bloods done. The first test clotted and they called me in before the second test came through.

My platelets do not normally follow this pattern as far as I know and am beginning to accept that anxiety could have caused it all somehow? For I have been trying to work out if am experiencing discomfort when the fluid drops in my ear for virtigo but without the spinning etc or am I becoming anxious in situations.

Last monday I went to see the GP to try and begin to work this out. Unfortunately I think she decided am anxious without beginning to work it out. I had a blurred eye the afternoon that sent me to A&E and she wouldn't investigate any other reason since Haematologist told me if that happens again go to them.

I sometimes find noise difficult to assemble in my head and I think that is apart of deafness and tinnitis. Plus I have regular wax build up - always have done from being a child. I have a lot of questions for the doctor who is willing to listen to me without trying to stamp it as anything.

Trouble is anxiety is now stamped on my notes which has pro's and con's. Luckily she couldn't give me anything because my last known count was 37 and she didn't ring the haematologist to find out - though she could have done! But am thankful as anxiety tablets only mask the situation rather than deal with what is really happening.

So after a wordy post am asking could it be always possible that anxiety could have caused it all that afternoon? Remembering that mine is idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpula.

Anxiety can cause a lot of things, but I doubt it would cause a quick, major platelet drop. If that were true, I'd have been low many, many times when my counts were just fine.

:-} thanks for that and I am more than aware it is only one reply

Rhiannon, I had a hard time following in your complete history of your anxiety and how it relates to your ITP. But, I'll have you know, that I have had anxiety, severe insomnia, and a lot of stress in my life--and I definitely feel it has effected my health in one way or another. I went 5 years in my life while I worked and hardly slept at all. I told my husband that one day this was all going to come back and effect my health. And, I barely made it to retirment and a few years later my platelets fell to 8000 and I had a lot of bleeding. I've had to take medication for the insomnia and anxiety, and they are listed as some of the drugs that make your platelets fall. So, I do feel this all effects your health. My platelets just fell to 1000 on July 18; I stayed in the hospital for almost two weeks. Then, 2 1/2 weeks later, they fell again to 1000 and I was back in the hospital for another 5 days. Now, I am going to consider a trial at USC for a drug similar to Rituxan, but is only given in two doses instead of four. You are lucky that your platelets came back up as mine don't come back up that easy any more since I am 62 years old. Let me know if I can share any more thoughts with you. I'd be more than happy to.
Take care,
Dee Dee

Cheers for that because it really has helped more than you may guess with management of ITP

Rhiannon, I'm glad I could share my story with you. Anytime you feel you need to discuss something with me, please don't hesitate to contact me. I know I am dealing with a lot of fear right now, as my ITP has been really troublesome. I am going to USC, Calif., this Friday to enroll into a trial study. And, I'll have to admit that I am a little afraid. But, I feel, I need to try something to get me back going again.

You take care
Dee Dee

For me, ITP is just a weeks' rest in another hospital from time to time but haven't had it for 8 years until this month. But from what I been reading on here that is fairly common to have long term remissions. And I have had it very very lucky indeed from what people are sharing. My hardship comes with loosing my Spleen (to ITP)and even then I not got the worst end of the stick.

Yes DeeDee if there is anything we can share together and help each other and others that be good. My English is average though I tend to type as I think and only see my mistakes until later:-}

I think I have been wrongly diagnosed with anxiety anyways as did have vertigo as a direct result of septicaemia. Through another helpful suggestion the spinning got cleared up by wearing a hat outside. Whilst it stopped the spinning I have 99% of the other symptoms that is known of Menier's Disease. Of which I only presented some of them at the last GP visit. Now I know I must go back and present them all :-} It has nothing to do with ITP

But I think that one GP thought it did. Ah well.

Hi Rhiannon, sorry I didn't get back to you until now. I have been out of the hospital for less than a week and was feeling really tired from the IVIG they gave me. Then, I had to go to USC to get set up for a trial drug similar to Rituxan. I was at one doctor than off to another (from early morning to the evening).

I think you have done very well since having your spleen removed. A lot of young men and women do very well when they have their spleen remove. As we get older, we don't do as well when we have our spleen removed. As for your anxiety, don't let the doctors tell you what you do have. You know your body well enough to figure it out a little on your own. I do have the anxiety, but it isn't as bad as when I was younger. The only thing I worry about now, is that when I do get some anxiety, my blood pressure does go up a little. So I do take a little anxiety medication--but not like when I was younger.
Doctors in the U.S. will list all kinds of problems a person could have (regarding anxiety); most of the time, they are just guessing. Please do keep in touch.

If you don't hear from me for a while, it is probably because of the doctor visits and medication.
Take care for now, Dee Dee

update on the anxiety issue that isn't anxiety but virtigo. I used to have the spinning but after a friendly tip from someone to wear a hat outdoors ever since I haven't had the spinning. And kind of forgot about the virtigo. Over the last year however I noticed lots of what I now know as hydrops would happen. Lots of little ones, especially getting out of the car and going into a supermarket. Sometimes walking into town I feel spongey and if I stood to cross a road I'd feel as though I could fall over - though never did :-} Over the last week I stood at the regular bus stop and traffic noise really hurt my working ear. I hadn't noticed the noise before. I came to my parents home one day and it sounded like my mum was shouting. Within seconds I had a hydrop and hearing returned to normal. The only part I have controlled through wearing a hat is the spinning and sickness. I get the rest. Tinnitis all the time but the rest at various time. So my anxiety isn't anxiety per se but virtigo or mild case of Menier's Disease. Its back to (a different) doctor for me and get it persued a bit more. It may mean not wearing the hat for a time to see if the spinning really has stopped.

But aparently anxiety can be wrongly misdiagnosed because of similar symptoms for people and I know I wasn't very clear at the last appointment. Especially as at the back of my mind I know about the virtigo and thought I had self managed it. By the way the Hydrops isn't because of the autoimmmune dissorder because I have had ITP for since 1994 on and off and only had Tinnitis since I had Septicaemia 5 years ago.

But I do find that my tinnitis changes pitch before my periods and had done before the latest platelet drop.

Anyway I have joined the Menier's Disease society in UK and they have sent me some information that includes exercises. I did one this morning and my trip to the supermarket was hydrop free for once! I don't know if the exercises usually work that quickly and just could be coincidental. For I do know that Stress does affect virtigo and Meniers Disease and been busy with a performance and that has been stressful at times.

I did well for years - until I had Meningitis and 18 month later Septicaemia. Septicamia did very mild damage in retrospect of what could have gone wrong. I had bouts of ITP but only ever had bouts of ITP. My circumstances seem to be so different to what I read about on here and on the UK support website.

Yes am quite happy to keep in touch with you and will look out for further posts from you. Even though my experiences seem rather inferior to everyone I have read about. I trust my haematology team 100%. One consultant recently retired and whilst I was 'his' patient, he didn't seem to let anyone else 'see' me in clinic. He had private patients who paid to make sure they saw him only, yet as a National Health Service (NHS) free patient I got him every single time. Luckily I trusted him and got on well enough with him. He has now retired but I still trust the team where I am.

I haven't heard of the treatments refered to on here because been lucky enough to respond to Immunogloblin and steroids in time. My team seem to really know what they are doing and am very thankful of that after reading some acocunts.

Hope to hear from you soon
Rhiannon