Ask your doctor about H.pylori test!

So here is my story.

I got diagnosed ITP last year April. Went through one round of prednisone, 3 months later, the platelet was 16. My doctor put me on prednisone again and started to suggest me to schedule rituxan and if that doesn't work, she suggest me to do spleenctomy. 2 months of high dose prednisone, it turns out prednisone is not holding up my platelet count. It starts to drop again...

I decided to go for rituxan. It needs a week to schedule for rituxan treatment. I just got back from a long trip, and got some viral infection (probably because high dose of prednisone suppressed my immune system). So she called me in and did a normal check up on me. I told her I'm having a little bit diarea, some cough. Then she ordered couple of blood tests for me, including H.pylori test.

and the test comes back I do have H.pylori bacteria. She prescribed two weeks H.pylori bacteria removal treatment (a bunch of antibiotics). After taking them for 3 days I went back for a routine weekly check, and my platelet count was 87! one week before that was 53 ! I kept taking those antibiotics and today I just had my number back I'm 153 now! I'm within normal range now!!!!

Just imagine if I didn't mention my doctor I had diarea, she didn't order the blood test for me. I could possibly go for expensive rituxan and even spleenctomy, then found out taking two weeks of antibiotics could totally fix my problem....

Yes I wish I didn't have to take those evil prednisone though... but not the worst case. I'm slowly tapering it.

So if you are a ITP patient, go have a H.pylori test! If you are positive , go for the two weeks treatment, it's not expensive and won't hurt you anything. It might be the key to fix your ITP !!!

I had the H.pylori and treated....but it did not have any effect on my ITP.