son's treatment

Well, after the 4 weeks , of Ritaxin, today's count was onlly 9000, so tomorrow they are doing the ivag treatment again and 4 days of decadron. repeat blood work on Monday and the doctor told us to start thinking of spleenectomy now;(.. My son is so close to being hired on the county sheriff's department soon,only thing left is interview with police cheif and then the medical exam(ugh!). Hoping this works, he is so down now:( He is 22

Rituxin can take several weeks after the last treatment before a response can happen. Not sure why the Dr's are treating with other meds already. I would wait and see if the Rituxin kicks in before even considering a Splenectomy!! How is he feeling physically? He needs to try to stay positive through this. Hope he gets through the interview/exam!!

I say give it time.. you couldn't budge me from 4k-9k for more than a few days when I first got diagnosed and then, 5 months in, after two WinRho treatments it stabilized at about 60k and then slowly increased for 4 years to about 130k. I recently had it return after a fierce viral infection but it "seems" to be milder than before. Every hemo I have been to has played the spleen card quickly but are open to working as a team. I wish every person with newly diagnosed ITP came to this site to educate themselves before making that decision. Removing the spleen is a perfectly viable option but I wouldn't make it choice #1.. maybe #3 or #4.

As disappointing as it may be the health has to come first! I personally am a believer in God and think there can be purpose molded from anything that happens in our life... we may not see it now.. frankly may not see it in this life.. (I hope its one of the things that the afterlife will reveal is how it ties together).. I know that doesn't always help much but I can say my first incident refocused my life and I can say that it has been for the better. You son will be in my prayers.

I started treatment with a platelet count of 5K. I was on prednisone for one year, then splenectomy. My count was still around 40K. My doctor had me take the Rituxon infusions (4 treatments). My count shot up to 130K and has stayed there for several months. I was apprehensive about the Rituxon but impressed afterwards with the results.

Joe McHarg
Atlanta

@jmcharg - not to hijack this conversation but how was your Rituxan experience? I am thinking it is my next option.

Debrasia - I am sorry to hear your son's counts dropped again, and the timing could not be worse with regards to his hiring. Is there any way to put off the medical exam if at all possible? So many people on this site have reported a delayed response to the treatment.

I also have seen Dr. Zakarija and she is amazing. She does have a long wait time as Dave mentions; however, if you explain that you have a situation where you need a second opinion you may be able to get in earlier. You might want to explain your situation and ask for an earlier opening. Dr. Zakarija won't do anything until you send your medical records though. Along with Dave, I highly recommend her.