Possibly Costa Rica acquired ITP and possibly curable?

Hi,
First, if anyone has traveled abroad and develops ITP within a month of returning home, please look for parasite, virus and bacteria connections. It can't hurt.
Here is my story:
I am cautiously optimistic that I may be out of the ITP woods after spending the last several months on an IVIG and platelet crashing every 2-3 weeks roller coaster. I am now down to 25mg Promacta 3 times a week. My platelets today were 262,000. There is a good chance I will be off Promacta completely. I have not had IVIG since early October and am off of Prednisone since December 6, 2017.
In case it is helpful to anyone else, what I want to share is that I began bruising 2 weeks after I returned from Costa Rica on 4/1/17. I believe there may have been a correlation with the 9/17 parasite eradication (using Rife treatment and a Pararid-parasite cleanse medication) and beginning homeopathic medications( ie) Moducare,Notanum, and Cats Claw to balance the immune system and get rid of viruses) because within a month after I was treated I stopped having the every two week need for IVIG rescue treatment.
That being said, two other variables to consider is that I went 100% gluten free at that time 9/17, because the homeopathic dr said that gluten triggers the immune system and that I did a month of low dose prednisone starting in November which might have helped to break the cycle of needing the IVIG rescue medications. Still it has only been since October that I have not crashed, so I am just cautiously optimistic but wanted to update the group.
I really don't know what has or has not helped but felt the need to share my story in case any part of it can be helpful to anyone.
Thanks,
Cindy

Cindy1 wrote: ... I am now down to 25mg Promacta 3 times a week. My platelets today were 262,000.

OMG, no bleeping way! I can't believe this. Three times a week ? ? ?
What wonderful news. I am so happy for you Cindy.

Thanks for your nice note! I know its crazy. But I am cautiously optimistic still because we have to see if the platelets stay stable. My pre ITP platelet numbers were 206,000 so we'll see. But...anyway you slice it, things are much better than the every 2-3 weeks IVIG dexbursts!
How are you doing?

This is so extreme. When you have a doctor's visit, do you go in and share a good laugh the first 5 minutes about how wild your counts have been?

Ok, the shock has worn off. What dose of Promacta were you on, before now, to get to a 262 count and for how long?

LOL, Danazol and I are best buddies now. Roughly 30 point rise per month. This roller coaster is going to take awhile.

So glad to hear about the good Danazol results!!!!
I just posted not great on the numbers on my end. The 25 Promacta mg every other day was too low coupled with a recent cold virus. I'm going back to 50mg every day and some low dose Prednisone. Probably try the 2.5 mg a day. Thinking positively.
Cindy

Cindy1 wrote: So glad to hear about the good Danazol results!!!!
I just posted not great on the numbers on my end. The 25 Promacta mg every other day was too low coupled with a recent cold virus. I'm going back to 50mg every day and some low dose Prednisone. Probably try the 2.5 mg a day. Thinking positively.
...
Here is detail.
11/30-311, 12/4-282, 12/8-210, 12/15-200, 12//19-265, 12/23- 325, 12/28- 334, 1/2- 262, 1/5-202, 1/9 -89.

That blasted immune (B cell) response. It's like either full-on or full-off. Hard to know what to do / how to out fox it. Here is what comes to my mind: I would be tempted to go to straight 25 or a 50/25 split with Promacta. If I'm paying attention, 50mg seems to be proving to much? Then use mini 'steroid rescues' not when counts fall but when they fall to low. Also, when counts are stuck to high, I wonder if an isolated (1 or) 2 day skip of Promacta doses would turn on the immune system and get counts headed lower.

What really stunned me earlier was taking Promacta 3 times a week and skipping the other days. That means skipping two days in a row (sat & sun). From what I've observed skipping two days (for a steroid responder) is normally a prescription for a crash. Skipping (or reducing dose) one day has risk. Two days is much riskier. A schedule of taking Promacta 4 times a week is far safer than 3 times a week. On a side note. For a non steroid responder like me, skipping one or two days is no big deal. Just get lower counts.

So did skipping Promacta on Jan 6th and 7th, and the cold virus, cause the rapid decline to a 89 count? Or, was it just a 25/skip schedule (and cold) that did it?