What a great day

Dougie's count today was.................................53!!!!!

I would say it was a lovely surprise, but it wasn't because he has looked so good for about the last 10 days. Its the first time he's been above 30 since last christmas. He's one happy boy because that means he can play football on Sunday!

Wow, that's awesome news! Especially that he is doing this without any treatment!! Hope this continues for him!

Hi Ali, how did Dougie enjoy football? I hope he had the best day..

Wow thats excellent news. Well done Dougie. Hope it continues to increase.

Awww Milly, thanks for asking!

It was the first time he has been able to play an actual match since last easter, and he LOVED it, even managed to score a goal!!!! Missing football is the single most annoying thing for him about ITP, so it was a massive deal to him that he could play (I guess you've got to be a 13 year old footie mad boy to understand that one!). I don't know how long that count will last, but its great while it does......

That's great he had a good game and a big yahoo for scoring a game. These kids with ITP are a real inspiration to me and I really like to see them doing normal kid stuff, if they can deal with the normal teenage stuff and the restrictions that ITP puts upon them it shows what great adults they will become, they will have compassion for others and grow up with the reality that sometimes life is not always easy but that can overcome this and be stronger young adults because of this. They are amazing.....

Hooray!! I am thrilled for Dougie-and a bit of "normal" life
Praying for his counts to stay up above the 50 mark!

Hi LaMonica,

Long time no speak - how is Camden doing these days?

Ali

We enjoyed a lovely two weeks in Hawaii with his count in the 35k range-he loved boogie boarding and body surfing
He started bloody noses once a week after our return, along with small dark bruises-23k. Of course, with Camden it turned out as his ped suspected and he got sick and counts went up to 36k a few days later. We are going to wait three months for the next draw unless his bloody noses start up. We did sign him up for a non-competitive basketball league that starts next month. After seeing lots of kids hitting the floor and getting broken wrists/ankles it helped me realize that this mom needs her kid to be in the recreational league
He does have a "sick" look with circles under his eyes and is pretty thin-I need to bulk him up a bit! How does Dougie's build compare with his brothers? how is your other son's health?
LaMonica

LaMonica

Dougie loves basketball and plays pretty much regardless of his count. I really hope Camden enjoys the league.

I think that Dougie's count is related to a virus he had a couple of weeks ago too. Illness has unexpected bonuses for some people!!!!

I've never really thought about how Dougie's physique compares to his brothers before. They are all very different. My (nearly) 18 year old is 5'10", loads of muscle and very little fat. Roger is just tipping 6 foot, and currently built like a concentration camp victim - you can count every rib and vertebrae. They both eat more or less non-stop during their waking hours and feeding them is costing me a small fortune! Dougie is just over 5 foot, pretty average, quite slim, but not skinny. And Lol is very slim but you can see that he will be built like his eldest brother in a few years time.

Rodge is doing great in terms of not having nosebleeds - since the cauterisation settled down he hasn't even had one. I've no idea what his blood is up to; I keep thinking that I should ask for a test from the GP just to confirm that everything is ok, but then again I feel its a bit like poking an ants nest, so I am leaving well alone at the moment.

Hope the next oount is good for Camden,

Ali

Somewhat p****d off - even Dougie agrees that his count isn't anywhere near 53K today.

I had a strange virus just recently too and it sent my count up 50 or so. Some viruses do that to me although persuading the haematologists that that happens is difficult. They seem to assume that counts will always go down with a virus and it just isn't so. I have the added problem that my neutrophils go down at the same time and persuading them not to worry as I've seen it all before is even more difficult.

Good luck to Dougie. Hope he does get to do the skiing although I think if I was the mother I'd be petrified the whole time he was there.. and that would be without ITP!

Hi Ann

I don't know why doctors don't accept that viruses can improve platelet counts, cos they definitely can. The doctor told me that he thought that Dougie's improved count was a sign that he was "getting better". I was extremely skeptical at the time - I would like nothing better than for Dougie to be going into remission without treatment, but I didn't and don't think this is it! The nuisance now is that we don't see the doctor again until just before Dougie is due to go skiing, which is a bit dodgy to put it mildly! I have asked the local hospital to ddo a count this week - if he is back at his usual sub-30 count, I am going to see if he can get an appointment before then.

In terms of the skiing, I am parent to 4 boys, at least two of whom seem to lack a sense of self-preservation. I've seen the inside of A&E way too many times to count - broken bones, concussion, torn off ear, cuts and scrapes........ I will undoubtedly worry a bit come February, but most of my friends think I am unflappable in the face of my sons' risk taking!

Alison

Hey Ali

I finally decided that it was about time that I checked this website to see how Dougie was doing. I see that he made it up to a count of 53 - and that is just on his own?? NO treatement? Terrific.

Glad that he is going on a ski trip. Sounds like loads of fun.

Danica continues to do well - busy in school and playing volleyball. Her last count was in the 200s and we will check it again next week before seeing the pediatrician on the 31st. She has no symptoms - and all that IVIg and stuff seamed like so long ago.

AND - THE BEST THING -- SHE STILL CLEANS!!!

Hope things continue to go well for Dougie.

Take care.

Michelle

Michelle, thats brilliant news about Danica. It must be so nice to leave those fortnightly visits to the hospital behind! And how I wish ITP affected Dougie in any way that made him want to clean...........but its just not having that effect at all.

After two days of no new petechiae, his count today was 30, so I am thinking that maybe this virus has started him off bouncing up and down again a bit. He looks a load better today than he has done for the last week. Whatever, its good to have a break from the teens and twenties anyway - football on Sunday again!

Ali

It sure would be nice if Dougie could get above 100 and stay there for a while. has he ever had IVIg? I am almost positive that IF he did, his counts would be good for months!!

Who knows, that is just a gut feeling.

We will do blood work on Danica this week as she has an appointment with her pediatrician on the 31st. I am quite certain that it will be in the normal range. I just hope that if it is lower, that it does not continue to go lower. Until then, we will enjoy this freedom!!

Hopefully ALL OF THAT is behind us. The only time she will need to worry is many many many years from now when she has babies.

Michelle