My son is embarrassed by bruises and petechiae

So, Matix has become increasingly embarrassed by the hematomas, bruises, and petechiae when going to school or in public at all. It has been a little easy to cover while it has been cold, but as it begins to warm up, I don't know how I am going to cover them. I have tried to explain to him that what is going on is not his fault and beyond his control; however, when you are 8 that is not a "fix". He gets petechiae pretty bad so it covers his ears, eye lids, legs, arms, etc. I pray he is not being made fun of at school. He also stays very pale when he doesn't have petechiae and some kids have made fun of him for this at school. My heart breaks for him. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

My son is also 8. He was dx at age 6. His counts last year hovered from 20's to 40's for the most part. Asymptomatic as far as any bleeding thank goodness! He jumped to 200 in Jan, 100 in Feb, and 80 in March. UGH! Hopefully not a trend!

Anyway, he too gets embarrassed about the petechiae. He had a pretty big outbreak on his neck recently and his teacher (who is aware of the ITP) thought it was poison ivy and pointed it out. He went along with it but called me from school to say his "poison ivy" was really bothering him. Obviously he was just embarrassed. No one has ever made fun of him to my knowledge but I know it's tough.

I wish I had the answer for you!! One thing we did was try to educate his teacher/classmates last year after diagnosis. He took his tourniquet to school from the lab and his Dr. gave him some syringes (needle removed obviously) to play with. He showed his friends how they draw his blood and they thought that was pretty cool! Educating his classmates may help. That way it'll just be "no big deal" if they see the bruises. He can say "Oh yeah, remember when I showed you how I do my lab work? That's just part of it" And then try to just brush it off. It's hard though... I know! I wish I could trade places with my son! I believe in the end, my son, yours, and others like them will grow from this experience and it will mold them into more resilient and more compassionate adults.

Just a suggestion. Good luck and i hope his bruising gets better!!

Matixsmom:

I agree with Crossroads. Discuss ITP with his class and make it an easy but interesting presentation. Maybe if they understand it a little better, they will be nicer to him.

Thanks for the great suggestions. Matix is in a platelet drop right now. His check on Tuesday was 5, and I am guessing he is lower now by the amount of bruising and petechiae he has. We talked a lot this week about not being embarrassed by this. Thank the good Lord, a cold front blew in to the great state of Texas and Matix has been able to wear long sleeve shirts and jeans. I know that is not a fix all, but it makes it easier for him when he goes to school. I think he is more embarrassed by the petechiae than anything. Several others have mentioned going to the classroom and talking to his class. I think that is a great idea. We talked to his teacher yesterday and she talked with Matix to make sure he understood to let her know if someone is making fun of him. This has been a really tough week!