Coffee. . . Alcohol Have any Affect?

Merry Christmas Here's wishing you a happy New Year with lots more christmas's

Good for you! Great news!

While some people will be relatively unaffected by alcohol, others seem to be hit quite badly by it.

In March it was my Grandad's 90th birthday and I'd got complacent as my platelets had gone up to 147 (the highest they'd ever been since getting off the steroids), so 4 days of celebrations ensued - champagne on the day, sharing bottles of wine over lunch etc. At my next count i was at 36. Went up to 90 somehow, had another few drinks and then dropped back down to 43. That was in May, so with the exception of one teeny glass of rose with my work's Christmas lunch, I have been strictly sober since then. I was supposed to be back in for a count on 22nd Dec but i got a call the day before to say that the receptionist had screwed up and booked me into the wrong clinic - so I'm in for a sober Christmas and New Year.

And I don't care. I can have a great deal of fun sober (although i'm sure the sugar and caffeine in fizzy drinks isn't especially good for me!) and the last few months I've been making the most of what I can still do - and I can still drive home afterwards. There's more to life than alcohol, and for me, it's definitely dancing salsa.

I buy a health drink from our local health food shop that is made of fermented grains - it tastes a little bit like beer, doesn't have any sugar added and is very refreshing. This one is called Grainfields and is manufactured locally (Brisbane) - it is alkalising and has some probiotics in it. There is another local company called Bio-Bubble but there must be many others around the ridges.
Cheers

I don't drink either one regardless :side:

sally wrote: I buy a health drink from our local health food shop that is made of fermented grains - it tastes a little bit like beer, doesn't have any sugar added and is very refreshing. This one is called Grainfields and is manufactured locally (Brisbane) - it is alkalising and has some probiotics in it. There is another local company called Bio-Bubble but there must be many others around the ridges.
Cheers

Sally - in the states this is either kefir from kefir grains (is not fizzy) or kombucha made with a mushroom scoby. Kombucha is fizzy like a wine cooler/soda pop. One definitely has to develop a taste for these. They are incredibly healthy for the body (natural probiotics). Alas, I can't stand either of them. ewwwwwww.

Patti, try googling bio bubble. Graeme Sait is a very dynamic person and he should be able to give you the recipe to make it, if not send you some. It is bubbly and uses several different grains. I've just re-read the ingredients list on the one in my fridge and see that some of the grains have gluten so you may not be interested.
This is the ingredients list for Grainfields - Malt, oats, maize, brown rice, alfalfa, pearl barley, linseed, mung beans, rye, wheat, millet, buckwheat, filtered water and 3 types of probiotics ( too hard to spell)
I am amazed at how my tastes have changed with a greater commitment to eat healthier. I never really liked apple cider vinegar but after being advised to take either expensive digestive enzymes capsules or cider vinegar I decided to give it another go. I bought an organic one that definitely tasted better than the stuff that had been in the cupboard for ages. I have it with meals instead of wine and can honestly say I enjoy it. My gut has never been healthier! I also add the probiotics to it and they seem to be a good balance together.
The apple cider vinegar I mainly have with meals (it is very diluted of course) and is good to take when going out to dinner (my medicine!). Grainfields is easier on the stomach. I'll drink that at social gatherings etc.
Let me know if you have any problems acquiring some (if you still want it) and I should be able to help from here.
Best wishes, Sally

I'm new to ITP and have been reading all I can. I have no idea what caused my ITP but I do know there are things that I am not willing to give up. I don't do well with disease limitations. For instance, I am a big coffee and wine snob. I love a good cup of coffee and I drink wine (mostly red) with dinner a few nights a week. I am not a booze hound by any means. My biggest concern is drinking wine while taking prednisone. Does anybody have any comments/experiences with this?

I don't drink alcohol but I am a Huge coffee drinker. Many cups throughout the day. It definitely just could be coincidence, but I got a new coffee pot and I have been using the K-cups. I normally drink the half-caffeine coffee, but my platelets have been down since drinking the regular caffeinated K-cups.

I read somewhere (while I was in the hospital last July) that researchers had discovered that drinking coffee contributed to low platelets. It said it didn't matter weather it had caffine or non-caffine--it was the flavanoid that caused the low platelets. I'm not sure what to believe. I've cut down on my coffee drinking, but do drink it when we go out. It's always decaffineated. But, you do have to have some enjoyments in life.

Very interesting, DeeDee. Thanks for sharing that. I don't want to give up my coffee completely. You are right, we have to have some enjoyment!! I do think I may try to cut down and see if it has any effect on my platelets!

What I wanted to also let you know, that after doing a lot of research while in the hospital, and cutting down on the things that affect our platelets, the next time I had a relapse in August--I didn't have hardly and peatachie or bruising. This part was really nice. My platelets were at 1000 but you wouldn't know it by looking at me. Hardly no symptoms! But, when I first went into the hospital in July, I looked a mess. Dark bruises in different places (they took a long time to heal), and peatachie all over (blood blisters in the mouth). So, my plan for now is to stay away from some things while my platelets are up (325,000 presently); I will enjoy an occasional coffee, etc. But, when my platelets start to fall and get into the danger zone, I will be really good and cut the coffee out for a while. This should help to cut down on the blood blisters when in the danger zone. Just something to think about. DeeDee

So coffee does have a negative impact on platelets. Shame!!!

We are all different J O53. I eat and drink a lot of things that are on the Warnings list, pdsa.org/about-itp/warnings.html ,
my platelets have not crashed because I eat ginger daily, drink coffee, eat garlic & tomatoes. Life is too short not to enjoy.

I never changed my diet either. I was never a big drinker but I did have a few beers occasionally. As for coffee and foods, I did what I wanted.

The Idiopathic nature of ITP will drive you crazy. My first week on Nplate last July I hit 143, every week since I have had lower highs and lower lows and finally landing at 83 two weeks ago. Then came Thanksgiving, Cranberry everything, L-tryptophan, Beer & wine, all things on the foods to avoid and I gained 3 pounds doing it. The same exact amount of coffee every morning, but I did switch to Maxwell house because there was a good sale. This past Tuesday I had a 153, the highest since my IVIG rescue last May. Can't wait to see what Christmas binging brings...lol.

LOL, are you sure that wasn't a falling wedge pattern to counts instead of a declining channel?

Hi Everyone, I noticed my last reply to this thread was over 6 years ago!! I can hardly believe it. I still practice what I said at the beginning of this thread and with my first reply. I'm still in remission and it has been 7 1/2 years just about. I drink some kind of coffee everyday (de-cafe or regular) but I stay away from the Keurig as my Keurig was getting some mold in it; I had a hard time cleaning it out. Stress is another one for me. We are presently moving from California to Prescott Valley, AZ. Now, this is a big stessor for me. We already bought our house, but haven't sold the one in Calif. Mainly because we had a "blowout" in our backyard and are still working on it--should be done in a few weeks. I probably mentioned it before that I did the Decadon pulses (4days on, wait two weeks, then another 4 days one). Now this worked for me along with IVIG. It took one month to really 'kick in"--but then I was doing good.

I still don't drink any alcohol and I don't get any vaccinations at this point. I will take some medicine when I really need it--but all meds, (except for a couple) do bother me and give me extreme anxiety and pressure on my chest. I try not to worry about the "numbers" too much any longer. Just look for bruising and other symptoms. As Sandy will tell you, it takes a while to get to this point. If I do relapse, I would try to be patient for at least a month to 6 weeks and give my treatment a chance to work.

Hope this helps you who are newly diagnosed; we all have our way of dealing with ITP and it is different for all of us. Dee Dee