Drop in Platelets

Counts at 134 the highest they have been! So it is now the waiting game. Doctor said it could be days weeks or months. CBC for the next 4 weeks and re check at the 4th week. Waiting on taking the pills but getting them tomorrow. He said to just hold on to them until they drop below 50k.
And the hospital bill is at $80k and that does not include the doctors. But I did drop off the charity care program with all the information they needed. Husband was approved last year at 100%. I also made more money then and he was in school just like now. So I am doing my best to be positive really trying......

Sounds like good news all around!

Have a good weekend!

Jeffrey

ITP should come with something like a turkey baster that pops up when our counts fall below, say, 50. Or maybe you would be able to set it at whatever you want. And the "baster" should come with lights that go off and bells that ring if we are over 100,000.

I hate living with one ear cocked for the phone, waiting to hear what my count is. Yesterday it took my doctor so long to get it up on the computer, I almost went across the table for his throat. After all, he was running two hours late with his appointments, which I understand is par for the course. So I was in his office from 2 until 5:30 for a blood draw at 2:20 and an appt at 3:20.

I hate being afraid when the count drops. I hate basing my whole week on a blood draw. And I find it irritating they let one clot so that it wasn't what it should have been.

They didn't 'let' it clot. It just happens. Years ago I had it happen so many times in a row that I couldn't know what my count was at all for three weeks. It was unreadable. They just kept calling me back in for another draw. Finally I got tired of that and insisted on the instant counts at my doctors office instead of Quick Draw. My insurance wouldn't cover that so I had to fight for it. I won and that worked.

It's not all that important to know what the exact number is. All you need to know is that it is at a safe level. There is a margin of error anyway, so no number is ever exact. Sometimes the analyzer counts white cells in there and misses platelets that might be too large or too small. If you get too hung up on the actual number, you'll drive yourself crazy. Time to relaaaax a bit and stop expecting the worst. If you feel good and have no symptoms, it's a good day no matter what the count is.

Roberta,

I know what you mean. From what many have said on here though it gets easier and you go on and live your life with high or low counts and its just numbers most of the time. Hopefully we will get there soon....we are newbies to this itp thing.

Yeah, it takes time. What helped me the most were people telling me exactly the same things I am telling you guys. That, and realizing that there are illnesses far worse than ITP that people were struggling with. I had a friend from high school die recently from APS and TTP. He dealt with those for years, and they are truly scary blood disorders. It made me thank my lucky stars that I only had ITP and that I could control it.

You'll get there.

Sandi,

I am sorry for the loss of your friend. Thank you for all of your inspirational words all of the time. It really does make a difference.