Sickness with ITP

Hi,
I'm new to this discussion group, but I have query about sickness with ITP. I recently got the flu, my platelets had been stable for about 3 months with no medication and when I came down with the flu my platelets dropped dramatically the were sitting at 9 and I was hospitalized. I'm just wondering if any one else has come across this? I did mention to my doctor but he just believes my romiplosten (nplate) wore off and that's why it had dropped.

If anyone has any advice I'd be more than happy to listen.

Thanks Em

Hi Em, welcome to the family.

Everyone is different, but it's a good chance that your counts dropped due to the flu. What were your counts before you dropped to the 9? Did/do you have serious bleeding or symptoms? I've been as low as 3 and not been hospitalized that's why I'm asking. I haven't done Nplate, but there are lots on here who have/are done/doing it.

I'm sure you'll get more replies.

My teen daughter's platelets dropped any time she was fighting virus, like a cold. (She is in remission now.) For that and other reasons, I started her on a multivitamin and extra vitamin C, and encouraged good habits to stay as healthy as possible. The less other stuff you must deal with, the easier it is to deal with ITP. By the way, there are a few people on here who actually have said their platelet count rose during viruses. I guess all bodies are different, but I think it is likely the flu affected your count.
Norma

My platelets drop whenever I am sick. I have found that they rebound on their own as I get better.

The first time this happened, my platelets dropped from 59K to 3K. That was a bit of a scare! I dose of WinRho brought them back up the next day, and then they started behaving.

The next time I was sick my platelets dropped from around 45K to 27K. My PCP wanted me to go to the hematologist, but I decided to wait it out and the next week my platelets were back to their normal. It's happened a few more times, and I know to expect it, so I do everything I can to not get sick....frequent hand washing, moving away from people who are hacking or sneezing, etc.

A number of years ago I had the flu, the real flu - my count was the highest ever after I got over it, 401k. Within a week or two they were down again.

We are all different.

My husband's count drops every time he is sick. His platelets drop before he even feels sick or has any symptoms (he has been going for weekly counts for four years now). Sometimes his Lymphocytes are up as well - that's just another indication that his body is fighting something.