I had ITP....

Greetings!

I'm 49 years old, and somewhere around 27 years or so ago I was diagnosed with ITP. My platelet count of course dropped ridiculously low, they put me in the hospital, tried steriods, which didn't work, and then decided they'd best take my spleen.

So they took my spleen out and I returned to normal.

Life has been great since then.

Some seem to say that once you have ITP you'l always have it - which confuses me, because I don't have it anymore, and never give it a thought.

Nice to meet you all!

Eric

Eric:

Low platelets are caused by antibodies that 'tag' platelets for destruction, then they are sent to and destroyed in the spleen since it acts as a filter for 'bad' cells. Once the spleen is gone, theoretically the platelets are still in circulation because the spleen is not there to clear them out. You may still have the antibodies which is why technically, you probably still have ITP. That is a simplified, easy to understand explanation. The spleen is not malfunctioning when someone has ITP; it is a perfectly healthy, important organ which is why many people choose to keep it.

You are very lucky because many times, splenectomies do not work at all or they fail weeks, months or years after the splenectomy. The liver can also take over the role of platelet destruction and that happens frequently.

Treatments for ITP have come a long way in the last 15 years and splenectomy is becoming a less popular way to treat as time goes on. I hope your remission lasts a lifetime...you're doing well so far!

Eric,

I was wondering, as I see you are a new user with 1 post, What made you come here and post this info? (which I am grateful for - Just really super curious)

Greetings of Loooong remission,
Eitam.