My Emma

Emm is 6 she was diagnosed with ITP on April 21.

I am a Clinical Laboratory Scientist. I did my senior thesis project on ITP. When Emma woke up in April 22, she had petechaie near her eye. I worried all day. Even told my friend Gina that I was a hypochondriac because I was worried that my kid had ITP. She had been bitten by a tick about a week prior, and had felt bad that Wednesday (April 19), but no other illness or symptoms.

They called me from school around 4 because she had fallen and the bruise on her arm that resulted was instantaneous and large. I knew what it was. I picked her up and went to her pediatrician, where I discovered her legs were a mess and a bruise on her hip that was ghastly. Her platelet count was 2.

So, we went to Children's. A redraw CBC showed plt at 4, slight anemia, and slight leukocytosis. (Increase WBC is viral). She received IVIg that night. The next day, her plt went up to 11, then 24. We were sent home.

A follow up Monday showed a plt of 82. That Friday, April 29, I noticed two what I call "spontaneous" bruises (in strange places, faint, no explanation) and petechiae in her mouth. I called the on-call hemo and took her for a CBC on Saturday. Plt count 56. By that Thursday, she was down to 10 and received another IVIg.

May 9 her count was 153. At follow up on May 16, her count was 66. May 19, her count was 39. All anemia and leukocytosis has resolved.

We go back tomorrow for a recheck and likely IVIg.

I am exhausted and so is she. Please tell me there is light at the end of this tunnel.

Most children are acute, which means that it comes on quickly and can resolve within weeks to months. You probably already know that if you wrote a thesis about ITP. All of this could have been caused by the tick bite..no way to know for sure. I cannot guarantee a light at the end of this tunnel, but I can tell you that there is every reason to hope that it is there. Your daughter responds well to IVIG which is good!

Thank you, Sandi! Our follow up visit that is mentioned in my first post revealed a count of 51 (Monday). Last Friday it was at 72. Today at 62. She hasn't had a treatment in a month and seems to be holding steady for now. I was hoping for another increase, but we will take what we can get right now!

Fingers crossed!

105 today!!

That's fantastic! It's looking good for being an acute case! I have my fingers crossed! Keep me posted....