Platelet count at 2 and -1 for 12 days now......

My son who is 19 is on his second go-round with ITP-he had it when he was 16 (also hemalytic anemia-several years back). Last time he had ITP-his count was down to 1,000 but with a week hospital stay-2 dosages of IVIG and steroids he jump back up quickly-after a few months he was up well past 250k-All of the sudden last week-nose bleeds, pittekia, we were back in hospital-platelets down to 2k-blood pressure up-He has been in hospital 12 days now -IVIG treatments-steroids and then pulsating steroids of 1,000 mg once per day the platelets would not go past 2-several times they have been at -1. Docs finally started Rituxin last night (platelets were at 2k) Now this morning they are down to 1. I think they want to try N-Plate too. Anyone experience this-any input any response would be great-Thank you

Rituxin, when it DOES work, often doesn't work until after the 4th infusion. What type and amount of steroids has he been on?

He's being very stubborn, isn't he? Rituxan requires patience. It can take 4 to 12 weeks after the first infusion. I hope his counts go up soon!

Has your son had a bone marrow biopsy? Also, is the hospital a big city hospital with access to specialists and second opinions? N-Plate might be a good option, but only a specialist who has access to all the facts can tell you that now.

I'm interested in the fact that you say that one of the platelet counts was -1. I've been under the impression that anything under 5K was pretty much the same, as the machines are not that accurate; also that it is not possible to have a negative number of platelets.