Last Thursday, icky rashes showed up on my legs so I had a blood test which showed I had a low platelet count. The normal count is around 150. Mine was only 50. I was admitted in the hospital for dengue.

I didn’t even have fever or other symptoms. Only a low platelet count, rashes, and bruises.

I was the only dengue patient there who was perky. My Mommy noted I was even wearing mini skirt, make up, and dangling earrings when I was admitted. And some of the nurses seemed surprised that I was functioning well despite my very low platelet count which went as low as 8.

After 5 IV insertions, eight units of platelet concentrate transfused, around 20 blood tests, several glasses of tawa tawa herbal tea, doses of antibiotics and antihistamine, and liters of water, my platelet count refused to go up. With that, my Doctor, also my cousin, decided to refer me to a hematologist (specializes in blood and blood diseases).

The hematologist recommended I get a bone marrow aspiration (BMA). OUCHIE! My imagination was full of painful bone marrow extraction scenes from Grey’s Anatomy, House, and Scrubs. And for the first time in a while, I openly cried while I was being prepared for the BMA. I was crying when I was wheeled out of the room and to the mini-OR.

I was ashamed at myself when I realized it was not as painful as I thought it would be. Only the injection of local anaesthesia was painful but not too painful. Just about the same amount of pain as the IV insertions.

The verdict: I have Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). WHUT?! It’s an autoimmune illness. Cause unknown. My bone marrow is healthy and producing healthy blood but somewhere in my body, something is attacking the platelets, causing me to have abnormally low platelet levels.

The dengue, a viral infection, did not cause the ITP. It just triggered it.

ITP is more common among kids and most kids who have ITP have around 90% of remission. For adults like me, we only have 60% chance of remission. Most adults who have ITP, usually have other blood or connective tissue diseases.

Given that, I was also referred to a Rheumatologist (a specialist on connective tissues) so I could be assessed for Lupus and other such diseases. For the moment, the assessment is negative.

Right now, I am under medication, taking steroids. And I though I have been discharged from the hospital, I can’t leave the house for two weeks. And if and when I am already allowed to leave the house, I can’t be exposed under the sun for too long and I have to wear a mask. Among other things.

I have to cancel some work and rakets, some trips, and a lot of other stuff because while I am a Diyosa who survived on a platelet count of just 8, I am still human. Luckily, my body has been strong enough not to bleed or have hemorrhages or any of the terrible symptoms or ITP.

The only good news, which is probably the best news is that I AM ALIVE. Some patients have died even with higher platelet counts.

So there yah go, dengue might have saved me after all because it made us discover ITP. Consequently, while it is a big inconvenience, ITP is forcing me to change my life.

I’m due for a check up in a few weeks time, and while I am not expecting to be on remission, I am hoping for me. I might be one of the lucky ones in the 60%, yes?

Hope to see the outside world in two weeks time! Stay safe and healthy everybody! 😉

FIGHTING!

Thank you to my Doctors, especially Ate Joanna, the staff, nurses, and med techs of SPH, my Mommy and Daddy, my aunts and uncles, my cousins especially Kuya Andrew who was stressed out, the hard-working Avatar Team, my blogger friends, my poker friends, my culinary school friends, my schoolmates and classmates, my kikay friends, my FB, Plurk, and online friends, my workmates and colleagues, and to all my other friends!