Our youngest son, Christopher, who is just shy of his 13th birthday, has been diagnosed with ITP or Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura. This is medical speak for a spontaneous, and unexplained drop his blood platelet level. If you don't know, without platelets, your blood cannot clot. This is rather like hemophelia, but it just happens sometimes, for reasons the medical community doesn't seem to understand.The smallest cut or even a nosebleed can be fatal. Bleeding in to the brain is a real possibility, which could cause catastrophic brain damage, if not death.
This all started about three weeks ago. The Monday before the Easter weekend, he had what appeared to be a mild rash on his lower legs. He's our kid with allergies (cats, rabbits, etc.), and with spring starting to make its annual appearance, we assumed that he'd come in to contact with something that he'd reacted to. We kept an eye on it.
By Easter Sunday it was all over his legs. We still thought it was an allergic reaction, but were beginning to suspect it was to our dogs. (he and our Lab pup tend to sleep together...) My wife commented to me that if it got any worse, she'd bring him in and get it looked at.
By Easter Monday his entire body was covered with this red "rash", and overnight his lips seemed to have dried up, split, and bled. As it was a holiday Monday, our doctor's office was closed, so she brought him in to the local emergency clinic. Normally non life threatening emergency waits can take several hours. My wife called me within a couple of hours. The "allergic reaction" was actually ITP. The "rash" was known as petechiae (pa-tee-kee-ah), or basically thousands of little blood spots under the surface of his skin.
They started him on a course of cortosteriods, which was supposed to solve the problem. He was being treated on an out patient basis. We brought him in two Friday back for more blood work, and his platelet count was still in the basement. My wife brought him into the local children's hospital for a course of an IV treatment, again on an out patient basis. We were told if there were any "bleeding incidents", to call the hospital right away.
Last Sunday, a nosebleed started. After 20 minutes we couldn't get it to stop. We brought him in to the hospital. It took over 2 hours for them to get it to stop. He's been in there ever since. He has gone through three more IV treatments, all of which failed. This past Friday they convinced us a splenectomy (removing his spleen) was the way to go. This would solve the problem.
Saturday morning he went in for surgery. We'd been told beforehand that a "dramatic" rise in the platelet levels would be obvious within an hour of the surgery. Again, it didn't work. We were told that there was a "slight" possibility this wouldn't work, but the odds were it would sort things out asap.
He received platelet transfusions on both Saturday and Sunday. While his count has raised a little bit, he is not responding as they expected, as they now believe there are very strong antibodies destroying most of the platelets, as they're being introduced in to his system.
He's back on cortosteroids. They've assured us THIS will do the trick. However we're finding it hard to keep the faith, as every step along the way they've assured us the next treatment would be the one to do the trick, and all have failed, and now we're back where we started three weeks back, except my son is minus a spleen now.
Those of you with kids can imagine how stressful this has been for my wife and I. Our life has been put on hold. We take turns staying nights at the hospital with him, and are lucky to have a very supportive Grandma on hand to spell us off now and then. It is exhausting worrying about your kid. Particularly your "baby". (Even though the baby is about 5'7" and a shade under 200 lbs now...at the age of 12!! My wife calls him our "football player"...) I'm also finding it hard to "stay strong" for my wife and son.

 

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your entire family.

My best guy friend has hemopheilia and it scares me to death. He was born with it and at almost 28, it doesn't even phase him anymore. I am always terrified when he says that he woke up with a bleed, that it is going to be much worse than what he tells me. He gets chronic strep throat and ear infections because they can't do surgery to remove his tonsils.

I hope that all turns out well for you son and family. They have so many great medical advances now to help him. If you need someone to talk to about this that has been through it, PM and I can get you in contact with my friend.

 

Good luck, keep your head screwed on tightand stay connected for your familys sake. I have acually seen recovery with the very same condition some years ago. He is young and it is amazing how the body has the intrinsic ability to recover.

 

i am sorry for you and your family i hope allgoes well prayers to you all. keep the faith all will work out for the bestGOD BLESS.

 

Good luck with everything.
I had a very sick daughter and know how hard this can be.
Hang in there.
Dave

 

I will keep you and your family in my prayers. I too have had a very close call with one of my children. Keep the faith and always reach out with positive thoughts.

 

Prayers be with you.Hope everything works out ok.My wife is going thru chemo for cancer so I know how your world can all the sudden be turned upside down.Keep us informed and keep the faith

 

You and your family are in our prayers!

 

Good luck. I hope everything turns out well.

 

Prayers for you and your family . ANd may God watch over him . Keep your positive thought going and know we are praying for a healty recovery .