Leading up to a Diagnosis

A rash. Or a series of tiny bruises, that is what started my ITP journey.

The petechia started out on my lower legs. I figured maybe I had eaten something new and this was a reaction. They didn’t bother me in any way, no pain or itching. My search online was fruitless so I decided to keep an eye on the rash.  Even the large number of bruises on my legs and massive bruise on my inner thigh hadn’t even phased me at this point, it is all part of kickboxing, after 4 years I am pretty used to it.

I could have been smarter choosing a dress for Pat’s cousin’s wedding, it seemed like it would cover the bruise better than it actually did. At least it matched!

The ceremony was beautiful and the reception was a great time, a few glasses of wine and a lot of family time. I always love weddings but when family members get married it is always extra special.

After all of the travel I was very much looking forward to getting a great workout. All of the calories at the wedding add up and I was ready to sweat some of it out. My arms were completely normal going into class. 2 hours later when I unwrapped them my hands were bruised and I had more spots on my arms and abdomen. It was time to worry.

I got into the Primary care Dr that Wednesday and they did blood work right away. They called me the next day to let me know that my platelets were low and that I was to “take it easy”. Running was out but I was considering still going on the hike I planned with friends that Saturday. They referred me to a hematologist and told me to go to the ER if I had any bleeding that went unresolved.

Friday night I had not heard from the hematologist that was supposed to get me in right away and I thought better of the hike as they could not tell me exactly where my numbers were (24 I found out after the fact).

I was ready for a uneventful night with Pat.

After eating dinner I brushed and flossed my teeth as normal, only this time my gums started bleeding. While this is strange it was certainly not worrisome. After playing on my phone for some time I went to check and realized that I was still bleeding. I tried a few things to see if I could get it to stop to no avail. After about 2 hours I told Pat we needed to go to the ER. Of all of the ridiculous things to go to the ER for, my gums were bleeding.

We packed a bag of essentials, a blanket, book, and coloring book and of course the much needed phone charger. And off we went thinking we would be home after a few hours.