The Game Plan

I spoke too soon… treatment will begin tomorrow (Wednesday) at 10:00 AM.  I will be at the hematology center for 5-6 hours a day Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, & Monday.  On Friday the doctor will check my platelet count to make sure the treatment is working.  From what I understand, the IVIG is meant to give a quick boost to my platelets and my numbers should skyrocket.

When I called the hematology office this morning to see if I would be starting treatment today, I was sure to describe my spontaneous bruising.  The doctor had his staff call  me around 1:00 to come in for blood work.  My hemoglobin was up to 11.1!  The steroids definitely seem to be working for the RBCs!  My platelets, however, were down to 22,000.  They dropped 9,000 in five days.  Once I noticed the spontaneous bruising, I had a feeling they had dropped, so I’m not all that surprised. The doctor said that since I’m starting IVIG in less than 24 hours he’s not concerned about the drop, but that if any of the following occur I should go straight to the ER:

• A large unexplained bruise
• Bleeding from the gums
• Nose bleed

After IVIG ends on Monday, the doctor is likely to schedule an appointment with me for Tuesday or Wednesday to check my counts and start tapering me off the steroids.  I am a little nervous about my numbers dropping once I start tapering off the Prednisone, but the side effects are becoming a nuisance and I can’t stay on the medication long-term. The best case scenario here would be a very successful IVIG treatment, 2-3 weeks of tapering off the steroids and getting regular blood draws, and then remission!  If my numbers hold steady as I taper off, I should definitely be set for a while!   Maybe then blood draws will only be once a week or once a month!  Say a prayer that this course of treatment is going to do the trick!