I had no symptoms, but a blood test sounded the alarm

As told to Faigy Peritzman

I’m an action person, a shaker, a mover. I pay attention to details, pull strings together to tie them in neat bows, and when I do encounter problems, I push myself to solve them.

So it was both humbling and life-altering to be diagnosed with a chronic life-threatening condition at age 21, one that all the willpower in the world couldn’t wish away.

Together with this stark realization came a loss of hope. Yet once I reached rock bottom, once I was able to let go of that gossamer line of shiny hope, I was able to move on to acceptance. And that’s when my real journey in growth started.

My story started out innocuously enough. I was the average teen, busy with friends, family, school — just regular everyday life. Then in tenth grade, during a routine blood test during a checkup, I discovered that I was suffering from ITP.

ITP (immune thrombocytopenic purpura) is a blood disorder in which a person’s platelet counts are very low. A person needs platelets to help the blood clot and stop bleeding. A person with a low number of platelets can bruise easily, and simple cuts or abrasions can be very dangerous. Critically low platelet counts put a person in danger of hemorrhaging, even internally.

Still, many people have low platelet counts, and there are treatments to take care of this issue. I was prescribed a monthlong regimen consisting of four weekly infusions of rituximab plus dexamethasone, and every second week, additional doses of daily oral dexamethasone. Afterward, I was instructed to follow up on my platelet count by doing bloodwork every six months, which I did.

My hematologist, Dr. James Bussel, was a great guy. He reassured me that the ITP was under control and that other than those biyearly blood tests, I was good to go. But soon after I got my diagnosis, Dr. Bussel retired, and I didn’t bond well with the new hematologist. On several occasions, my platelets level dropped, but she didn’t seem overly concerned. “If it goes under the 30-count, we’ll treat it,” she’d say dismissively. (Normal platelet results are between 150,000 and 450,000.) Since my numbers never dropped that low, I took my doctor’s advice and just ignored things.