If you’re a boy please turn away now this is purely girl’s talk!
This is all going to get a little personal and is not something I am overly comfortable sharing however I feel like it’s my obligation to give as much as I can so that others suffering from ITP know they are not alone and also spread the awareness of what an ITP patient has to deal with.
Now I am not sure if this happens to every female ITP patient however every now and then when it’s that time of the month and if my platelets are low – period time can be described as shark week. It’s a real mess and can get kind of scary.
This is not to say that every time I get my periods that it’s heavy sometimes I get my periods and it is extremely light – however when it is heavy it’s time to bring out the big guns. I literally have to wear maternity pads (its like wearing an adult nappy) and to add to the embarrassment my body has zero energy so I literally look like a little old lady whom has bowel problems.
I have to be overly cautious when this happens to ensure that I am not losing too much blood and that I am not required to go to emergency. I also keep a prescription drug handy on me called Cyklokapron Tranexamic Acid this helps clot my blood when I am running low on platelets and have a bleed – it’s like my little safety net to save me from either having to rush to the hospital or even having to go the hospital at all.
I never really had this problem prior to being diagnosed with ITP so I am not sure if I really have had ITP my whole life or if it’s just been sprung on me. Oh boy don’t I feel lucky!
A lot of women have heavy periods and ITP is not always the reasoning however if you are experiencing heavy periods please consult your doctor and suggest a blood test to eliminate ITP as a cause and if you are just tuning in and wondering what ITP is – well basically it’s a rare autoimmune disorder where your blood struggles to clot.
For those lovely ladies whom suffer from ITP be sure to take care of yourself around this time of the month. Like I have said it doesn’t happen every month however when my platelets are low it’s an unfortunate event that requires extra caution.