ITP is a strange condition, it's not something you can catch or sometimes it is not even something you are born with. However it can happen to anyone.
I always talk about our bodies being like machines and blood being the oil keeping the engine going. With ITP it is a machine malfunction. The vehicle is still running but the engine light is on and at anytime things can go south. However unlike a machine you cannot trade it in and get a newer model, you have to work with what you have and take care to prevent future breakdowns.
I was first diagnosed with ITP late 2016 after having a blood test done to check my hormone levels. You see my husband and I had been trying for years to fall pregnant and knew something wasn't quite right. Then someone mentioned it may be my hormone levels setting us back therefore I went in to get them checked out. Turns out my hormones were in great nick however the doctor found something peculiar in my blood, that being a very low platelet count.
You see before all this the warning signs were there but I never knew what ITP was therefore in my mind nothing was wrong. To think back I reckon I had ITP for at least maybe a year before being diagnosed. I started getting heavy periods, feeling tired, bruising and had blood in my stool. I pretty much had all the warning symptoms but because I didn't know about ITP I never got myself checked. I honestly thought I may have been going through early menopause or this is just what happens when you hit 30 - your body begins to break down.
No woman enjoys turning 30 it's a reminder the clock is ticking and fun has ended and in my experience it truly felt like I had envisioned. I felt the clock ticking because we were trying so hard to fall pregnant yet nothing was working and fun had definitely ended because my body just would not keep up like it use to. I felt and still feel like a broken sack of potatoes. Not only is my heart broken from despair of not falling pregnant but my body feel's broken as well.
Humans are curious creatures and nothing is worse than knowing something is off but not knowing what that something is. Even though it's hard knowing something is wrong with me and I often say ignorance is bliss - sometimes it's much better than not knowing at all.
This is why I am so passionate about raising awareness of this condition. So others like me can find out sooner about what's happening in their body and can better understand their situation rather then feeling broken and useless. If you have ITP please be sure to share your story with me here so I can feature it and other's just like you won't feel so alone.