Heartaches and Miracles by Greta Burroughs

Heartaches and Miracles by Greta Burroughs

Even though I didn’t know it at the time, April 2005 marked the beginning of my ITP journey.

I was so tired. My brain idled in screen-saver mode while my bruised and bleeding body refused to cooperate. What was wrong with me? I definitely couldn’t solve this mystery on my own, so I enlisted the aid of a specialist in women’s health.

After a fruitless month of poking, prodding, and testing for any gynecological reasons responsible for my fatigue, brain fog, and never-ending menstrual bleeding, the doctor finally held the indecisive results in her hands. She shrugged her shoulders as she began her well-rehearsed generic answer, “Well, Greta, you’re at that age when—”

I wasn’t satisfied and asked why she’d neglected to do any lab work. I’d lost a lot of blood, and purple polka dots decorated my body from head to toe.

My question and the doctor’s ah-ha moment triggered the first step in my ITP adventure.

With a platelet count of 2000 upon admission in the hospital and dropping to zero a few hours later, it was a race to figure out what was wrong with me and get the bleeding under control. Finally, after being diagnosed with ITP and pumped full of IVIg, platelets, and prednisone, my platelets rose out of the single digits, and I was allowed to go home.

I was glad to be home. However, 80 mg of prednisone had me bouncing off the walls, and my muddled mind couldn’t grasp the ins and outs of what I was facing. My hematologist patiently explained ITP, platelets, autoimmune diseases, and our plan of action to me. Plus, my family was behind me 100 percent. Yet, that didn’t alleviate the fear, anxiety, and stress associated with having a chronic disease, relapses, different treatment plans, side effects, and never knowing what the next day would bring.

I felt like I was the only person in the world with this wacky blood disease – all alone with no one to talk to. I had no one to tell me that they’d been there, done that, and survived.

And then, I discovered online support groups. Wow, I wasn’t alone. I wasn’t the only person suffering from ITP!!!

Since day one, I’ve kept a journal chronicling my experiences, detailing the treatments along with the mental, emotional, and psychological highs and lows associated with the successes and failures. Then, in 2010, I combined all that information into a book called Heartaches and Miracles to share with others also fighting this illness.

However, a lot has happened over the past twelve years. Advances in medications, treatments, and overall approaches to combating ITP necessitated an updated 2022 version of my book.

ITP can be a hard road filled with relapses and disappointments, but with a positive attitude and support from friends and family, there is hope. It’s my wish that Heartaches and Miracles will give ITPers and their caregivers the information, encouragement, and comfort to understand and cope with this crazy autoimmune disorder.

I’m so proud to be a part of our ITP family and welcome you to join us. With support from fellow ITPers, we are in charge.

I Have ITP. It Does Not Have Me!

Universal Amazon link for H&M – viewbook.at/heartachesandmiracles