Holding steady at 344!

This is about the same as last Friday which is a welcome sign! Stability in this range is a very positive thing, and while I don't expect to keep platelet counts averaging this high forever I'm certainly happy to see them stick around for more than a single test!

Last week Dr. Pastore informed me that after pre-approving my Rituxan treatments (which he was careful enough to call and ask, since the drug is not indicated for TTP and considered experimental treatment) Aetna decided to decline coverage when they got the bill :( So he did some reading up on Rituxan use in TTP and is sending in an appeal asap, which I fully support since he guessed the treatments cost about $5,000.00 per bag (!!!!!!!!)... yeah, I've had around 7-10 bags... really hoping this appeal is successful.

In his reading he said that others who tried Rituxan for treatment of TTP saw a response in their blood tests & platelet levels around weeks 5-8 post treatment initiation. Thats right about where I am now from my first drip treamtent in the hospital during my first relapse stay, so it looks like the Rituxan is definitely having some positive effect! Which is very comforting after all the negative effect it had on me initially (not so much fun to recover from, but I'm liking the long term results this week!).

Next test is Friday, we'll see if that pricey stuff holds my levels till then!