The good news first: Jessica does not have cancer. That was our main worry, because that was the doctor’s main worry. Her low platelets meant something, but what that something is no one knew.
Jessica does not have cancer, but she does have something else: ITP. That stands for Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. According to Wikipedia:
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is the condition of having an abnormally low platelet count (thrombocytopenia) of no known cause (idiopathic).
Basically, “you have low platelets because hell if we know.” This very much reminds me of Namine’s diagnosis of femoral-facial syndrome. Sometimes doctors know fuck-all, and when that happens, they make up big words to compensate.
Fortunately, Jessica’s platelet count is not so low that she requires additional procedures or medication. For the time being, simply monitoring her is sufficient; she has a follow-up appointment to recheck her platelet count in three months.
But there are also other complications; Jessica’s spleen is enlarged, and that can’t be explained by the diagnosis of ITP. So she’s got another follow-up appointment to try and determine the cause of that.
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