Update: Michael went back to Children's Hospital on Wednesday and his platelet level increased to 97,000!
I had told the doctor back on 3/12 about my plans to try having Michael eat Chinese black bean soup, something Tog had recommended to me (and supported by a local Chinese immigrant last night when I mentioned it to her) and the doctor had said "go for it". She also had said that there was some anecdotal evidence that vitamin C might help so we starting giving that to Michael as well. The nurses and doctors were all pleased to see the increase in platelets and I got the feeling we've got them talking about Chinese black bean soup! LOL Michael also had a bone marrow sample (taken under anesthesia) at 11:30 and preliminary results are all normal (the only way to diagnose ITP is to rule out other possibilities). Michael was discharged at about 1pm and we then drove to Point Reyes and started our backpacking trip, hitting the trail at 4pm and hiking 4.6 miles to set up camp. (The doctors had given this their okay.) We hiked about 9 miles yesterday. We had a blast!
I'll try to post photos in another thread later when I get time. Hopefully, my old cheapie camera worked okay.