Platelets

[rose1999]

Dad has been taken into hospital, he has bruises all over his face, head and neck, his lips are swollen, his mouth full of blood blisters and he has pin prick type blood spots all over his body.   His throat is so sore he can hardly sip water.  This has come on very suddenly.  The A&E (ER) Dr says his blood results show low platelets and they will give him some as soon as they can get them (a 3 hour wait for them to arrive) but has anyone any experience of this?  Will it get better? How long does it take?  What can we expect?  If it gets better is there anything we can do to stop it happening again.

Any thoughts welcome, also prayers for his recovery also welcome, he's 80 and it's all becoming a struggle for him. Thanks and bless you all for being here for us. Rose xx

[Wenchie58]

A  and a prayer for the both of you.

[pelagia]

If he has low platelets, that's called thrombocytopenia.  I found this on the web:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/thrombocytopenia/DS00691

It can arise from a number of different causes.  The symptoms you mentioned seem consistent with this condition.

I hope they get it figured out quickly, Rose.

 

[swramsay]

Yes, I also have low platelets from still unkown cause. You father's must be very low from the symptoms you described. I would guess below 20 or even 10. When platelets go below 10, there is a risk of internal bleeding althoug rare. Mine have gone that low with bruising and the blisters in my mouth. I've needed transfusions on more than one occasion. A transfusion of platelets are necessary when they get too low and that usually helps to restore his normal count. It may take a while and it may take more than one transfusion. Your father probably doesn't feel bad but I know it looks bad. Hopefully they will find the cause of his low platelets but they will most likely monitor them for a while until they return to normal.

[rose1999]

Thanks for your comments and support.  Dad has had a platelet transfusion overnight and it raised his count from 1.5 to 6 - yes it is that low!  I didn't know what it should be but they said they had hoped it would raise it to 30.  They now say his body is attacking itself and they have sent bloods off by taxi to a specialist hospital about 150 miles away.  I'm getting scared now, please keep him in your thoughts.
Thank you
Rose

[willieandwinnie]

Rose, we will keep your Dad in our thoughts and prayers. Hope they get it figured out soon. 

[swramsay]

Wow. that is as low as it can get. No wonder he looked like he did and thank God there were no internal complications. Hopefully, some transfusions will help the situation and he will have no further events.

[kimcanada]

Oh Rose I am so sorry to hear about your dad, I am glad he received the platelets, you are both in my thoughts and prayers

[rose1999]

Thank you again for the support, it does mean a lot when I'm sitting here alone and scared and you guys are so good at it 

[kitkatz]

Take care of yourself while you take care of him. You cannot help him if you are down and out.   I hope the figure things out soon.   

[monrein]

I'm hoping the doctors can find something to help your Dad, Rose.  The poor guy, the results of low platelets sound painful and very worrisome.  All my thoughts are with you as you try to find a solution. 

[pelagia]

Oh Rose, I hope they figure it out soon.  I hope you are doing okay through all of this stress.  Don't forget to breathe deeply at least once or twice a day.  I am sending some love to you and your dad! 

[paris]

Sending you lots of love and good wishes.  Give your Dad a gentle hug from me 

[G-Ma]

My platelets tend to "crash" once a year and they give me 2 units and I'm good to go again.  I never feel bad or hurt, just very tired so I'm hoping your dad doesn't feel as bad as it appears.  You take care of yourself and know that we are all here for you.


 

[jessup]

lots of love and prayers for you and your Dad
 

[MandaMe1986]

I hope they figure everything out soon.    You guys are in my prayers

[David13]

So sorry to hear about your dad, Rose.  I am hoping a solution is found quickly. 

Please keep up updated, and I will sending positive thoughts your way.   

[paddbear0000]

Oh Rose! I am so sorry to hear about your Dad. I hope they get this figured out and get him back on his feet soon.   

[rose1999]

I don't have any more news, we are waiting for him to be transferred to the main renal hospital in the area now (a 3 hour round trip to visit but the best place for him).  I just wanted to thank you all for your caring thoughts.  I will update later today when I know more.
Thank you all SO much. 

[pelagia]

I am glad to hear that they are sending him to the renal hospital, but those long trips to the hospital will take their toll on you.  I'll be sending as much positive energy in your direction as I can muster. 

[willieandwinnie]

Rose,  thanks for the updated. We are thinking about you and your Dad. 

[petey]

I'm away for a few days, and I come back to check in --- and the first thread I read is this one about Rose's dad.

First, Rose dear, I'm sorry you're having to go through this on top of everything else.  I'll put you and Dad at the top of my prayer list.

Secondly, let's talk about platelets.  Marvin has a disease called ITP (I'm not going to spell it right -- but here goes -- idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura).  He was diagnosed with this in 1986.  His body makes platelets and the normal number (determined through extensive bone marrow tests), but there's something in his body that also destroys the platelets soon after they're made.  We don't know what it is in his body that destroys them (hence, the "idiopathic" label).  We've been living with this for years.

The normal range of platelets (so we've been told) is between 150,000 and 400,000.  When Marvin was first diagnosed, his were at 4,000 !  The doctors put him in the hospital on strict bedrest; they said he could nick himself shaving, get a serious paper cut, etc., and he'd bleed to death (obviously, this didn't happen).  Then they said his internal organs could start seeping and he'd bleed to death internally before we knew what was happening (didn't happen, either).  I didn't tell you this to scare you -- rather, different bodies can handle lower platelet levels.

So, what kinds of treatments has Marvin had (in the early years)?  Prednisone works wonders to boost his platelet level.  He's also had whole platelet transfusions (only keeps the level high for about 7-10 days -- I guess when his body figures out there's extra platelets floating around inside, it destroys these transfused ones, too).  He's had IVIG (immunoglobulins) transfusions -- works about like the whole platelet transfusions , but lasts a week or so longer.  In 1987, the doctors decided Marvin's spleen was the culprit -- they said his spleen was trapping the platelets and not returning them to the rest of his body.  Guess what they did?  They took his spleen out.  Here he is with an incision from right between his breasts all the way down and around to his left hip bone.  He had 80 some staples (he has a big tummy) !  The morning after his spleen was removed, his platelet count went up to almost a million.  The next day, it was down again to 30,000.  Try telling a man who's had such a major surgery with so many staples still in him that the surgery didn't work afterall.  Then, one doctor suggested an experimental drug.  He said it would probably reduce our chances of having children by 99%, but it would cure the platelet problem.  We had been married for about six months, but we decided to go ahead with it anyway.  Even though it made future children not possible, we thought it would "save" Marvin.  To us, it was worth the trade-off.  After six rounds of that experimental drug (and to save me, I can't remember the name of it now), the doctors said that didn't work either -- Marvin still had low platelet counts.  (But, we never could have children  .)

Marvin has seen every hematologist at Duke Medical Center (big research hospital in Durham, North Carolina).  There is no answer.  There is no cure.  About 1990 or so, one doctor just told us we'd have to learn to live with the low platelets.  And, that's what we've done.

Now, Marvin's platelets usually run somewhere in the 30,000 to 50,000 range (still quite low).  He bruises very, very easily; however, he's always used heparin in his dialysis treatments (go figure that one out -- you'd think with low platelets he wouldn't need an anti-clotting medicine, but he does).  The hematologists always tell Marvin, "Try not to get cut or hit."   Duh!  Marvin says, "I'd do that anyway, even if I didn't have low platelets."

When he had his transplant, his platelets were at 30,000.  I questioned the surgeon about it, but he said, "I'm going to have him open, and I can stop whatever bleeding occurs."  If we know Marvin's going to have some type of surgical procedure, we always request a prednisone taper (takes a lot for a few days, a little less for a few days, less, less, less, until he's completely off them after about 10 days); this seems to work as a "band-aid" fix -- it bumps the platelet level up temporarily, but it never lasts for an extended period of time.  (This is the only treatment he's had in probably the last 18 years.)

Since his transplant hospital (Duke) is a research hospital, Marvin's participated in hundreds of blood studies and things like that.  When he developed ESRD, one doctor was especially interested in finding a link between his ITP and his ESRD, but she could never prove the two were tied to each other.  I (in my amateur research), do think the two must be linked somehow.

Rose, it is something Dad can live with.  Marvin's lived with it for almost 23 years now.  The low platelets don't affect how he feels.  He still shaves with a straight razor (though I made him use an electric one for a couple of years because I was so paranoid about him nicking himself).  When I pull his needles, his bleed time is about 10-12 minutes; we're told that's "average."

Hang in there, Rose.  I'm thinking about you.  If I can help you, just let me know.

[kidney4traci]

Rose, my thoughts and prayers are with you all.  He is lucky to have you with him during this.  Glad they are raising his count, my goodness that sounds low!  See how quick it went to 6?  Then 12, 18...30!!!

[paris]

Petey, my brother has ITP.  Didn't know anything about it until one day his wife asked why he was so bruised and why did he have thousands of pinpricks all over him.  We almost lost him that day.  Now, 2 years later, his level never goes over 25,000 even with all the meds, etc.   I worry about him. 

Rose, how is your Dad doing today?  Tell him he has lots of people who care very much for him   

[rose1999]

Thank you all and particularly Petey for allthat information that has helped me feel a lot more hopeful, bless you for taking the time to type that all out for me 

I guess when we talk of 6 it is the same as your 6,000 because yesterday the Dr told me it should be 150 (which equates to the 150,000 you mention).  Dad is still bleeding, particularly coughing up blood, not huge amounts but it is bright red and very worrying to see,  they are still running tests but giving immunoglobin (taking into account fluid restrictions) and will start on steroids (hopefully have already done so overnight).  He wasn't so well last night (it's 8 a.m. here now) but was having dialysis when we were visiting and he's always a bit tired/weak then anyway.  They are getting a hematologist to look at him and we hope to know more then.

Bless you all for your support, I feel so much better this morning after coming here. 
Rose xx