Feb
She wants me to come in to get another blood test. I looked up what this might mean and all the worst things popped up as possible causes (leukemia, HIV, Lymphoma) and I'm panicking. I don't bruise easily, the prick of the needle from the blood test two days ago left no mark on my skin at all. I take a lot of fish oil pills (2000mg aday) which I just found out is a natural blood thinner but could it make my blood so thin that the physician would call me in to re-take the blood test? I'm 26 years old.
Answer:
Try not to worry..You didn’t state what your number was, but I know that normal is around 140,000..Around 15 years ago, my husband's platelets fell to 98,000 and his Physician kept an eye on it..then they fell to 89,000 and she sent him to an oncologist..The first thing I asked is if we were looking at leukemia and the oncologist said not to freak about it yet..well he ran some tests and they could find no reason for the low platelets..the oncologist stated that some people just run low and it isn’t a concern..he said that thankfully, we’ve way more platelets than we need..So just do what your physician wants you to and maybe you will find that you are just one of those people who “run low”..By the way, other than low platelets, my husband is in excellent health..so good luck to you..I’ll state a prayer for you..
Answer:
First, do not worry. Low platelets can be caused by a difficult venipuncture (Needlestick for blood draw). Sometimes platelets can clump naturally and the count will be decreased.
The Dr. wants you to come back to be sure the results are accurate. Even if it is confirmed as low - don't worry. There are conditions , like idiopathic thrombocytopenia that can spontaneously appear and disappear. Idiopathic means we are not sure why. Thrombocytopenia means low platelets. The fact that you’re not bruising is good. Go back and get the test - it is always superior to be sure.
Answer:
low platelets just mean that your blood has a hard time clotting. wich means, if you bleed and u put pressure on it it takes longer to cease because the clotting affect is very low. self diagnosis on the web is not a good idea. you'll just worry your self. take the re-test. im sure its none of that. they'll figure it out. good luck =]
Answer:
I see you have done your homework and you are right about the possibility, the only way you’ll know is to have that second blood test. I truly hope everything go well for you. hopefully it's just to many fish oil pills.
Answer:
Fish oils cause the platelets to not stick as they should. Did you mention to the doctor about your fish oil intake? You should stop it if you weren't instructed to take it by your physician.
As to the low platelets, there are other less serious causes for a low platelet including sampling error and you make no mention of the level or why you had the test done in the first place ie symptoms of bleeding.
There can be clues in the rest of the lab results sometimes including the size of the platelets if they’re big denoting peripheral consumption (ITP, TTP, DIC, infection, hypersplenism) or if they’re small denoting a production defect (bone marrow causes). Also the red cell morphology and what they look like if they’re normal (ITP etc) or if there are cell fragments (TTP, DIC).
A look at the white cells and if there are blast present (leukemia's) and if other cell abnormalities are present including anemia.
Just take it one step at a time.
Answer:
A low platelet count simply means that your blood has the potential to not clot as fast. Whether from a cut, a bruise, or anything else that causes bleeding. It may simply be that your body just naturally has a low platelet count; you could also be correct that the fish oil pills are affecting your counts. But it could also be a symptom of something else. Until you get the results of the second test back, try not to stress yourself out too much over this because stress can screw with the results depending on what your physician decides to test.
To help you not to panic, take a look at the other symptoms for some of the things you found - leukemia, lymphoma, etc). The most likely scenario will be that your not exhibiting any other symptoms and, generally speaking, only with multiple symptoms is there a reason to worry.
Good luck!