[Closed] Low blood platelet count

seriously t internet is not a medical proffessional..........till a medical proffessional tells you times up, times potentially up or your shagged mate dont use it for medical diagnosis ,it makes it sound like you should have been dead weeks ago

Alex,
First thing is I am not a doctor but a scientist that works in a lab that performs some platelet tests.
What is your platelet count? Also is it only the platelets or has your haemaglobin dropped as well?

Having mountain biking as a hobby with a very low platelet count could be potentially dangerous. It would be worth getting your counts checked again to see if they are still low.

There are some very rare hereditary diseases which can cause low platelets, or it could be caused by an autoimmune disorder (Itp) this can sometimes be triggered by a viral infection and resolve on its own. You can have quite a simple test done to look for circulating antibodies against your platelets. The most useful is called indirect anti platelet antibodies. A couple of ml of blood is taken, and gets sent to a reference lab in Bristol.

Personally if I had such a low count that the hospital was calling me up that late at night I would leave off the cycling until we figured out what was wrong. I would be more concerned about hitting my head and having a bleed there than cutting myself.

Massive disclaimer. I am not a doctor so have limited knowledge and have been writing this while my toddler was screaming so it might be in the most logical order. Just wanted to reply quick

Stop reading forums if you must use the net then use this.

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Red-blood-count/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Thanks, I don't feel like I am about to die that's why I would like to go out on the bike but the first few forum post made think a little bit 🙂

Alansd1980
My platelet count was 28 when called back to hospital. Last one was 16. Now waiting for a haematologist appointment since the last doctors visit. When I was at the doctors she told me she was more concerned with the other problem and that I would need a platelet transplant if it went to around 10.
I have to have another blood test On Tuesday.

Alex, with a count that low I would absolutely knock off the cycling. With no obvious blood loss from trauma and all other counts being stable it could well be itp. If you are producing antibodies against your own platelets you can be given hla typed platelets. Just a blood transfusion so no big procedure to be worried.

Discuss riding with your doctor but I would be amazed if they gave you the go ahead.

I'd be careful making anything that resembles a diagnosis if you're a biomed Alan.

Great help Alan thank you very much, I should have asked here first before looking at other sites.
Amazing that I get the information I required on a MTB forum that I couldn't find on the medical ones.

I will give the bike a miss for a while I guess I knew it was a bad move to think about it.

I'll put my new Hope V4s on and look at them instead of using them tomorrow.

Tom, totally agree . What I said could be one of many possibilities and I shouldn't have said anything specific.

I tried to make or clear I am not a doctor but do have some knowledge working in a specialist haem lab and was trying to give some information. I can't edit the last post so Alex please don't think I am trying to diagnose you over the internet.

Just ask the mods to delete it, send Drac an email. I don't think you were making a diagnosis, it's just that I wanted you to be careful for your own sake if you're HCPC registered.

I've flagged the posts up myself with the mods.

Hang on.

I didn't take it as one, I was happy to be told not to go on my bike. Last thing I want is for someone who took the time on a Saturday to kindly reply to my post to get any sort of trouble.

Nahh he won't, it's just other people can read it. You know what the internets like....it was more of a friendly word of caution.

Yesterday, I met a man with a Hb of 3, he was rather pale in the face and on his way to hospital for a transfusion!

Had ITP in the 80's - woke up with a blood clot for a gum shield and purple legs.
Blood count at the doctors that morning was 7 and had an ambo pick me up!
2wks in a hospital bed, bone marrow taken, lots of bloods, big red pills and another year of check ups.
Sit the f@ck down and don't be daft - I was told that if I'd fallen over on the way to the Docs I probably would of bled out before anyone helped.

My daughter had ITP, which is one of many reasons for a low platelet count. Her's was single figures when she was diagnosed but they wouldn't have treated it unless there was another risk factor (she passed some blood so she had a transfusion as there is significant risk of internal bleeding). For ITP it is wait and see. Anyway the reason I am posting is that while she had this, if she bumped her head at all (even minor bumps that a four year old does frequently) we had to go for a blood test to see her platelet level. Above 50 she was ok, after being checked out. Below 50 she had to stay in the hospital for neurological obs for 24 hours, even if she felt fine and had no symptoms.

I thought this info might help contextualise your count - I wouldn't be biking, or let my daughter bike, with a count below 50. For her there were no visible symptoms to indicate where her count was. Even when her count was ridiculously low, she felt fine, although had a lot of bruising.

If you do end up with an ITP diagnosis, what is reassuring is the even when your count is low, the actual platelets are all brand new and far more efficient that a normal person's platelets as a result. So a low count from ITP is not a catastrophic as it can sound. The doctor also told us that if you could choose which blood disorder to have (if you had to have one) then ITP would be the one to choose!

Also, the transfusion for ITP is not blood or platelets, it is immune globulin. It is very effective for up to 10 days, although can make you feel poorly during the transfusion.

I hope you get sorted soon. My daughter's ITP cleared itself up with 10 months, as the vast majority of cases do.

I had ITP as a child. Never realised there were so many of us! I remember bruising really easily and the docs telling me I could have an internal bleed if I took a blow. I wouldn't ride or do anything too active until your count gets back to normal which it will if you have no underlying complaint. You will learn to love blood tests tho 🙂 get well soon

Please listen to the Docs and DONT RIDE. Wait/patience.

Thanks for the additional comments.

Only bike that came out was my sons balance bike.
Docs tomorrow for another test so hopefully it's going up and not down.

Does exercise affect Platelet count?

I wanted to donate Platelets but I was told it wasn't high enough. I always take the day off - big ride first then donate blood so maybe this affected the result?

Can take a while to get back to normal but if it was caused by a virus as is sometimes suspected you should be on the mend already. Just need regular blood tests to check on progress. I was going twice a week until my count improved.

Does exercise affect Platelet count?

I wanted to donate Platelets but I was told it wasn't high enough. I always take the day off - big ride first then donate blood so maybe this affected the result?

Nope. You either meet their threshold or not.

Had a quick word with a very senior haematology consultant today and he advised much like we all have to avoid anything that could cause impact until advised otherwise.

Thanks again Alansd1980.
Will stick to gardening for a while I think.

stay away from the rose bushes.

I only grow veg

I only grow veg 🙂
Heamatolgy visit today. No riding bikes or anything else until at least have a platelet count of at east 80. An then no wheels of the ground type riding.

I now have 3 specialists who have now idea what is really wrong, which is a bit shit as I had hoped to have something less to worry about.

Thanks again for all the info others have posted.

Ok, we get it 😉

Good year for potatoes innit?

Will probably never know what caused it. Hope it starts climbing for u soon mate. At least they haven't done a bone marrow sample. Don't let them its agony 🙁

28? 80? Lightweight.

mrs_oab had a 'few' bruises of 'reasonable' size this time last year - and it transpired she had a count of 2. She had even gone on a roller coaster the day before, and doc was amazed she had not been carried off it in a coffin. 😯

She had a week in hospital, and it righted itself. Doc seemed to think it was the way of these things with blood sometimes.

But that is OK, as her 'normal' count is 60-80, she just tops them up every week from a bottle. Welcome to Common Variable Immuno Deficiency. 😕

Mine's hovered at about 30-50 for the last 2 or 3 years. Last count was 53. Haematologist doesn't seem bothered, they haven't said to do anything or avoid MTBs etc, just be careful if I get unusual bleeding or bruising. No diagnosis either.

Basically what I'm saying is a low count isn't always as bad as the internet says, and doesn't necessarily mean you'll have to give up wheels in the air riding.

Could be numerous things like factor 8 or vwf.

Bristol has a good team (was one of them).

Wait until you get your test results back.