Immune System Disorders Archives

low platelet count in 9 year old daughter

Dear Walt, This site has been very interesting to me. 10 days ago I took my daughter to the doctor because she had not been herself for about 3 weeks. She suffered from a hacking cough all through the holidays and did have a fever 2 evenings. Just when I thought all of this was subsiding - I figured it was a virus that needed to run it's course - she began having all of these weird symptoms that I will just list : Suddenly being afraid, feeling "small", heart pumping, weak legs, a small headache here or there, not wanting to be alone, tummy aches, frequent urination. She said she just didn't feel right and that she has never felt this way before. I am trying to think of them all and I am sure that I cannot because it has been a few weeks, but the jist is that I thought she was suffering from panic attacks and that she was freaking herself out and setting off an adrenaline reaction that could explain some of her symptoms. Anyway, I took her to the doctor who examined her and could not find anything outwardly, gave me and her a reassuring talk, and gave me a referral to child psych. She did also order blood and urine tests. I did not hear back any of the results until 1 week later and felt confident that she was getting better because many of the symptoms were lessening. Come to find out she had a low platelet count of 35. When the doctor called me we were on a trip to Monterey, so when I returned 2 days later -today- and got her message to repeat the blood test (she was suspecting lab error because all other numbers were okay), I went on over and had it done. Her count is now 93. Isn't that still quite low with the normal range being between 150 and 400? I got on the Net and saw somwhere that kids can have a drop after a viral infection and then will get better. Is that what is happening to Emma. Should I push to have the test repeated in a week or so to see if it's gone up even further? I think if the count is now 93, that the earlier count must have been accurate. I'm thankful that it appears nothing happened to her in that low time. She has no petichei? and is not suffering from nose bleeds or anything else that I can see outwardly. I don't know what her doctor will do (I don't even think that she has seen the results yet for the repeat blood test). I am wondering why we weren't called very soon after the first blood test if 35 is so low that she could have had some sort of spontaneous bleeding (the doctor notified me after a whole week had passed) since I was able to get the results of the second over the phone after 1 hour. Seems to me the lab should inform the doctor of such a low count immediately! Anyway, thanks for letting me jabber on and please let me know if there is any avenue I should investigate and any questions I should ask Emma's doctor when she calls with the results (that I already know about). Do people with low platelets suffer from the same symptoms as Emma had?

Thank you very much,
Ruth

P.S. I am not sure that I know how to get back on to this site, or how to find out if there is a response to my question, so would you mind E-mailing me at the above address your respnse in addition to posting it, or could you tell me how to retrieve the response?

Follow Ups:

• Re: low platelet count in 9 year old daughter (Archive in immunity.) Walt Stoll 12:10:42 1/22/01 (0)

In Reply to: low platelet count in 9 year old daughter posted by Ruth Graham on January 20, 2001 at 09:37:24:

Hi, Ruth.

Only a monopoly could get away with shoddy service like this. The results were known by the lab within 12 hours of the drawing of the blood and they had a responsibility to advise your doc IMMEDIATELY!

It is true that most cases of this DO get well without any treatment but those who do not have a life threatening problem. Your doc should be recommending that her blood be checked at least a couple of times a week until she is normal. This is ONE condition that conventional medicine can do something about.

Wellness would help put her in the best catagory and it would behoove you to learn enough about that that you could move her gently in that direction. Consider this a warning that she has a genetic susceptibility to stuff like this and the wellness would help her prevent even more serious warnings in the future.

Hope this helps.

Walt