As most of you know I have been going for monthly, sometimes bi-weekly blood tests due to low blood platelets. This issue has stepped up a notch on the "worry" scale this week. Here is the low down:
normal blood platelet levels are between 250-450. Mine have been hovering between 112-98 almost my entire pregnancy. At this level my Dr. doesn't consider doing anything but we just had to keep monitoring me to watch if they go down. Last Tuesday I went in for another blood test and in the morning my dr called to say that my platelets had dropped to 58. I was told to go straight to the hospital to get yet more blood taken. 3 hours later she called again and said they had gone down to 55. She, unfortunatly, had to leave town for a family emergency so she told me to go and see the other obstetrician today. My biggest worry with this is the unknown. I haven't been able to find very much information about my blood problem online and just felt like I needed some answers. what next? what does it mean? is it a danger to the baby? So I got to ask the dr these questions today and here is the limited info i now have (even limited feels much better than what I had).
These is the range in which they will start intervention methods. The risk, as I understand it, is that your blood is thinner and thus does not clot as well. This meaning that when I bleed i can bleed more and its harder to stop that bleeding. Seeing as you tend to bleed in large amounts post- delievery, that is the main concern. The danger zone is when your platelets drop to between 50-30. I am quite close to this level but my levels have gone up previously so hopefully they will again.
Risk to baby: there is a chance that she could have low platelets as well due to my low platelets but they have no way of telling until she is born. The dr told me that they would simply avoid procedures during delivery like vacuum extraction or forceps that could possible cause her to bleed. Seeing as I have a history of fairly easy births he doesn't see a concern for her. great news!
Intervention: They will keep monitoring my levels (i have to go in again tomorrow for more blood work which is three days in a row) and if they drop below 50, it sounds like steroids is the next step. I know!! Steroids!!! I would never have conncected steroids to this condition and still have to research how it helps. But apparently the steroids can up your platelets. Hopefully we won't get to this point. He never mentioned anything about transfusion which is good....that scares me even more than steroids. The Dr. did mention that its great that i'm 34 weeks so he doesn't have to think about the possibility of having to send me away somewhere. Meanwhile i'm running out of unbruised arms to stick needles in. Its all worth it....only 5 more weeks!
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