Fucking platelets [View all]

[Tab]

Normal platelet range is 140k to 400k. Mine usually hover around 74k, but lately they've been at 60k. I haven't had chemo for six weeks.

On Tuesday I had an immunoglobulin transfusion. The way low platelets come about is actually through two vectors. Either your bone marrow sucks at making platelets, or your bone marrow is okay at making platelets but a portion of your immune system kills off the platelets that are made.

The Immuglobulin infusion is meant to introduce a decoy, so if the latter scenario is the case, they'll go after the IG components and not the real platelets.

However, if that's not the case, then the next step is a bone marrow biopsy to determine if the bone marrow is damaged.

And if it IS damaged, then I don't want to go there.... I'm imaging a transplant situation, and I don't want to speculate too much on what if's. Presumably that's a significantly worse situation than I'm in right now (and for those who don't know, that's Stage IV colorectal with mets to the lungs).

So, I'll find out Monday. We'll see.

- Tab