I have a medical question for our nurses.

scrapgram · Thu Mar 17, 2011 3:24 am

I am a dieabetic and my doctor sees me every 3-6 months. I always need to go have blood drawn before she sees me and then goes over my results. Right now my dieabities is high. I have noticed that since 2007 my platelets are low. I have brought this to her attention and she just shines it off. But I am concerned because this time its even lower. I see that the normal count is usually somewhere between 140 and 400, mine is 69. Should I be concerned? If she does not seem to worry who else can help me? thank you ladies for your help.

CherryTat · Thu Mar 17, 2011 7:28 am

Have you outright asked your doctor what he thinks could be causing your low platelet count? With your platelet count I would want to have it checked out. There are many, many reasons why your platelets could be low. Can you ask your doctor for a referral to a specialist? I don't know how that works down your way, but if you cannot get any satisfaction from your doctor I would want another opinion. I doubt that this helps you very much

Ayla · Thu Mar 17, 2011 8:28 am

CherryTat wrote:Have you outright asked your doctor what he thinks could be causing your low platelet count? With your platelet count I would want to have it checked out. There are many, many reasons why your platelets could be low. Can you ask your doctor for a referral to a specialist? I don't know how that works down your way, but if you cannot get any satisfaction from your doctor I would want another opinion. I doubt that this helps you very much

I would suggest another opinion as well. That is low enough that I would at least want it addressed. Darlene is right...there are many things that could be causing it, and I couldn't even begin to hazard a guess. Bring it up with your doctor again, and if she says she isn't worries, ask her why not. And it you still don't feel satisfaction, you have every right to request a referral to a specialist. Tell your doctor you would feel better getting it checked out. If she is at all concerned about YOU, she will honor your wishes without a hassle. And if she still dismisses your concerns, perhaps this is your chance to consider getting a different physician who will listen to you.

Northern Brat · Thu Mar 17, 2011 8:50 am

I'm not a nurse, but a daughter of one....these girls have good advise. My mom always said, you know your body the best, and if you don't get the information from your doctor, or not happy on how you are treated...move on, and get a second opinion. And....ask LOTS of questions!!!!!

stonelion · Thu Mar 17, 2011 9:21 am

Here is something you may want to try: Go into your doctor with a notepad and a pencil. Have your questions written down beforehand and let the doctor know in a nice way, that you want to write down the answers so that you can refer to them later. Be sure s/he understands this is because you are concerned and you want to make sure you have everything straight. When I sense that a doctor is rushed, I sometimes forget what I want to ask. Either that or I get home and forget exactly what was said. I think when anyone sees that you are listening and writing, they slow down and their whole method of response changes.

If you don't get a straight answer, find another doctor. Any time any professional brushes something you are concerned about off as not serious, they need to either let you know the reason why until you are satisfied or you need to move on. I had a real estate lawyer once tell me "not to worry about it". Before I changed lawyers so fast it made his head spin, I explained that his job was to ensure I needn't be worried and tell me the reason why not, not to fob me off with excuses.

Good luck.

Thu Mar 17, 2011 12:30 pm

I'm not a nurse either, but I also agree in asking to see another doctor. I've changed doctors about two years ago because he wasn't listening to me and I'm soooo glad I did!! You know you're body better than anyone!

Scraprat · Thu Mar 17, 2011 2:21 pm

I am a nurse AND a cancer patient who has to keep tabs on my blood counts all the time. A platelet count that low should be of concern to your doctor. Do you take any kind of blood thinners or daily aspirin? There could be many reasons to cause a low count. I would specifically ask your doctor about your count and voice your concerns. INSIST on having her make a referral to a specialist or for her to check into this further. If the doctor does not take your concerns seriously, find another doctor! I will tell you that with a low platelet count, you may notice that you bruise very easily and be careful of using sharp objects, avoid cuts - seriously!

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