Off for a blood test (Read 581 times)

Well yesterday in the shower I noticed that I have Petechiae on my legs. Petechiae are tiny little purple dots that occur when the blood vessels are hemorraging into the skin. I have a rare blood disorder called Chronic Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura and when my blood platelet levels are plumetting it causes spontaneous hemorraging in the small vessels of the skin (hopefully nowhere else). My Doctor says I can do long distance running with ITP as long as my platelets are stablised She thought that the only issue would be if I started bleeding in my liver through the constant organ shake (but I am being monitored for this). Anyhow I am off for a blood test in a moment to check my platelet levels. Normal is 150 - 450, mine hover around 80 recently. If they fall below 50 I receive extra monitoring and some steroids, below 20 and they whip out my spleen, below 15 its hello to the hospital as I can hemorrage in my brain and organs. Petechiae are a warning sign to people with chronic ITP that their levels are falling but I am hoping that mine are still high enough to keep me out the treatment ranges. On top of this my knee is still bothering me. So in light of the ITP and the knee, I am definitely having another day off the running which isn't making me very happy. If you have any spare 'high platelet vibes' hanging around - send 'em over. It's annoying because the research field in this condition is very small so there is very little information on indurance sports and ITP. I hope they don't stop me running! Claire xxx

Sorry to hear it, and I hope your test results come back OK. Sending some serious 'high platelet vibes' your way right now...

Good luck, Claire. You're one tough cookie! Don't forget to tell the doc how much good running does for ya! Let us know how you are! Janell

Thanks everyone. I should get the results in about four hours. I don't have any easy to get veins left so they had to prick my fingers for the test instead! The lady at the lab knows me really well and just rolls her eyes when she sees me and gets the finger pricker ready. I hate it when she isn't there as new people always think that THEY will be able to get a vein on me - which they never do. It's funny because the ITP hasn't bothered me emotionally for a long time. After the initial diagnosis I settled into accepting it and felt it didn't matter, just meant a lot of blood tests and the occasional treatment. Now though I feel I have something else to lose - my running. I have been googling and I can't find a single bit of information on people doing Marathons or long distance running with ITP. I found information on people running Marathons to make money for ITP - but couldn't find a single thing relevant to my situation. All of a sudden the result of today's test matters to me. Today's result won't be 'just a number' that my husband and I discuss over dinner - todays result could mean some things have to change. I don't want anything to change. I like everything exactly how it is. Jake the 12K is on January 20th at 10AM - which means it will be January 19th in America. All cheering, supportive words and major credit cards accepted. Hey, I almost got myself in trouble today whilst attempting to photograph one of the local Fafa ini prostitutes on my camera phone! I thought the pic would make a nice addition to the 'Show off your favorite run' thread! I got a very nice picture of 'her' from behind but every time she looked around she gave me 'the evils' so I gave up. Don't think i'll post the pic thanks to the sad fact that she-man's arse was better than mine and my competetive nature won't let me. I blame you Jake. You started the thread Once again - thanks for the well wishes. If my platelet count is 100+ then i'll celebrate by having a slow steady run tomorrow morning on some flat ground. I have pretty much figured that it's the hills that are straining my knee. I may have to keep to the flat for a while. Hey - would the steroids make me faster or fatter? Claire xxx

Oh, I wish I would still be awake when you get the results. I will go to bed with my fingers and toes crossed that everything is A-OK. I don't want you to lose running, either. I know how much you enjoy it and you deserve to put your natural gift to good use. I agree with Ewa that you should talk to a sports doctor, if possible. They might be able to determine if running could be in any way harmful to you. (((Claire)))

Hey, that's really cool Jake. Sorta like a Cheapdate series virtual race meet. Or something. Have a feeling you'll keep your perkiness though. I'm off to start a thread about lil ole benched me, then in three hours time when the rest of the world wakes up - i'm going to contact a sports physio for some info. Stupid knee. Claire xxx