11/28/07 - Effects of Low Platelets
*** UPDATE 01/08/08 ***
Platelets are mostly responsible for blood clotting, and when they are low, there are multiple related effects. I'll go through a few I have experienced.
Excessive Bleeding - When my platelets are low, I'm not supposed to do anything that could result in my being cut. I'm not supposed to ride my recumbent trike, shave with a razor (unless it's electric), handle knives, or the like. I obey some of them... Most of the time, I "notice" my platelets are low when my cat scratches me. When he scratches me (due to my taunting and magnified by my slow response), the resulting cuts bleed for a while and my blood looks "funny." That's very non-technical, but I swear my blood looks different when my platelets are low.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3AqNpHBQ_0QmH7SonrAfxFba4evnqxAj_XhS9M1VGf4Z6zrkHdq831vkgZtRwCcKB-NKuXGp87tLjiBngQgjJmkIZpPmvKSKrjCwyT8y_eQLJ63GIjRzHWRClEb68jmHtXNi/s320/Bleeding+Hand.jpg)
Easy Bruising - Bruises seem to just appear when my platelets are low. I can remember the causes of the larger ones, but I don't track the smaller ones, probably because they don't hurt when they begin. For instance, a bruise formed when I ripped the tape off a blood count access. I was surprised at how bad it looked, but it did not hurt. Here are a few examples.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtKFx5pceivREr9HCwiEBoUgEecOhydrVJwoZ9p607iQHlktB14xd2NXhr5Y7XBn8FLIlhNMkJeYa0MqhHD0fTBQ1Sdh3Zer6TfbPoiV7pzP0CPuwNZ6SPrwFqIlr0KB0yT_L/s320/Bruise.jpg)
Petechia - "Pe-teek-kee-yah" can be caused by low platelets. I've only experienced it once that I know about. To an observer, it just looks line red spots on your skin. I think it is from breaks on small capillaries. When I experienced it, it was only on my left hand, it didn't hurt, and I suspect the cause was sleeping strangely on my hand. I tried to take a picture, but the red spots don't seem to come out that well...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhygICqju-GAeazT6wHulpIBm0uGxVByAIsL-fKO0n0MvhPWNHD2klr1Euc1UH5jKdicmTxhETIjesmLLDBWtYI_1MHSbY8ERmD0_ymIvZs7wzga6Bq5km4QzojNBPbPMEDmeG5/s320/94+Petechia.jpg)
Broken Toe - This was certainly not caused by low platelets, but the bruising that followed may have been. I broke it when walking from the second floor to the first floor of our house. The power happened to shut off when I was about 2/3 of the way down. I missed the last stair and landed awkwardly on my foot. I can only assume it was broken because it hurt for more than two weeks, but I didn't want to see another doctor about it. It's kind of amazing that this took so long to happen, because I'm constantly running into (kicking) things.