Covid raised my platelets : I dont know... - ITP Support Assoc...

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Covid raised my platelets

Lynwoodley profile image
18 Replies

I dont know if anyone else has had Covid but I had it quite badly on 6th December, I had my last full blood test on 4/12 when my platelets was 37 which is average for me, It took me 19 days to recover from Covid so I decided to have another blood test on 23/12 this test was 315 which is fantastic. I have found previously if a got a cold ect. My count went up but since I got ITP in 2016 it has never gone more than 80, it seems that when I’m sick my immune system leaves my platelets alone and fights whatever I have. I will update on this when I have another test at the end of January, 🤞 it will stay up, but was wondering if anybody else found this happened to them when they are sick

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Lynwoodley profile image
Lynwoodley
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18 Replies
Lynney11 profile image
Lynney11

Hi, I too have found that when I am ill my platelets rise. I think it could be that my immune system is so busy trying to fight whatever ails me that it forgets to attack my platelets! Trouble is I don’t want to be ill all the time!😳😳

Lynwoodley profile image
Lynwoodley in reply to Lynney11

Hi yes I agree with you, that’s exactly what happens, it will be Interesting to see now I have had a bad bout of Covid if Covid stays in my body and my immune system now takes on this alien and forgets about my platelets and leaves them alone in the future. It would be great if a good thing could come out of being so ill with Covid

Lynney11 profile image
Lynney11 in reply to Lynwoodley

Sorry to hear you have been very ill with Covid. Both me and my hubby had it a couple of months ago - hubby was worse than me but he got over it pretty quickly with no after effects. As for myself I thought I just had a cold with some added side effects so had a test which was positive! I recovered quickly too. As it happened my count after that was in the normal range so it must have done some good! I’m due to have another blood test in about 10 days so jet’s hope it stays high.

Lynwoodley profile image
Lynwoodley in reply to Lynney11

Let’s hope the virus leaves the platelets alone from now on. Let me know how you get on with the next blood test

HOLCOTT profile image
HOLCOTT

Sorry to hear you were ill with covid Lynn but that's amazing about platelets. Wow. Do you feel any different? Thanks for letting us know x

Lynwoodley profile image
Lynwoodley in reply to HOLCOTT

I actually feel really well at the moment I have no bruises at all and normally I’ve always got a few (I don’t bleed) I got Covid around 2nd December and it took until about 28th to fully recover. I will have another blood test around 23/1 so it will be interesting to see what my platelet reading is then. I will post what it is

Emmla profile image
Emmla

For me platlets came in to 130000 normal is 50000 and WBC came to 10 /normaly it's 3-4 for me 30 days after covid

sam_b profile image
sam_b

That's interesting Lyn. Firstly, sorry you caught Covid but fantastic that it upped your platelets!

I've been quite worried about catching it myself but opposite to you I have noted my platelets have always fallen when I have had a blood test at the tail end of a cold.

I am one of those ITP 'ers who suffers from quite rapid bouts of fatigue when platelets drop, normally below 30.

Lynwoodley profile image
Lynwoodley in reply to sam_b

Hi Sam I’ve been lucky my platelets have only once gone as low as 29 so far but when it’s around 30 I do get bruises often that last ages some fatigue and my arms and legs ache but not too badly. I also find if I go on holiday to hot places my platelets rise a bit as well. It’s over a month now since I got Covid I have had a couple of small bruises but that’s where I knocked myself hard but they went after a few days, I’m looking forward to getting another blood test around 20/1 but not holding my breath in hope of it staying over 300 🤪

NickyD profile image
NickyD

That is a fantastic good news story

😀

Shoni89 profile image
Shoni89

Omg! I'm so happy to hear your plates are this high! My son was a sufferer from the age of 18months but he's been in remission for at least 2yrs now. I have always wondered if he got ITP would he have a relapse. I was so afraid to get his 4yr immunisation, thankfully his platelets have been amazing and high. I'm so excited to know your next bloods. Keep us all in the loop please!

swheels profile image
swheels

Hi not noticed anything with colds but if I get a strong virus my platelets go down. I’ve had a couple of times where after recovering I’ve had to have a course of steroids to bring them back up. As I am now, Christmas 2019 I had a virus similar to covid but I don’t think it was, I have no spleen so maybe that’s the difference so I’d have been worse than I was but my platelets have been under par since Feb. This was only discovered late October my iron was low too. I hadn’t felt 100% but had no bruising or bleeding so wasn’t concerned. After a week of a strong dose my platelets recovered for a bit but they’ve dived a bit again so on another short course. Im really pleased that yours went up and that you didn’t have a serious battle with covid Take care out there all

lsued profile image
lsued

Hello Lynwoodley. I was wondering if you are taking something for itp to keep your platelests at 37. Also, and if you do, what did the doctor do with the treatment? Did he stop it or continued?

Lynwoodley profile image
Lynwoodley in reply to lsued

Hi I have not been on any medication but I take quite a few vitamins ect daily. A prebiotic, probiotic, vitamin D3, vitamin C, Magnesium, multi vitamin, aloe Vera, papaya tablets, omega 3, K3 & B complex only once has my platelets dropped to 19 and that was for 2 days. I have been taking most of these since 2016. I don’t know if they are definitely helping but if I stop taking that’s when my platelets dropped

Lynwoodley profile image
Lynwoodley

Hi All just got my blood results and platelets back to my normal 38 😡 so having Covid only sent them up for 1 month to 315 while my body was fighting Covid 😢😢 now the virus has gone its back to eating my platelets. I will update again if it changes when I have the vaccine

RobertSp profile image
RobertSp in reply to Lynwoodley

I have not had COVID and I am sorry to hear that you had it. The rise in platelet count is certainly interesting. I have seen similar results for myself. I was in the military in a high risk combat situation (high stress). Stress is believed to reduce immune reactions. My counts went from ~60 to ~ 250 under those circumstances. Unfortunately the rise did not continue for mare than a few months. The explanations is as yet unclear. I have consulted specialists about it. But it seems that the immune response can be reduced or distracted. This effect should be researched. There are some drugs which suppress the immune response for transplant recipients. Some of these drugs have been tried for ITP with some success but the side effects may be uncomfortable or dangerous. These drugs leave the person vulnerable to various diseases and infections.

Lynwoodley profile image
Lynwoodley in reply to RobertSp

Yes it’s strange but interesting that you reacted like that to stress my consultant thinks I had a virus which attached itself to my platelets, the virus went but stained the platelets so now my body thinks they are alien and keeps attacking them

RobertSp profile image
RobertSp

It might help to know that the lifetime of platelets for a normal person is about 48 hours or less. Young platelets appear larger under a microscope. But all platelets are changed out within 48 hours. I don't think platelets have mitochondria so it would be difficult for a virus to reproduce attached to a platelet. But the virus could certainly irreversibly attach.

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