i am geno 1a stage 3 liver disease. before i started treatment my platelets were 84. before i could do liver biop they needed to be 125. i received a platelet transfusion and got them to 122. got biop anyway. am now into my 15th week of triple therapy. last cbc my platelet ct was 32. dr told me we wouldn't unless they got around 20.
Definitely time to look for another doc. First off, if she had suspicions for other conditions, right or wrong, she should be testing you for them rather than jumping the gun in alarming you unnecessarily. Always a good idea to ask for copies of your labs, especially when your doctor states something is out of range so you can know the specifics. Long-time infection with hep c can result in low platelets, so the fact that your doctor did not address it would confirm that she's not very smart about hep c. Hope you can find competent and compassionate docs if you are not confident in the ones you're currently seeing. ~eureka
This Doctor is not to smart about Hep C. She is an Indian hematologist. Just like the Indian primary care doctor I have who said hi billirubin will not cause severe itching.
Try to calm down. A primary physician is no expert in hepatitis or HIV.
Get a referral to a gastroenterologist or hepatologist ASAP. You are in Boston. There are many excellent doctors there. Finding expert medical help shouldn't be an issue for you. I would also find another primary doc too. No doctor should speculate about a diagnoses without performing tests. To say that someone may have HIV without clinical proof is unprofessional, cruel and harmful to patients.
What is the exact number for your platelet count? Get the number or get a copy of the test blood report. 100,000? 50,000, 30,000? "Low" is a relative word and really isn't very helpful.
Get an HIV test. Then you will know. Simple as that. If she tested your viral load and platelet count why didn't she test you for HIV instead of speculating? I also had an anesthesiologist tell me four years ago that the only time he saw a low platelet count was either I had cancer or HIV. Thanks for your uneducated diagnosis. That really made my week until I had a biopsy and found out I had cirrhosis. Anyone familiar with hepatitis and liver disease knows that a low platelet count is usually the first sign of advanced liver disease. I guess he slept through that class?
Good luck.
Hector
My gastroenterologist told me one of consequences of having Hep C is a drop in platelets when the liver is affected. I don't know why your doc is thinking HIV. I don't.
Sherry
I meant low platelet count sorry.