TOPIC: Odd

Yesterday I had a platelet count of 220k - 2 weeks ago today my count was 97k.
Had total knee replacement 2 weeks ago and was started on 2 baby aspirin a day to ward off blood clots.
Since April 1989 I have not had anything but Tylenol - found it odd that my count went up. Will see what
it is a month from now when I am off the baby aspirin for 2 weeks.

That is really odd. I wonder why that happened, but mostly I'm really happy for you. Having platelets is always good. Hope your knee replacement recovery goes well.

Thank you b2h - I'm 2 weeks and 2 days past surgery & have been told my knee now is where they like it to be at 6 weeks so I'm ahead of the game. Actually I'll give all the credit to my fantastic surgeon [who also happens to be a master carpenter].

It will be interesting to see what my count will be in a month. I'll let you know.

Melinda, a few comments by others that may be of interest on the subject of counts and knee surgery.
By 'Caroline109'
pdsa.org/discussion-group/10-social-chat/3101-who-are-we-missing.html#4868
By 'stebbo'
pdsa.org/discussion-group/6-general-itp-discussion/13089-weekly-aussie-kiwi-itp-chat.html#13502
By 'karenr'
pdsa.org/discussion-group/7-treatment-general/27069-retuxin-in-80yr-old-person-questions.html#30210
By 'cjscheuer'
pdsa.org/discussion-group/7-treatment-general/26850-rituxan-frustration-with-side-effects.html#28556

From my own experience, I know that my counts went up to the dizzying level of 134 (baseline is 12) five days after an appendectomy. What I'd like to know. Does everyone with ITP have counts go up after surgeries like these?

Were you on aspirin after your surgery Hal?

What I find interesting is that I am taking a no-no for ITPers, baby aspirin 2x a day and my count increased. Day of surgery it was 118k? or 112k can't recall, but know the anesthesiologist was delighted as she could give me the spinal. The day after surgery it was 97k. After 2 weeks of baby aspirin it was 220k

I had thumb basal joint surgery on both thumbs - about a year apart - my platelets didn't climb. Now after the flu they did.

No aspirin for me during that time. For that matter, nothing OTC or prescription during that time either. The surgery was laparoscopic.

In my post readings to generate that list, I get the impression that a blood thinner is standard procedure after knee surgery. I think some were taking Warfarin, or a drug like that. Apparently the doctor prescribed just aspirin for you. It would take some digging to find out what blood thinner each were taking.

Hal you asked:
"Does everyone with ITP have counts go up after surgeries like these?"

I'm assuming you mean knee replacement & appendix removal. You didn't have aspirin after your appendix & I did - so was it the aspirin that brought mine up? Who knows if it was the aspirin, the surgery or just dumb luck? I have been put under for 3 other surgeries between 2003 and now - count didn't go up after them.

Melinda, got an email from your immune system today, LOL. The Internet is an amazing thing, isn't it? Here is the gist:

They said they have been busy cleaning and removing all the sliced up tissue cells from the knee surgery. There is A LOT. It has overloaded the system. No time to destroy any platelets - which notoriously hide evil viruses that get in. It's a priority issue. There has been so much to clean up that it will take weeks to get it all. Everyone is working hard, and as you know, we are ahead of schedule on rehabilitation.

They said they are sorry about letting platelets get by unchecked, but do not worry. They will be getting back to them as soon as the knee tissue fully heals and know that you will appreciate that. Like, who needs to be endlessly tired from mono again?

Mono??

Mono, aka Mononucleosis, aka EBV.

I've not had mono - not sure why your said what you did

I'm glad the surgery went well! Good news on the counts...

My platelets were high after both of my knee replacements (one in 2002 and one in 2012). My doc had upped my pred before the surgery so my platelets would be fairly normal during surgery, but one surgeon told me patients were routinely given steroids before some surgeries anyway. My platelets stayed in the normal range for about 3 months after the 1st replacement, 3-1/2 months after the second, though they began to decrease soon after the surgeries. I'm pretty sure the blood thinners had nothing to do with the high platelets. My theory is that the surgery was enough of a shock to my system that my body forgot to destroy the platelets for a while.
(The first orthopedist put me on Lovenox after the replacement, the second on Warfarin--but we discontinued that very soon as my diet made it hard to read and he decided I was low risk for strokes.)
The same thing (3 months) happened to my platelets after an oophorectomy. Ironically, my platelets stayed high only one month after a splenectomy that was supposed to "cure" my ITP!

Karenr