I think I might have ITP...

I'm looking for some advice or reassurance or just people to talk to. As far as I'm aware, I've had lower than normal platelets for most of my adult life. I'm 28 now. The first test I had for platelets in 2010 came back at 120 and then I was retested a month later and they were 130. My PCP at the time didn't think anything of it since they went up on their own. Fast forward to now, I was in the ER several days ago with a UTI. All my blood work came back normal except platelets and MPV. First blood test showed platelets at 110 and MVP at 11.8, second test showed platelets at 115 and MVP at 12, third test showed platelets at 124 and MVP at 11.7.

These were all a couple days apart, so the platelets are coming up! But MVP is high, which google has nothing good to say about that. My most recent blood tests really freaked me out. My platelets were at 136 and MVP was 13.9. I'm not sure what to make of all these numbers. I'm currently waiting for a referral to see a hematologist. Will I be okay? The referral can take up to two weeks and I'm kind of freaking out. I don't really know what to do with myself. Did the infection trigger this? Or perhaps the antibiotics? I'm at a loss. I also deal with bad anxiety and this is not helping. If anyone could shed any insight that would be great!

I understand that my platelets might not be low enough to constitute ITP, but I'm afraid of the other possibilities. I had a blood test done back in July and my platelets were about 156. I don't know what the MVP was since it wasn't measured. This is the highest I've ever seen my platelets. Thank you to anyone who answers and sorry that this is a little long.

Well, hopefully we can help to reassure you. None of your platelet counts are alarming in the least. Those counts are below normal as far as the reference ranges go, but they are perfectly safe. An ITP diagnosis is usually made when platelet counts are consistently below 100k. Anything above 30k is considered to be a safe count. At this point, there is no reason to worry about the platelet count.

The high MPV could be a little more worrisome however, it could mean absolutely nothing. I'd wait until you see the hematologist before you start to freak out. As someone who has had many scary test results over the past 18 years, I've learned that most of the time, worrying ends up being a waste of time. Infections and antibiotics can cause abnormal test results at times.

Thank you so much Sandi! I'm trying really hard not to freak out, but it's tough not having a diagnosis. I fear that either way I have something autoimmune. I've never actually seen the MPV numbers before so I don't know how long they've been high.
My other symptoms are fatigue, muscle pain, and pain in some of my joints. No one believes there's anything wrong with me. All my other blood work is great. Only one doctor saw cause for concern with my platelets and MPV. I've been having the feeling that it's all connected. The same doctor ordered an ANA, which I had one before and it was negative for anything so I'm not sure if it's going to be indicative of anything now.
I'm not sure if I should go back to the ER and explain my situation more. Prior to this I was having some stomach issues and diagnosed with IBS. I've never had issues with C and D before. I had a bad reaction to some psych meds that sent my body into a tail spin and I was having trouble eating.
Sorry for all the info. I'm just at a loss.

Going to the ER isn't going to help. They are there to deal with emergencies, not to make a diagnosis. You need to see a specialist (Hematologist), not the general ER doctor.

Sometimes autoimmune disorders take time to develop enough to be diagnosed. I had symptoms of Lupus for a year and a half before my blood work showed enough for a definitive diagnosis. I had a Rheumatologist who was monitoring me, but there wasn't anything he could do until I met the criteria. You might have some type of connective tissue disorder going on, but it could take years to fully show itself. It can be frustrating when no one believes you, but they can't diagnose something that they can't see with labs that correlate with a specific disorder.

This is very true. I'm sick of the ER anyway. lol They just tell me I'm fine and send me on my way. Hyperthyroidism was also suggested to me based on some of my other symptoms. I'm just tired of feeling so cruddy. This has been on going for a couple months at least. Whatever it is I just want to get on with my life and take care of it. Thank you again for your responses. It means a lot to me. No one is around right now I can talk to and most people just shrug it off as my anxiety. I know what my anxiety feels like and this isn't it.

If I were you, I'd go to see both a Hematologist and a Rheumatologist. Get some baseline blood work done. The Rheumatologist will probably do an ANA and SED Rate, at the very least, and could probably do a thyroid panel. If those show anything, he might go further with some more specific labs.

I can tell you that it's possible to feel horrible and have normal labs. I've been there. After my symptoms began, I was referred to a Rheumatologist. The guy came in, took one look at me and told me that I was fine based on how I looked. I assured him that I was not fine, but he dismissed me. I was referred to a second Rheumatologist who took the symptoms a bit more seriously. By that point, I had an elevated ANA and SED Rate, but all other labs were still normal. He couldn't diagnose me with anything based on that. In a way, I was glad because I really didn't want a diagnosis. In time, things got worse and I did get a diagnosis. In the 11 years since then, there has been no magic pill that has made the symptoms go away and I have tried everything. I'm caught in a nightmare loop of horrible meds with side effects and they don't work anyway.

My advice is: Don't give up trying, but realize that it could take years to get a diagnosis. Having normal labs now does not mean that they will always be normal. Try to at least find a doctor who will monitor you every 4 to 6 months. In the meantime, the only thing you can do is go on with your life as best as you can. Like I said, there isn't always a fix. If you are developing a connective tissue disorder, it's best to stay out of the sun and do not use tanning beds. That will speed up the process and you don't want that!

One more thing. This is a story about the ER and a friend of mine. Almost two years ago, she began to feel dizzy. She started going to many different specialists and no one could find a cause. Because it took so long to get in with the specialists and no one she saw could find anything, in between appointments she started freaking out and having anxiety. That's normal. But she started going to the ER if she was having a bad day or feeling more anxiety. I can't even tell you how many ER trips she's made to different hospitals. Because we now have a network medical system in the US, any doctor she went to could see her charts and she got labeled with psychiatric problems. She is now having a hard time finding a doctor to take her seriously because they see anxiety and automatically assume that is her problem. I'm not sure what she expected to get from the ER since they don't diagnose chronic disorders; they are there to deal with life-threatening and serious situations. In the past two years, she's seen every specialist there is and has had second and third opinions. She's had every available test. No answers. It's a shame that no one can help her but her ER trips cost her credibility. Don't let that happen to you, ok?