Drop after steady year?

I have been steady on my low dose of prednisone for the past year. Last month I had to have a root canal due to an infected tooth. He put me on Amoxicillin and it dropped my platelets to 70's. Boosted for a week and it went up. I went back to my lower dosage and they were fine 2 weeks ago. I check today because I am so TIRED, there has been near constant headaches (which I went through a whole bottle of tylenol...GP said ohhh its anxiety ), and feeling foggy, they are 45. I had another root canal on Monday. Yes, I didnt go to the dentist for 3 years because I read somewhere people with ITP shouldnt go.
My old Hemo said anytime you have a procedure to boost your steriods, this Hemo said no. Now I am scared to pieces...that I have something lurking somewhere. Thanks for any help!

People with ITP should defintely go to the dentist like any other normal person. They might have to pay attention to their counts, but most procedures can be done over 50.

Amoxicillin has dropped my counts twice. I don't take it any more.

A person who takes steroids long term should boost the dose before some procedures, but I'm not sure if a root canal counts.

Are you on prednisone simply for ITP? If so, have you tried anything else. Steroids on a long term basis are not a good idea if it can be avoided.

ITP has nothing to do with with going to the dentist!! One should have counts checked before having an extraction. Do you feel like you have anxiety? Are you stressing out over anything? I do not think Prednisone is a good long term treatment for ITP. I was on Prednisone at first, but it would not keep my counts up when I tapered off. I would consider looking into another treatment. I have done Rituxin twice. The last treatment has given me almost 3 years of remission. Depending on your count I do not understand why you do not need to boost the steroid before a procedure.

My hemos love steriods....maybe they love seeing my hump or my cataracts lol. Yes Dean- I am a nervous damn wreck. All damn day.

Whatthe,
Take a deep breath - you need to chill a little before you give yourself an ulcer on top of ITP! :S
I have been to the dentist several times for filling replacements with counts of 30. All good.
I am normally a stresser & have had to work hard at calming down, not only for my sake but for others around me.
Cheers from Down Under,
mj

Suppose your Hemo would love steroids as much if he/she had to take them??

Definatly try to calm down. You do not need any other problems due to STRESS!!!! Being a nervous wreck all day every day is NOT good for your health, especially your immune system!!! I know it is alot easier said than done, but Please try to Relax. If you are taking Prednisone primarily for ITP, I would seriously look into the other treatments for ITP.

Yep, relax. I've had a couple of root canals with counts under 30k. No problems at all.
Had a molar surgically removed last March, count around 50k...it was a total non-event and healed quickly.
Everyone is different, but one should not avoid the dentist because of ITP. I mean, if I lose my teeth, I'll have nothing to grind together when I take Dexamethasone!

What IS an issue for me as far as teeth and ITP is that Promacta gives me dry-mouth. This has led to problems. I started using Biotene regularly and that has helped tremendously.

Does Biotene really work? I have some, but I never use it.

What dose of Prednisone are you on?

5mg before...sometimes 2.5, now 20mg. She tends to do pulses.

I found that steroids made my teeth sensitive and I'm sure also that it was the steroids that ruined one of my teeth. I had to have a root canal and when he did it he said that it was very odd because the tooth was perfectly sound, just full of blood. I had a count of 8 at the time he did it and all was fine. If I were you I'd insist on trying something else and get off the steroids for good.

Sandi wrote: Does Biotene really work? I have some, but I never use it.

I wondered the same thing Sandi. One sees so many 'gotta have this to be healthy' stuff these days.
But yes, Biotene really has made a difference for me. I was quite surprised. The stuff does the trick on Promacta induced dry-mouth.......works for me anyway.

I have a mental block about that stuff. I have it in my head that other people's saliva is in the bottle. How weird is that? I can't bring myself to use it. I have horrible dry mouth, either due to meds or Sjogren's - not sure, but I always have a bottle of tea in my hand.

I have it in my head that other people's saliva is in the bottle.

What, you've never had another person's saliva in your mouth? I've always considered 'swapping spit' as one of our most treasured national pastimes!

Seriously though, I view Biotene as a strong mouthwash with additives. It has made a difference for me while being on Promacta. I'm sure there are many alternatives though.

I have been using Biotene for dry mouth. It is annoyingly slimy,
but the peppermint flavor distracts one from that a bit. I
use it at night, when my dry mouth is most annoying, since
my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. It helps somewhat.

I've become a germophobe since being on multiple immunosuppressants. Other people's saliva, or the thought of it, makes me want to gargle with bleach. (Not really, just making a strong point).