Platelet testing kit

Is there such a thing? Like you know if you have diabetes you can test your blood sugar level. It would save people a lot of hassle too. I think a platelet testing kit would be great and it would stop the worrying over what your numbers are. Is there anything like that in development or available?

Not that I'm aware of. The analyzers that hemo's use cost thousands of dollars, plus you'd need a Phlebotomist.

This has been discussed before and most of us agree that it's not necessary to test counts all that often. In the case of diabetes, having a sugar level too high or too low can cause a diabetic crisis which can result in death rather quickly. Low platelet counts are not quite as critical and symptoms sometimes mean more in terms of emergency or treatment purposes.

I never thought about a phlebotomist. I suppose it isn't necessary but I guess maybe for travelling it would have made things easier.

It would be a great idea. I understand the cost etc, we should try to be aware of our bodies and what happens to us with low plts may be of some help.
Certainly not scientific as I've been at a count of 1 and absolutely no symptoms, and a count of 50 and loads of symptoms.

When you think of what is being tested you can see why it isn't possible. With diabetes you are testing the sugar content which is easy, with platelets a machine actually has to count the platelets.. a completely different thing.

It wouldn't stop the worry, but the worry would make us test more frequently. I often said I was somewhat glad there wasn't such a kit, because poor Julianne would have been stuck every time a worry crept into my mind. As it was, the sticking was timed by the docs.
Norma

I can see your points, i guess the whole getting blood with be hard. I just guess from experience, I had to work with 14k platelets and each time I got a symptom I freaked out. They were slowly going down and and I was freaked having to run to the hospital from work cos I was paranoid. Ann I used to to the day dept in royal London hospital. The great thing was you could phone up and get a blood count done.

labproducts.biomedicalpolymers.com/item/leukochek-test-kits/leukochek-test-kit/bmp-lukchk-50

Procedure
Whole blood (20 µL) is added to the BMP LeukoChek reservoir from
either a finger stick and/or from a well mixed anticoagulated tube of
whole blood.The capillary tube provided by BMP fills via capillary
action to exactly 20 µL of whole blood.Each reservoir contains 1.98 mL
of a 1% buffered ammonium oxalate solution.This provides for a ratio of
1 to 100, sample to total volume.
1. Puncture the cap diaphragm with the protective shield on the
pipette assembly.
2. Remove the shield and fill the tube with whole blood from either a
finger stick and/or from a tube of whole blood.Be sure that the capillary
tube fills completely.When the blood reaches the end of the capillary
tube it will stop automatically, filling the tube with 20 µL of whole blood.
Gently wipe excess blood from the outside of the capillary tube.
3. Squeeze reservoir slightly to expel a volume of air. Maintain pressure
on the reservoir while inserting the pipette with whole blood into the
reservoir.Be sure to simultaneously cover the top opening of the
capillary tube holder.
4. Release pressure from the reservoir and then from the capillary tube
opening.This will cause the whole blood to be drawn into the diluent.
5. Gently squeeze the reservoir to rinse the capillary tube taking care not
to expel any mixture of diluent and whole blood through the top of the
opening of the inserted capillary tube holder.Place finger over the top
of the opening of the capillary tube holder and gently invert the
reservoir several times to ensure proper mixing.
6. Wait 10 minutes before attempting to count leukocytes and platelets.
7. Remove pipette assembly, invert and seat the assembly in a reverse
position into the top of the cap.This changes the pipette assembly from
a collection device to a dropper.
8. Discard the first 3 or 4 drops and then expel the reservoir solution into
a hemocytometer with a Neubauer grid for the counting of leukocytes
and platelets.
9. A leukocyte count is performed under 100x total magnification.
Leukocytes are counted in all nine large squares of the counting
chamber.Add 10% to the total number of cells counted and then multiply
this value by 100 to get the total leukocyte count.Please follow your current
calculation method.
• For example, if 60 cells are counted the total count would be 60 + 6 x 100
which would represent a total count of 6,600 leukocytes per cubic mm.
10. A platelet count is performed under 400x total magnification; platelets are
counted in all 25 squares in the large centerpiece. Multiply platelets by
1000 to get a total platelet count.Perform all counts within three hours.

Ash:

So what if it were the weekend and you got a count of 9. Would you then go to the ER since the doctor wouldn't be available? ER's usually aren't very good at managing ITP.

I worked with counts in single digits too. I had CBC's on my lunch hour and just went back to work afterwards. It's best to just go on with life if possible...keeps your mind off of things.

Very true Sandi, ER is no help and most of the doctors have more question about ITP than knowledge about it.

I worked with counts in single digits too. I had CBC's on my lunch hour and just went back to work afterwards. It's best to just go on with life if possible...keeps your mind off of things.

Yep...what Sandi said.

I used to wait around the lab for the results. But since a single digit count doesn't stop the world and I don't rush off to the hospital for the same treatment I can do at home, testing eventually ceased to be the big deal it once was. I stop by the lab on my way home from work every couple of months right now....that seems to work out just fine.
Back when I was on Promacta, I only needed to be checked twice a year (once the dosage was stabilized).

.

It's funny but in London I learned to live with it to a certain anxiety. They tend not to keep you in. The doctor in London was so calm about everything and he was a specialist. But in ireland if I was at say 20k they would keep me in hosp. Now it may have changed in the past few years, but weird how different countries are more concerned and others are less. I guess it's probably better not to always know otherwise you could become obsessed with it and anyway it looks like it's quite complicated. Thanks for all the info.

I agree that a person could become obsessed with it. It's best to try to forget about it in between appointments. If a doctor is monitoring you, that's all you need.

It is odd that different countries do different things. I can see why you'd feel confused by it.