Platelets playing up

Me, today

A few posts back I mentioned my son's pneumothorax. So I suppose an update - though off topic - is warranted: Two weeks after surgery to remove part of the affected lung, he seems, thank heavens, to have turned the recovery corner.

That frees me to agonize to my heart's content over C. Her persistent hunger strike along with the daily seizures have been debilitating me.

As if they weren't enough, yesterday's blood test results included a low platelet count. Always on the low end, and often below normal, it is now significantly so. We did the tests in advance of next week's neurologist's visit. Somehow - I have no clue why - we neglected to do these tests since September 2014. And that's despite a visit to the neurologist in January 2015.

So what could be underlying that platelet drop? Dr. Google didn't have much good news for me. One of the, mostly dire, possible causes of low platelets (officially thrombocytopenia) is anti-convulsants. But why would C.'s meds suddenly have such a negative impact? Especially since we're weaning her off the benzo? Is her hunger strike related? What about the cannabis?

I'm still hoping the neurologist will just brush it off the way she has C.'s past abnormal blood readings: Lymphocytes, MCH, MCV - slightly too high; RBC and neutrophils - too low.

Yesterday's platelet reading was 112 K/UL. The normal range is 150-400.