Platelets Have Risen on Their Own - Day 14 of Doxycycline Treatment

Well, I'll be.

Today is a happy day for our family.  For the second time in history since 2003, her platelets have risen, this time not coincidentally.

The first time occurred in 2004 after a weekly acupuncture visit.  We were so hopeful at that time that the acupuncture would resolve her low platelets.  It never did, and after valiant efforts made for a full six months, we discontinued those treatments.

Today is Day 14 of the Doxycycline treatment for the Rocky Spotted mountain fever and Murine typhus caused by Rickettsiae agents.  It is not an easy treatment to withstand:  yesterday she became extremely nauseous after taking her morning dose (on an empty stomach, as prescribed) and was released from school at 8AM because of vomiting.

Today is Day 14 from the last platelet count:

April 1:    125,000
April 15:  174,000

I am convinced to the core this is not a coincidence.  I believe her low platelets have been caused by both Babesiosis and either/or both Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Murine typhus.

After she was treated in 2008 for Babesiosis, all symptoms eradicated but her platelets hovered around the low end of normal:  150,000.  They remained normal but never returned to pre-2003 levels of 350,000 because we were unaware of the Rickettsiae exposure at that time, no one thought to run the tests for diseases caused by those bacteria, and she was only treated for the Babesiosis.  The Zithromycin and Biaxin, the antibiotics used to treat the Babesiosis, must have killed off some, but not all, of the Rickettsiae bacteria.

We see Dr. Bock again on April 26.  Let's see what her platelet counts are then.  I'm betting they will be higher than 174,000.

:)