Platelet transfusion

[Carol Ward]

Has anyone had a platelet transfusion that didn’t work or raise your platelets. I need to
Raise my platelets for surgery.

[Jean Ira]

Carol, My husband needed matched platelets when he didn’t respond to general platelet transfusions. I hope your surgery goes well.

[Bonnie Shaffer]

Hi Carol,
I had a failed platelet transfusion while I was being prepared for a preventative double mastectomy due to having the BRCA1 gene.

All hell broke loose about 9 minutes into the transfusion. My blood pressure went from 144/75 to 60/30 in minutes. I threw up, had a bowel movement, my temperature spiked and I itched all over. The surgery was cancelled due to the severe allergic reaction.

The Doctor mentioned that she had given my B+ platelets (I’m O negative) and that some red blood cells might have gotten into the platelets.

I did some research and found that up to 30% of people have a reaction to a platelet transfusion.

I would urge your Dr. to match the platelets to your blood type, even though normally platelets do not need to match your blood type.

Best of luck to you and I hope everything goes well!

[Carol Ward]

Thank you. I will check into that. Did you ever get your surgery.

[Carol Ward]

I wonder why they don’t try to match your platelets properly the first time. I
Waited so long to get the bag of platelets in the hospital 6 hrs and then they didn’t raise up my platelets. I was on rounds if IV antibiotics from sn abscess on my colon and I think the antibiotics lowered my platelets from 40 to 2o.

[Bonnie Shaffer]

Hi Carol,

I did not get my surgery. They offered to try again with better matched platelets, but I declined.

They did not really know what caused the reaction and I didn’t want to go through that again.

I am doing contrast breast MRIs every 6 months.

So sorry you are dealing with this.

Sending good thoughts.

[Carol Ward]

I am sorry to hear that.

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