Hematologist Visit
Well I spent a couple hours at the St. Joeseph-Mercy Woodland Clinic today seeing the Hematologist, Dr. Winegarden. He said I am responding well to the prednisone and in about a week they will begin weaning me to lower doses over the next couple months and see how I respond. Woo hoo!
I have the results from all my blood tests taken last week; the 3 platelets counts are recorded in previous posts & on those 3 complete blood counts (CBC) my red and white blood cells counts were normal. The rest of my results are below.
The routine blood test from Tuesday April the 18th:
My total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL and HDL are all good. My fasting blood sugar is also good. 
My TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) is slightly low; it should not be below 0.3 it was at 0.27. So I need to have my thyroid medication adjusted slightly.
The Hospital tests from Wednesday April 19th:
The Basic Metabolic Panel (BMP) – Normal. 
BMP is a group of 8 specific tests that are often ordered in the hospital emergency room setting because its components give doctors important information about the current status of your kidneys, electrolyte and acid/base balance, blood sugar, and calcium levels.
Liver profile – Normal
A liver profile is a group of blood tests that tell how well your liver is working. There are many different laboratory tests in a liver profile. A common list of tests includes liver enzymes (n-zimes. Other tests may look for substances that have been made or changed by the liver such as proteins or bilirubin (bill-e-rew-bin). Bilirubin is a reddish-yellow material that comes from the normal or abnormal destruction of red blood cells.
Urinalysis- Normal
Urinalysis is a physical and/or chemical examination of the urine. It consist of a battery of chemical and microscopic tests to screen for urinary tract infections, renal (kidney) disease, and diseases of other organs that result in the appearance of abnormal metabolites (break-down products) in the urine.
Lupus Anticoagulent- Postitive(bad) 
Lupus anticoagulant is a specific immunoglobulin that prolongs the time it takes blood to clot but does not produce a bleeding disorder. It occurs in approximately 25% of people who have lupus erythematosus, and is also seen in people who take phenothiazine medication, as well as in otherwise normal people. In some people it is associated with an increased risk of blood clots and may be the cause of recurrent spontaneous abortions. If a secondary disorder such as thrombocytopenia is present, bleeding will probably occur.
Prothrombin time/ Partial Thromboplastin Time (PT/PTT) – prolonged/elevated(bad) PT/PTT tests bloods coagulation system and clotting mechanism.
Dr.Winegarden says the last 2 test may be a sign of a different more rare blood disorder. As a result more blood was taken from me today for even more tests. I have to go back every week and have a CBC blood test for an undefined but prolonged period of time to keep an eye on my platelets and in 2 weeks I have an appointment to see Dr. Winegarden again to discuss the recent blood tests and what my long term treatment options may be.
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