Petechiae/pin prick red dots

[lilypippin]

Evening everyone,
I posted earlier today saying I'm scared stiff about the pin prick red dot rash I've developed in the last week or so. To me it seems very obvious that it's petechiae, and iof you google it (don't, it's scary!) it says it's basically caused by low platelet levels from things like leukaemia, cirrhosis, lupus (already been tested for that one), aplastic anaemia etc. Basically pretty awful stuff, most of which is fatal. So I'm in a right state and cannot even think straight.
My pin prick red dots seemed to appear overnight last Thur, started on my upper arms and I now also have them on my lower arms, thighs and torso (one on my shin too). I have literally hundreds and more and more keep appearing. The doc said he thought it was a viral rash (have had sore throat on and off for a month) but gave me a form to get a full blood count (because of the rash but also the repeated sore throat and accompanying swollen nodes). Got my blood taken at 4pm...if it was leukaemia or something equally as bad, would they ring me tonight and get me back in? The nurse who took the blood said the results would be on the computer at the hosp and surgery by tonight so that must mean it will be tested today?

Can anyone reassure me either about the dots, or about how quickly they would get me in if it was a life threatening disease? Please, I'm going crazy here with worry.

[Anonybrit]

Even if what you have is a petechial rash caused by thrombocytopenia (low platelet count), there are absolutely loads of causes of thrombocytopenia and actually, the vast majority of them aren't fatal.

Even the rare, serious one's that you almost certainly don't have (and come with other symptoms) like leukaemia - leukaemia is one of the most treatable forms of cancer.

Of all the symptoms that should provoke anxiety, a petechial rash comes very low down on the list! Don't worry yourself, wait for the bloods and you should be fine!

[Lissy43]

I get these alot, I don't know why but I do. Mainly on my abodmen, tops of my arms and thighs.

I have never seen my dr about them, think I once was told they can be called 'devils pinch'. I scratch alot on my legs so I think that doesn't help my skin;-)

[lilypippin]

Thanks both of you. I spent months recently trying to examine the fingernails of anyone I met, because I had convinced myself I had clubbed fingernails - and therefore a lung/heart complaint - and now I'm trying to check the skin of people I meet, to see if they have red dots too. How crazy is that!!

[Rachel W]

I have a few and was also worried, but then I asked my Mum about them and she also gets them (she is now in her 70s and they have never caused her any harm). If your Dr. was worried then he would have seemed more concerned I am sure. I will be thinking of you. Please let us know how you get on.

[lilypippin]

Now I'm getting really scared. More and more of these are appearing on my arms, thighs and abdomen and I've also been very itchy for the last few days (it's not the dots itching, am just generally itchy everywhere, including places I don't have the red dots). So perhaps this is cirrhosis then, it would all fit.
I'm trying to look after my 3month old and 2 year old and all I can think about is how I've got a fatal illness (either leukaemia, or more likely, cirrhosis) and that I'll never see them grow up. I'm checking these dots every 10 mins or so and more and more keep appearing.
I had a full blood count done at 4pm Wed and my rational head says if the white cell count was high enough to suggest leukaemia, then the hospital would have rung by now, but they didn't do liver function tests, so it could easily be cirrhosis and the hospital wouldn't even know.
Please, please anyone who has these pin prick dots (they're quite hard to see, you do have to look hard) can you tell me your experiences? Everything I read about petechiae is scaring me beyond belief.

x

[B-gal]

Hey there, I can totally relate to the problem your having because I got diagnosed with them a few months back. Like you I was really worried about the range of illnesses that accompany them. The doc did all the blood tests on me and nothing came back wrong. Everything was completely clear. One time I did freak out at the start because they were quite bad all of a sudden and I panicked about meningitis and rang NHS direct. Obv it wasnt meningitis. The woman told me it sounded like it was a virus because sometimes they appear when a virus is trying to leave your body. I came on here when I had this problem and various people had been tested and everything sinister was clear. Please try not worry, sometimes they just appear for no reason at all. I still get them now if I scratch my skin.

xx

[lilypippin]

Hi B-Gal,
Thanks for your reply.
My full blood count came back normal. Hb was 13 (normal 12-16), white cell 8.7 (normal 4-10.8) and the important one for petechiae, platelets was 427,000 (if anything that was a little high as normal is 150,000 to 400,000/450,000 depending on which site you loook on). So I'm convinced it's not leukaemia, and thrombocytopenia, which is behind most causes of petechiae, means low platelets, so it's not that, but if it was liver disease causing petechiae, then is that due to low platelets as well? Sure I read somewhere that people who have petechiae due to liver disease have low platelets?
Anyhow, had hundreds more appearing these last few days, so going to go back to the doc.
I keep hoping it's petechiae caused by a virus...I had throat infection after throat infection for a few weeks from 14th Feb to 10th March and HUGE glands, so maybe could be glandular fever? My question is though, if the red dots/petechaie were caused by a virus, I've been better for a couple of weeks now so why are the red dots still appearing, and more and more of them?
Sorry for rambling.

x

[london]

stay off google your be better in no time