Jacki,

I personally have not experienced this but since DX, I have not been sick. I do know of several here who have shared their experience with this, that resolved when the infection did. I am sure they will post soon. With platelets in the low normal range, I would not stress about the petechiae either. I bruise constantly, even from my weekly Swedish message. My platelets are at their highest 125. My med team says it is normal.

I am praying for your dear little Julian right now and am convinced he will recover and continue with good health.

Blessings,

Julie

You did the right thing in contacting his oncologist -- they want to know whenever there are dramatic changes. Sometimes their delay indicates that they do not think it is serious. Other times they just forget to get back to you (something that should be impossible, but it does happen). If you do not hear from them shortly (I would say by noon tomorrow), give them another call and explain things again.

My feeling is that as long as he does not have a fever then it might be just a matter of time to ride out the Fifths. If he does start to have a significant fever then I would definitely get him back into the hospital where they can keep an eye on his situation.

Hope this helps -- dave

Jacki,
I'm sorry to hear Julian's got 5ths. It is a virus that is known to drop blood counts, especially with blood disorder patients/Heme patients, it can really knock down whites and even reds/plates. It's a bone marrow suppressing virus unfortunately.
Getting the Onc's on board is key though, I'm glad you notified them. They should be involved and aware of all serious illnesses while he's still recovering from chemo.
Prayers for you guys
Xoxo
Lea

Jacki,

I agree with Lea. Parvovirus B19, the cause of Fifth Disease is a virus that has definitely been linked to transient hematological abnormalities. While the red cell line is often affected, any of the neutrophil, platelet, and red cell precursors can suffer, because they are all derived from the same stem cell. The facial rash is typical of Fifth Disease and in association with a normal platelet count could not petehechial.

Try to relax. If your son has documented Parvo B19, he will recover completely.

Cliff

Thank you all for your replies. His oncologist said she is not concerned about his blood counts at this point. She is concerned about him having parvovirus (which should be confirmed today or tomorrow) because it can suppress the bone marrow, and his is still recovering. At this point, the plan is to recheck CBC at his next follow up in 2 weeks, unless there are some other concerning symptoms before then.

Can anybody clear up the difference between petechiae and a rash that is the same thing without low platelets? The "petechiae on Julian are spreading rapidly. Every time I look at him, I find another patch of them. They are the exact same rash he had at diagnosis, only they have had only three days of spreading instead of a couple of weeks. I thought I would feel better if his Parvovirus test was positive, but now I am just feeling terrified!

There are different, but I had a combination of both when I was going thru chemo and they were all over my body. It is important to distinguish between them in that rashes can be treated with various creams but the petechiae are under the skin and as far as I know they just go away when the blood numbers come back up. While this does look scary, please do not panic. Be sure to get a diagnosis to see what it is for sure and then if it is a rash try out the cream they give you on a small patch of skin overnight in case he is allergic to it. That is what I did and the next day the rash was gone where I put the cream med but nowhere else. So then I applied it in general and the rash was gone in a few days. The petechiae will disappear once his blood numbers come up if that is what the issue is. It is nasty to look at and if a rash it can itch, but it should not be to serious. If it keeps getting worse perhaps a dermatologist would be in order. Thanks -- dave

Jacki
I'm sorry you are so worried, I can't even imagine being In your shoes, My best answer is that his platelets are 177, that's normal, and doesn't warrant "petechiae" Tony never had any petechiae until his platelets were below 10. If I'm not mistaken Fifths disease presents w a very bad and quickly spreading rash.
I know nothing anyone says can fully take your worry away, I absolutely know that feeling, I will be thinking of you and praying for you and Julian!!
Xo

I was told it would take a day or two to get the parvovirus titer results, but as of yesterday, I was told that it will be Wednesday before they are in. Apparently, the test is only run on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and his would not have arrived at the lab until Thursday afternoon. I feel pretty confident that he has it. While he rarely has the red "lacy" rash, it does appear when he is warm, like when we play outside. The petechiae-looking rash has not spread anymore, and it is starting to fade in some places. He had a bunch of little boy bruises on his legs that are healing nicely. That is reassuring, but his counts are not, nor are the recent complaints of foot pain, arm pain and knee pain. These have been transient and usually one-sided, but I still worry when he has aches and pains. Does anybody have any idea about how long a virus like this could suppress his bone marrow? His next blood draw is scheduled for August 6th at this point.