[CatherineJ]

Hi David,

I can understand how stressful the thought of being referred to a hematologist and needing a BMB can be.

I would first ask your doctor what your B12 levels are, low B12 levels can cause low platelets. I think Lupus can also cause low platelets. So you may want to ask about that in addition.

Secondly, ask your doctor to do a viral screen and a blood smear. A blood smear is basically as it sounds, a smear of blood on a slide that a pathologist looks at to see if there are abnormalities. Sometimes certain viruses can cause low blood count.

You can also ask your doctor to consult with other specialists in determining whether you need to be referred to a hematologist if you are particularly concerned about health care costs.

MDS is a diagnosis of exclusion, that is hematologists will usually exclude other possibilities before concluding MDS as the diagnosis, so you want to make sure that your GP is covering the basic grounds for exclusion. As with the other possibilities, I'd hold off on jumping to conclusions yet and worrying too much.

I hope this helps, stay positive.

Best wishes.