my sister is anemic and now the doc is saying she has low platelets.the doc told her that it means her blood wont clot as well but is it a sign of anything else? they want her to have an ultrasound on her spleen. i am worried that it might be a sign of some kind of cancer. any information to calm my nerves would be greatly appriciated!!

The Dr. IS right...platelet activity is essential to blood clotting. Counts of 150,000 to 400,000 are considered normal. A big fancy term for anything less than 100,000 is thrombocytopenia, and spontaneous hemorrhage can occur with this. Some causes of thrombocytopenia include:

-reduced production of platelets (secondary to bone marrow failure or inflitration of fibrosis, tumor, etc.)

-hyperslenism (overaction of the spleen)

-platelet loss from hemorrhage

Please don't get over-scared from all this. I promise your Dr, will tell you if you are at risk for any of this or if he/she finds these things. But NEVER be afraid to ask if you are needing more information about them. Such as the spleen you mentioned...ask QUESTIONS. But don't always jump to the conclusion that something is cancer just because there is illness involved. It may be a simple infection or something else that can be fixed with tests and medication or a simple surgery. If the problem here is indeed the spleen, one can live fairly easily without the spleen if it has to go to the point of being removed. Minor lifestyle modifications will need to be made, but a normal lifestyle can be carried out otherwise. It may, on the other hand, be able to be corrected with medications alone.

Good luck with everything....