Clotting screening test above range

[Worriedmum40]

Hi I just wondered if anyone could give any advise. My child (12) had bloods for some unexplained bruising. Every test you could think of was completed and all were normal apart from one stage prothrombin time (blood clotting screening test). It has come back above range at 14.7. This is only slightly above normal range as the limits are 9.7 to 13.7. I’m an incredibly anxious person and am now terrified something is seriously wrong. All I can find online are terrifying reasons why it could be high. Has anyone got any experience or any advise. I don’t want to call the doctors because they already get fed up of me. I just worry so much when it’s children. The test is being repeated in 3 weeks and was very dehydrated when the first test happened if that makes a difference. They also received a vaccine at school the same day so I didn’t know if that affects the results. I panic everything could be cancer and to be honest I’m totally drained from being worried all the time. Any help would be much appreciated l. Thanks.

There are 5 or 6 blood-clotting disorders, and a few are considered somewhat common. Some require a daily dose of aspirin, but obviously with a child and the risk or Reye's Syndrome that would not be an option. Some have other medications you can take. I would get the genetic test to rule these out. Try to be calm and recognize that sometimes people do not even find out they have these blood clotting disorders until their twenties. For example, some women find out because they have repeating miscarriages, and that is the culprit.

Thank you for the reply.

Bump. Anyone else got any info about blood clotting screening. It looks like the INR and PT are within normal range. It’s just the One stage prothrombin time that is slightly raised.

any help, I’m so worried!

thanks.

If it's just one test and only slightly out of range then it's hopefully nothing too dramatic. Can you do an online consultation with the GP so you get a brief note back explaining what it means?
If they're repeating it anyway then that will give them more info.

Even if there is a bit of a clotting disorder hopefully tablets will help & life will go on entirely normally.

CBT can be helpful to address anxiety and I recommend Mind Over Mood, which is a book I found really helpful.

I had the same and test was repeated about a month later. It was within range at that point. Wait for second result for more clarity.

Thank you all for replying. My child had the test repeated yesterday and it’s come back above normal again. This time it was 14.5. Slightly lower than last time but still above range. They have to have the test repeated again in 2 months. The doctor has said they aren’t worried but haven’t really given me any information about anything so my mind is going wild with what could be wrong. The PT time was slightly higher this time at 34 s compared to last times 31 s. I don’t know if that is a bad thing? I basically don’t know what to think and just getting myself into a panic. It’s horrible when it’s your children, I can’t think rationally. Anyone got any ideas or been through anything similar? Any advise?

thanks!

Also I am seeking treatment for my anxiety, it’s just really difficult when it comes to your children. Thanks.

Have they done genetic testing to see if your child has a clotting disorder? When the doctor said he/she was not worried, did you push on that asking for an explanation "why" they were not worried? I know that sometimes physicians can be intimidating, but it is their job to fully explain things to you, and any that act annoyed or treat you poorly, are doing their job very badly.

If it goes against your personality type to be direct or you are too anxiety-ridden in the moment to think of follow-up questions, bring someone with you that can. If it were my child, I would call the office and ask to speak to the nurse, and ask if you can email her a series of questions to have answered by the doctor. They might not allow this via email, and then you will just be forced to say them or drop off a hard copy. I would ask things like:

1. Given this is the second test showing elevated readings, why are you not, in your words, concerned? Can you give me specific reasons why this is not an issue for you?
2. Can you list the possible reasons for these elevated results?
3. I feel like we need to get to the root cause of this and I would like insurance to cover genetic testing for blood-clotting disorders. Can you make that happen?