What are your thoughts on Petehije?

I’ve noticed these tiny, tiny spots all over my skin—almost like pinpricks if you look closely—specifically on my torso and arms. I’m fairly certain they are petechiae; they're a dark red color, and some of them seem to "fade" slightly if I run a fingernail over them, though they always pop right back up again.

So... I’ve done a little reading up on them, but I’m honestly stuck on whether this is actually worth worrying about—or more importantly, whether I should even bother bringing it up during my appointment with my internist?

On a side note... for the last few months, I’ve been dealing with a "geographic tongue," and I recently developed some dermatitis near my collarbone—just a small patch, red and dry, but it simply won't clear up, and I really don't think it's fungal. To top it all off, my hives are acting up again after a several-month hiatus. It doesn't feel like an allergy; if it is, then it's to something that absolutely no one else on earth is allergic to—it's almost as if I'm just reacting to myself.🤣 ☕.

Am I stressed? Yes, certainly, but it's just my baseline—nothing out of the ordinary for me.

(And just as a quick heads-up: my current working diagnosis is suspected Tulsa syndrome.)

Thanks so much!

I mean, petechiae could definitely be part of what’s going on with Tulsa, right? You really ought to give an actual internist a heads-up. Petechiae usually point toward some kind of blood clotting issue—and honestly, you don't mess around with that kind of stuff, do you?

Petechiae can be serious. Usually, they’re a red flag for low platelet counts. You can tell them apart from regular rashes because they don't fade when you press on them; they just stay there. I dealt with this myself—my platelets tanked, and honestly, I barely made it out okay because my GP and the ER staff didn't know what they were looking at. If you think you're seeing petechiae, don't wait. Get to an internist or a hematologist immediately. Good luck.

Make sure you report any petechiae to your doctors, along with any other changes you notice!
As Sam Scott4 mentioned, these things usually point to low platelet counts. I’m speaking from experience here—I spent two months stuck in a hospital bed because of this until they finally had to take my spleen. That's usually the last resort when standard steroid treatments just don't cut it.
I honestly don't know enough about suspected Cushing's syndrome to weigh in, so I won't pretend to be an expert, but if anyone wants to talk shop about thrombocytopenia, I'm here! 🙂

You definitely need to report this to a doctor. It could be a symptom of many different conditions, or it might not be anything serious at all, but you won't know for sure until you get checked out. If a diagnosis of Cushing's is confirmed, managing any potential autoimmune process that leads to thrombocytopenia can be complicated, but try not to worry too much too soon...
Essentially, you'll need to see an internist, an endocrinologist, and a hematologist. They will likely want to run a complete blood count, a differential, basic biochemistry, and electrolyte levels. They may also suggest a bone marrow biopsy, but your hematologist will determine the exact course of action for you.

1. Just go see a doctor and let them tell you what's actually going on...

2. It doesn't even have to be petechiae; I've had these tiny, barely visible red specks all over my arms, especially near my shoulders, my entire life. I don't have any underlying health issues, and my blood work has always been pretty solid, so they aren't petechiae in my case. You might just have the same thing, or maybe you really do have petechiae, which brings us back to point number one 😉

coppergardener, did you make it to your appointment? I’ve started noticing red spots all over my body too—about 30 of them, mostly on my arms and chest. I didn't think much of it at first, but once Google started serving up empty articles linking petechiae to leukemia, I panicked and rushed straight to get blood work done. My CBC came back normal. I assume that rules out leukemia. What do you all think? If the blood work looks fine, is there any need for further testing?

rustypanther80 said:coppergardener, did you make it to your appointment? I’ve started noticing red spots all over my body too—about 30 of them, mostly on my arms and chest. I didn't think much of it at first, but once Google started serving up empty articles linking petechiae to leukemia, I panicked and rushed straight to get blood work done. My CBC came back normal. I assume that rules out leukemia. What do you all think? If the blood work looks fine, is there any need for further testing?

Honestly, I think they should go for a bone marrow biopsy just to be sure. A standard blood panel isn't always enough to see the full picture.

You’re really surprising me here! 👎
Everywhere I've looked, the consensus seems to be that bone marrow analysis is only performed if the blood work comes back suspicious.

Maybe I didn't phrase that quite right; I’m not saying he needs to go in for a bone marrow biopsy!
What I meant was there's no reason to panic if the blood work looks clean, but you can't see the whole picture from those results alone. 👍

I see people are already finding ways to misinterpret what I wrote. Well, whatever. If they want to take it the wrong way, let them. 🙂

Hey, can someone please help me make sense of this? After years of combat, getting wounded (picked up Hep C from a blood transfusion), and dealing with some serious frostbite... over the last two or three years, I've started noticing these tiny broken capillaries—which is wild because I'm only 34. My circulation in my legs feels totally shot due to vascular issues, and now those spider veins are popping up everywhere. On top of that, my legs have turned almost black down to my ankles, probably from the poor blood flow. Can anyone explain what might be going on here and what steps I should take? I've tried hitting the local spas a few times, but nothing seems to work... thanks.

Hey there, thanks for all the replies! Sorry I haven't gotten back to you sooner—I’ve actually been stuck at the Mayo Clinic in the endocrinology department for the last fifteen days.

My blood work looks fine overall. Platelets? Good. The only thing is my potassium is running a bit low (and sodium is slightly low here and there too), my creatinine is off by just a few units, and then there are those tiny little things that don't deviate much from the standard reference ranges—plus a bit of acetone in my urine (likely just from fasting while in the hospital), but nothing major. Regarding those little red spots, the doctor taking my history mentioned they probably aren't anything significant and didn't think they were petechiae; however, she was some sort of mediocre resident—honestly, I suspect she didn't even record them properly, so it likely never even reached my primary specialist. And goodness, if you keep asking about every little detail, people might think you're looking for pathology in everything! It's not that I'm worried about how they look aesthetically—they are barely even visible—but it felt strange because I've never had them before, so I thought I should mention them just in case.

Hehe, no, if I actually had leukemia, it would definitely show up in the lab results, especially since they drew enough blood and urine to fill a bucket. No need to panic.

I still don't know what on earth is going on. For the hypercortisolism, they suggested it's likely stress-induced, but I haven't received the results from the VMA test, the dexamethasone suppression test, or the follow-up cortisol and ACTH levels yet. I'm still waiting on those along with my discharge papers. I'll also probably have to undergo a duodenal biopsy to rule out malabsorption. Stress definitely plays a massive role, though I wouldn't go so far as to say all my symptoms are purely psychosomatic. We shall see; my doctor recommended that I focus on learning and walking for the next six months.☕ 🙄 So, we will cross paths again (maybe I'll have myself sorted out by retirement!), and in the meantime, I'll be monitoring my cortisol and getting my intestines checked out.

(It is just wonderful when they discharge you after two-minute consultations in a hallway without even handing you your paperwork!🤣 )

Sam Hall15 said:You definitely need to report this to a doctor. It could be a symptom of many different conditions, or it might not be anything serious at all, but you won't know for sure until you get checked out. If a diagnosis of Cushing's is confirmed, managing any potential autoimmune process that leads to thrombocytopenia can be complicated, but try not to worry too much too soon...
Essentially, you'll need to see an internist, an endocrinologist, and a hematologist. They will likely want to run a complete blood count, a differential, basic biochemistry, and electrolyte levels. They may also suggest a bone marrow biopsy, but your hematologist will determine the exact course of action for you.

So, here is the situation: my little girl is not even a year old yet, and she's developing these red spots—petechiae, I think? I'm really not sure what they are. They pop up and then vanish after an hour or two. Should I be worried? We spoke to her pediatrician, and she told us to bring her in so a specialist could take a look, but by the time we get ready and actually make it to the office, the spots have already disappeared. What could this be?
Thank you.

coppergardener said:I’ve noticed these tiny, tiny spots all over my skin—almost like pinpricks if you look closely—specifically on my torso and arms. I’m fairly certain they are petechiae; they're a dark red color, and some of them seem to "fade" slightly if I run a fingernail over them, though they always pop right back up again.

So... I’ve done a little reading up on them, but I’m honestly stuck on whether this is actually worth worrying about—or more importantly, whether I should even bother bringing it up during my appointment with my internist?

On a side note... for the last few months, I’ve been dealing with a "geographic tongue," and I recently developed some dermatitis near my collarbone—just a small patch, red and dry, but it simply won't clear up, and I really don't think it's fungal. To top it all off, my hives are acting up again after a several-month hiatus. It doesn't feel like an allergy; if it is, then it's to something that absolutely no one else on earth is allergic to—it's almost as if I'm just reacting to myself.🤣 ☕.

Am I stressed? Yes, certainly, but it's just my baseline—nothing out of the ordinary for me.

(And just as a quick heads-up: my current working diagnosis is suspected Tulsa syndrome.)

Thanks so much!

Could those red spots be angiomas—specifically hemangiomas? They occasionally tend to flare up during hormone therapy.
There is a woman prone to hemangiomas. Look into that as well.

ruggedotter9 said:So, here is the situation: my little girl is not even a year old yet, and she's developing these red spots—petechiae, I think? I'm really not sure what they are. They pop up and then vanish after an hour or two. Should I be worried? We spoke to her pediatrician, and she told us to bring her in so a specialist could take a look, but by the time we get ready and actually make it to the office, the spots have already disappeared. What could this be?
Thank you.

Those aren't petechiae if they disappear within an hour or two. Petechiae are those tiny, pinpoint bruises, and
over a few days, they change color just like a regular bruise would. If you press a glass against them, they don't
fade away; they stay visible. With a normal rash, the redness disappears when you press on it with your finger or look through a glass
and then it comes right back.