Doctors First

Practicing since 2008


  • Takes Time to Listen: 98%
  • Communicates Well: 98%
  • Recommendable: 96%
  • Average Wait Time: 10 minutes

  • Takes Time to Listen: 98%
  • Communicates Well: 98%
  • Recommendable: 96%
  • Average Wait Time: 10 minutes

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Doctors First Office Information

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Doctors First is a primary care practice providing full-service medical care by appointments only. Choosing Primary Care Doctor is one of the most important decisions you take for your overall health. With our locations in Gaithersburg and Germantown, MD, we are just around the corner when you need us. Same day appointments are mostly available for things that cant wait. We have lab on-site so you don’t have to run around different places to get your blood drawn .We use State of art Medical Record system-Athenahealth, which allows you to check-in to your visit from home, check your labs and appointments,request refills as well as send secure message to our staff on your mobile device or PC-Mac. We accept almost all insurances as well as self insured/self pay. We pride ourselves on being trustworthy ,thorough and caring . We believe, as our patients, you deserve only the best.

Hello,
hello platelet count could be due to several factors, in your case specifically most likely from the lupus flare-up Vs ongoing use of colchicine which can cause bone marrow suppression. Your inflammation markers like C-reactive protein were quite high. As for as dropping hematocrit, it could be from hemolysis( breakdown of red blood cells) again from directly lupus Vs being trapped in the spleen. You might have received a significant amount of intravenous fluids which could dilute the blood and temporarily appear as low hemoglobin/hematocrit. the bands( immature neutrophil) were elevated in the last set of labs, which I cannot ascertain the specific date from the picture. that was suggestive of ongoing infection or inflammation . again apologize I cannot read the date on the last set of labs. It might be beneficial to get recent labs and see where you stand with your hemoglobin as well as platelet counts. The list of medications, health conditions that can cause low platelets is quite extensive. However, looking at the list of medication that you are on right now, colchicine and Plaquenil are at the top of the list . I suggest continuing followup with the rheumatologist and getting the blood retested. they might consider changing the medications.
Sincerely,

Rakesh Malik