Avoid medications, such as aspirin, and herbal supplements, such as fish oil, vitamin E, and Ginko) that may thin the blood or contribute to bleeding.

Avoid alcoholic beverages.

Use a very soft toothbrush when cleaning teeth; and avoid brushing vigorously.

When cleaning your nose avoid blowing your nose, or blow very gently into a soft tissue.

Try to avoid injury when using tools, scissors, needles, knives, or when shaving.

When shaving use an electric shaver instead of a razor. Add corn starch to skin before shaving with it.

Take extra care when preparing foods or using appliances that can burn. 

Avoid or curtail activities that might result in injury, including sexual activity.

Radiation therapy or chemotherapy destroys megakaryocytic, the precursor cells that produce platelets in the bone marrow.  Topic search: Medscape 
 
See also MDS

Genetic abnormalities, may impair production of normal platelets. 

A cancer, such as lymphoma, in the bone marrow can inhibit production of platelets.

Aplastic anemia can impair platelet production. 

Certain drugs, especially thiazide diuretics or alcohol, depresses production of precursor cells that produce platelets in the bone marrow. 

Short-term low platelets is also associated with some viral infection.

Autoimmune disease called Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) can cause the body to destroy platelets. Other autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), polyarteritis and dermatomyositis, can cause thrombocytopenia. 

In individuals with AIDS, thrombocytopenia commonly appears before other symptoms. 

Drug-induced thrombocytopenia can be caused by any medication commercially available, but somewhat frequently by valproic acid (Depakote), gold salts, heparin (Calciparine, Liquaemin) and several other medications.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) — a rare disease that causes low platelets, in addition to a variety of other symptoms and complications.   See itppeople.com | acor.org  

"Individuals with liver disease develop a large spleen. As this process occurs platelets are trapped with in the sinusoids (small pathways within the spleen) of the spleen. While the trapping of platelets is a normal function for the spleen, in liver disease it becomes exaggerated because of the enlarged spleen (splenomegaly). Subsequently, the platelet count may become diminished."  - http://www.gastromd.com/lft.html 

Abnormalities in the spleen, such as cancer, cirrhosis, or Gaucher's disease, may cause abnormal amounts of platelets to be taken up by the spleen, which under normal conditions contains about one-third of the platelets in the body.  

About thrombocytopenia intelihealth.com 

About platelet transfusions cancerbackup.org.uk 

Managing Low Platelets lrcc.on.ca
Excellent guidelines provided here.

Platelet Transfusion for Patients With Cancer - ASCO.org

Biologics |  IL-11 (oprelvekin) Neumega^® 

CBC - Complete Blood Count

Chemotherapy treatment support 

Avoiding Trouble - general | Avoiding Infections Page |  Diet for Immune suppressed Page | Fight nausea |  Fight Constipation | Oral Health | When to call your doctor

Platelets: Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura - Comprehensive review  asheducationbook.org   

Hemoglobin blood test  MedlinePlus

Autoimmune thrombocytopenia associated with the first cycle of fludarabine therapy in the treatment of relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma  PubMed

B-cell depletion with rituximab as treatment for immune hemolytic anemia and chronic thrombocytopenia. Haematologica. 2002 Feb;87(2):189-95.  PubMed

Drug info: Neumega

ITP - Immune (Idiopathic) Trombocytopenic Purpura -
itppeople.com | ACOR.org  

Help with platelet recovery? Use of physiological doses of human growth hormone in haematological patients receiving intensive chemotherapy promotes haematopoietic recovery: a double-blind randomized, placebo-controlled study  PubMed  2007

Treatment with hGH in physiological doses improves platelet recovery, but is not associated with a lower relapse rate or improved anthropometric parameters in patients receiving intensive chemotherapy.