Mystery cuts and bruises

[Howie]

I have them all the time. I just say to myself "I'll bet that hurt", but very few do I remember what happened.

I just went to the fridge, and noticed blood on my leg. But cleaning it, I found no injury. So I looked all over, and here's a cut bleeding down my arm.

What did I hit? I don't remember hitting anything I noticed, but there it is.

Does anyone else do that?

[Catdancer]

Yeah. I blame the cats....

[Howie]

Ooooh Cat, that would work for me too!

Darn cats!!!

[agate]

A common experience. I've had quite a bruise on one arm for a week now and can't think why. I vaguely remember slamming into something a while back and wondering if there'd be a bruise. Maybe this is it.

[Gary]

I have a number of bumps and bruises and smashed knuckles. Between the tremors and lack of co-ordination due to the MS I guess. I usually dont realize the damage until I see the blood. And the bruises show up later and the first thing that goes through my mind is wow I didn't know I hit myself that hard!

[Lazarus]

I have a number of bumps and bruises and smashed knuckles. Between the tremors and lack of co-ordination due to the MS I guess. I usually dont realize the damage until I see the blood. And the bruises show up later and the first thing that goes through my mind is wow I didn't know I hit myself that hard!

Perfect and timely post!
Like Agate I have a surprising bruise. I get them all the time but this one is so large and dark purple that I can not believe I did not notice how it happened.

This past farming season I also found myself with bleeding scratches that I only noticed when the blood was dripping. Sometimes I never notice until I find dried blood on a hand, arm, leg....I now assume that I have lost feeling and try to pay more attention when I am working.

Not feeling pain seems like a good thing at first glance but it only takes a moment to realize it is important to feel pain. Quite a paradox!

[Jen's Solitude]

This happens to me too though not as severe as most of these posts. I feel a little bit of pain and I know that means I significantly hurt myself and will see a bruise later. I too attribute it to diminished feeling. When I have blood drawn I prefer they take it from my right arm because I feel the needle less on that side.

[Howie]

Perhaps it's an age thing, in that we seem to become less sensitive to pain. Young kids seem hyper-aware of every little hurt, and go to mama to fix their boo-boo.
But by the time you get my age, we can bump or crash, and your brain doesn't feel, or even remember the boo-boo.

[agate]

Perhaps it's an age thing, in that we seem to become less sensitive to pain. Young kids seem hyper-aware of every little hurt, and go to mama to fix their boo-boo.
But by the time you get my age, we can bump or crash, and your brain doesn't feel, or even remember the boo-boo.

Howie, I don't think it's an age thing. I was like this in my late 30s. I could be walking along and happen to look at my legs, because I had no idea what they were doing. I liked to assume I was putting one foot in front of the other the way people usually do.

But I'd find my left leg kicking way off to the side all the time. I had no idea unless I looked.

Or I'd be in a store reaching for something on a shelf and happen to look at my hand. It was bent in a very weird position. What a surprise.

Or I'd look at my face in a mirror, and one half of it would be all withered, with the eyelid drooping and the mouth sagging down--on one side only. It was as if a line had been drawn straight down the center of my face. One side normal, the other side withered.

If those parts of me hadn't been numb, I'd have felt those changes happening.

[Howie]

So you've been dealing with this disease for a long time. I'm just a rookie, and had no idea anything was wrong, a picture of health. I was DXed when I was 44 in just 2 days. So I was spared most of my life.

PS. Agate, you are right.

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((Hugs to All)))))) ~

Let me share with you a wonderful, inexpensive, and effective treatment for bruises:

Witch Hazel.

Good old fashioned Witch Hazel, which you can buy at the drug store.

Depending upon the location/size of the bruise, apply either a paper towel or a kleenex to the area, then pour Witch Hazel on it. Tape with plastic tape (or any kind of medical tape that isn't paper, as the paper tape won't stick to the wet towel/kleenex).

Leave this on the bruise for as long as you can, and re-moisten the towel/kleenex with Witch Hazel, when it dries out.

This is a natural anti-inflammatory. It's used in hemorrhoid pads, and in salons to shrink bags under the eyes. It's cooling and soothing. It helps to disperse the blood in the bruise, which helps to prevent blood clots from the bruise, reduces swelling and pain.

I've used it many times, because I get bruises caring for Jon. I usually know when I've injured myself and apply the Witch Hazel immediately; for example, if I stub my toe. We've used it on Jim's RA nodules on his elbows, for my broken ribs, sprained knee and sprained ankle. It Works! I promise!

The unexplained cuts, I think, are related to aging. I remember that my elders would get a slight scratch, and their skin would be torn. That has happened to me and to Jim, and we're in our late 60s. Thinning skin is fairly common with aging. Some medications have bleeding as a side effect, and if you're taking a blood thinner, you might be more likely to bleed from a slight bump.

I always clean the wound with soap and water, and alcohol, dry it and apply Neosporin, then put a bandaid on it for a couple of days. An untreated, uncovered wound is a breeding ground for infection, and MRSA just loves to snuggle in there.

So, next time you're out, pick up a bottle of Witch Hazel, some tape (also sold at drug stores), bandaids, and some Neosporin. You'll be all ready for your next boo boo or owie.

Love & Light,

Rose

[Cherie]

Witch Hazel is also great for taking the sting out of injections immediately post injection.

And, yes, Howie, I get them all the time and don't know how they happen. This is quite common in "aging skin" as it loses its elasticity and collagen.

[Howie]

Aging skin? I guess that doesn't apply to youthful little me!

Thanks for the info Rose!

[Virginia]

Now, I know it's not just me.

[Howie]

Join the bruisers club Virginia!