Hi all, hope everyone is well.
Just a quick question. Do any of you fellow anemics suffer with bruising?
Over the last week or so ive gotten great big purple bruises on my thighs. I havent banged myself at all and on my last blood test my platelts where fine.
Any ideas?
Thanks Linds :confused:

Hi all, hope everyone is well.
Just a quick question. Do any of you fellow anemics suffer with bruising?
Over the last week or so ive gotten great big purple bruises on my thighs. I havent banged myself at all and on my last blood test my platelts where fine.
Any ideas?
Thanks Linds :confused:
Bruising in females seems to be almost a normal thing. However, it can also be caused by a shortage of vitamin K. Platelet function usually does not have anything to do with bruising it simply stops bleeding if the platelets are functioning well. If you are bleeding and the platelets are normal, then it is some other thing going on like weak blood vessels and capillaries.

Ditto with above post. I mentioned this to my hematologist while I was there for yet another iron infusion. I also bruise easily--especially on the thighs. He said many women just bruise easily and that it has nothing to do with my anemia. It was summer, I was in shorts and sporting a huge bruise on my thigh!! I have no idea how I get most of them. My hubby has often felt embarrassed by them as he feels that others may think he hits me!!

Thanks for your replies. Thats put my mind at rest.
Kritter keeper- how are you doing with the infusions? Hope youve had no reactions this time round.
Many thanks again
Linds

I'm holding but no longer get IV iron because of the reactions--too dangerous for me. Bummer because they work!

Lindsalou,

Have you checked with your doctor about the briusing?

It might just be that you are prone to bruising, but you really should have it checked out. Any bruising that is recurrent and not easily explained away by trauma should be looked in to.

Platelets do have a lot to do with bruising and certainly low platelets (and indeed high platelets) can cause bruising. So it's good you have that checked out.

It's probably nothing too worry about, I'm sure, but I'd at least mention it to your doctor.

Take care:)

Hi tauri,
When i was pregnant (my baby is now 10 months old) my platelets were very high. Ive had a course of iron infusions, and on my last blood test my platelets were back to normal.
Im not sure if your platelet count is of any relavence to anemia or not, but i will mention it to my doctor, i was concerned that the bruising is mainly on my thighs (not the kind of place you tend to knock yourself) so i will get it checked out.
Thanks, and i hope you are well.
Linds

lindsalou,

You're welcome:)

I'm sure it's probably nothing to worry about. But it's always best to get things like this checked out.

Your platelets aren't an indicator of anaemia but I understand that for some reason it's not uncommon to have raised platelets in pregnancy. I have no idea why.

To be honest I tend to bruise very easily myself, but I can normally remember knocking the area first even very lightly. I get them on my thighs too, where I knock my desk!! Do'h!

You take of yourself and let us know how you get on:)

Just FYI the iron deficiency also causes platelet counts to be high. The lower my ferritin scores the higher my platelets. My dr never explained the relation but it proved true on all of my blood tests. I've been as high as 700,000. When my iron stores are better my counts return close to nromal range around 400,000 (always a bit high) Very rarely is it something to worry over.

Thanks for that kritterkeeper. I didnt know that there was a link, when i was preganant my platelets where WELL above normal limits, but nobody seemed concerned about it. On my last bloods my platelets where classed as normal, but they where in the higher limits rather than the low.
Ive still to wait another month or so to see if the infusions have raised my ferritin levels (my heamotologist said upto 3 months before they can tell?).
Anyway your advice is always greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Just to clarify,

When I said that platelets aren't an indicator of IDA, what I meant was that IDA is never diagnosed on platelets counts alone. Some patients do experience a rise in platelets when they have IDA and some don't. The reason some do is a long scientific and, quite frankly, utterly boring one! But high platelets alone are not an indicator of iron defiency anaemia, more like a quirky side effect!!

take care:)

brusing is definitely connected to anemia. I have always bruised very easily though even when I was not anemic. When I was little my mom was almost accused of abusing me at the doctor (which is funny because my mom and I have the closest relationship that I know out of most people i have known in my life). I had lines up and down my back...turned out it was the metal grocery cart!!! I also had bruises up and down my legs from walking up the stairs of the slide in the back yard. My Mom had to make me a little cushion for the grocery cart so I didn't bruise. :)

Amanda