[Carolyn (OP)]

I've NEVER bruised easily, but now in the last few days, the slightest bump and I bruise.  At this moment I have multiple bruises on my arms legs and back.
I went to the chiropractor this morning and she adjusted my back using her hands and an adjusting tool, just as she's done dozens of times before.  Now my back, is covered in bruises, especially up and down the spine where she used the tool.

Does anyone know why I'm all of a sudden turning into one big bruise???

[another_someone]

Sounds like you have a blood clotting problem - it may not be a serious problem, only just normal variance, but maybe worth talking to a doctor about it.

[chris]

Hi Carolyn

have you taken any drugs in the last few days - in particular aspirin-containing drugs - or consumed any rat poison?!

[Carolyn (OP)]

Hi Carolyn

have you taken any drugs in the last few days - in particular aspirin-containing drugs - or consumed any rat poison?!

I do take Vicoden, but only occasionally.  Does that have aspirin? Usually for pain I take 600mg of ibuprofen.
I take a few dietary supplements daily, but have been doing that for a month or so. 

One of them has 480 mg magnesium oxide, Hyssop stems and leaves (extract), black walnut hulls, bentonite & peppermint leaf.

The other one contains:


Now as for the rat poison...hubby has been cooking a good bit these days and I have been kind of mean lately.....I suppose it could be a possibility. []

[another_someone]

The supplements include willow bark - which is another way of saying asperin (OK, actually aspirin is a derivative of a substance from willow bark - but it has the same effect).

Can't say about the other bits.

Also, grapefruit juice may have an impact on blood clotting.

[iko]

Sooner or later a simple platelet count
should be obtained.  It doesn't hurt!
Take care

ikod  []

[another_someone]

I note also that the mixture has gensing - something which can be controversial, although I don't know how much it directly effects blood clotting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginseng#Side_effects

One of Panax ginseng's most common side-effects is the inability to sleep. Other side-effects include nausea, diarrhea, euphoria, headaches, epistaxis, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, mastalgia, and vaginal bleeding.

Also had a quick search for yucca root, and this, like aspirin, seems to be an anti-inflammatory that will reduce blood clotting.

So it seems that between the yucca and the willow, you have plenty of reason to have reduced blood clotting (i.e. greater risk of internal bleeding).

[iko]

In my limited vision of this issue,
sudden onset of such a noticeable
'trend' to bruise easily may hide
either low platelets or a case of
rat poison (warfarin) intoxication.
We already excluded the latter, didn't we?   []

ikod

[neilep]

Hugs Carolyn and wishes her well !!


*well...I don't hug you too tight*

[Karen W.]

My mother had some kind of clot or mass in her pancreas that caused bruisng easily,,, I doubt that would be it though!

[Carolyn (OP)]

In my limited vision of this issue,
sudden onset of such a noticeable
'trend' to bruise easily may hide
either low platelets or a case of
rat poison (warfarin) intoxication.
We already excluded the latter, didn't we?   []

ikod

so are low platelets a really terrible thing?

[another_someone]

so are low platelets a really terrible thing?

Yes, if you don't want to bleed to death.

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/thrombocytopenia.htm

What is thrombocytopenia?

Thrombocytopenia is the term for a reduced platelet (thrombocyte) count. It happens when platelets are lost from the circulation faster than they can be replaced from the bone marrow where they are made.

Thrombocytopenia can result from:

• a failure of platelet production
• an increased rate of removal from blood.

What are platelets?

Platelets are tiny cells that circulate in the blood and whose function is to take part in the clotting process.

Inside each platelet are many granules, containing compounds that enhance the ability of platelets to stick to each other and also to the surface of a damaged blood vessel wall.

The platelet count in the circulating blood is normally between 150 and 400 million per millilitre of blood. Newborn babies have a slightly lower level, but are normally within the adult range by three months of age.

Many factors can influence an individual's platelet count including exercise and racial origin. The average life span of a platelet in the blood is 10 days.

What do platelets do?

Platelets are essential in the formation of blood clots to prevent haemorrhage - bleeding from a ruptured blood vessel.

An adequate number of normally functioning platelets is also needed to prevent leakage of red blood cells from apparently uninjured vessels.

In the event of bleeding, muscles in the vessel wall contract and reduce blood flow. The platelets then stick to each other (aggregation) and hold on to the vessel wall (primary haemostasis). The coagulation factors are then activated, resulting in normally liquid blood becoming an insoluble clot or glue.

What are the risks of a low platelet count?

The main effect of a reduced platelet count is an increased risk of bleeding, but this rarely occurs until there are less than 80-100 million platelets per ml.

There is not a close relationship between the number of platelets and the severity of bleeding, but there is an increasing risk of haemorrhage if platelet numbers fall or if platelet function is impaired (for example by aspirin, which reduces the 'stickiness' of the platelets).

There is a particularly high risk of spontaneous bleeding once the platelet count drops below 10 million per ml. The bleeding is usually seen on the skin in the form of tiny pin-prick haemorrhages (purpura), or bruises (ecchymoses) following minor trauma.

Bleeding from the nose and the gums is also quite common. More serious haemorrhage can occur at the back of the eye (retina), sometimes threatening sight.

The most serious complication, which is potentially fatal, is spontaneous bleeding inside the head (intracranial) or from the lining of the gut (gastrointestinal).

[Carolyn (OP)]

Thank you George.

[kdlynn]

carolyn... are you part tomato? perhaps you are just ripe... just kidding. hope you figure it all out and feel better

[Carolyn (OP)]

carolyn... are you part tomato? perhaps you are just ripe... just kidding. hope you figure it all out and feel better

Hmmmm.....not too sure.....are you calling me OLD??? []

[kdlynn]

no of course not... just tomato-y

[Carolyn (OP)]

no of course not... just tomato-y

Oh!  Well now, that's better. []

[kdlynn]

i like tomatoes. i have one in my salad right now

[Carolyn (OP)]

i like tomatoes. i have one in my salad right now

I like 'em too and I had them in my salad tonight also, but I'd much rather be peachy. []

[kdlynn]

oh yes, those bruise too. you can be peachy if you'd like... but i'd be honored if you'd be my tomato! lol