Strange Bruising

[bcilliers]

For the last several months, my legs have been covered in bruises.  They do not hurt but I have no idea how they get there.  I am not exagerating, my entire legs, from top to bottom are covered.  I also get small 'sunspot' looking marks now and then on my arms and legs.  Could this be part of the fibro, a lack of vitamins, any ideas?

[bcilliers]

I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia recently and my biggest fear is I may possibly also have lupus.  I am 28 years old and my doc thinks I have had fibro for atleast 6 years.  I am a tough cookie so I just ignored the pain and fatiuge.  I am not on birth control, I had my tubes tied after my last baby.  I take neurontin, cymbalta, fiorocet, clonidine,  and occasionally muscle relaxers.  I also fear, my doc is going to start thinking I am a hypocondriac.  She has been wonderful so far.  I also suffer from horrible migrains since the age of 14.  I thank you all for you all for you help.  I will see my doc in a couple of weeks and blood work is on the list of things to do that visit.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
Are you by any chance on contraceptive pills? This can cause unexplained bruising. Also deep vein thrombosis which can be potentially life threatening. Hence get this evaluated by a vascular specialist by doing a duplex ultrasound or color dopplar.
Other than that it could be due to clotting disorders, low platelet count, fragile spider veins, deep vein thrombus, deficiency of Vitamin B12, folic acid, or Vit K, a liver disease or certain cancers.
. It is difficult to comment beyond this without examining. I think you should discuss these possibilities with your doctor. A comprehensive investigation is required keeping all the points in mind. Take care!

[t4me]

Hi there..sorry you are having this problem...what you have sounds like Henoch Schonlein Purpura..it is a type of vasculitis that causes bleeding in the small blood vessels...it mostly affects young adult and children, but anyone can have it...the main symptom is purplish spots that look like bruises and are usually on the butt and legs, but sometimes they can appear on the hands, arms, face, etc....my daughter had this when she was little..the doctor at the hospital had a dozen interns come look at it as i guess it is rare...anyway, she had no other problems with it, but i understand it can cause stomach upset and painful joints...i'm sure this could be a number of other things, but i thot i would throw this out there as bruising was your main symptom...please keep me posted on what you find out---good health and God bless!

[bcilliers]

Thank you very much.  I will talk to my doc asap.  And also, thank you for not thinking I am crazy.

[caregiver222]

I've read your posts. You have a complicated medical history with stroke-like symptoms, as you described them. You've also had an MRI.

What is indicated is an MRA, or magnetic resonance angiography examination, with dye contrast. Provisional diagnosis: Rule out Intracerebral bleed.

This evaluation should be performed whether or not you had an MRI last year.

Bruising is generally the result of improper blood clotting, or fragility of blood vessels.

As far as vitamins go, your blood clotting issues could be the result of low vitamin K, but you should not take this vitamin supplement except under supervision of a physician.

Thus, an evaluation by a hematologist is also in  order.

I have the suspicion your doctors have categorized you as a chronic complainer and not paid proper attention to your complaints, which I believe are very real.