Bruising and Injuries!!

[Trocken]

Good evening, i hope everyone is well?

It had just dawned on me today after coming over the handlebars of my bike, hitting the ground very heavy and entangling my leg in the frame my bike, whilst out mountain biking today with my family, I continued on for another 12 miles thinking i had just bruised my thigh, shoulder and a thumb, which I still think I have, I ache all over but my thigh is worrying me a little, I have a bruise on the inside but the outside is very swollen and warm to touch, but no obvious signs bruising, its uncomfortable to walk on but more than doable. It's got me thinking though, at what point should we worry and or do we need to worry about bruising and injuries, when were taking aspirin and hydroxy? Im a realist this isn't going to be the last crash I have keeping up with my fearless family! xx

[LottiSz]

I had a similar fall and an ‘invisible’ bruise. I put some anti inflammatory ointment on it twice a day for a week and got back on the bike the next day. It is gone now 😎

[Trocken in reply to LottiSz]

Thank you, My bruises usually go after a couple of weeks too and don’t usually bother me, I’ll be off the bike for a few days this time round, I’m a little sore and stiff to say the least!

[Hidden]

When I was first diagnosed, the haematologist was very very pushy that I took aspirin, even though I didn’t reach the criteria for it. Reluctantly I took it daily for a few months. However I found I was getting terrible bruises from even the most minor of knocks. It also made me feel very dizzy. I felt that if I bruise that easily on the outside, what is happening on the inside, where you can’t see. So I stopped.

After a few years, I started to get a little bit of Erythromelalgia so I now just take 1x baby aspirin every 4-5 days to control that and that doesn’t give me all the bruises I had before.

My feelings are that if I were to have a stroke, a blood clot is much easier to treat and is WAY less damaging than a hemorrhage - for which there is no a treatment. Plus aspirin alone kills thousands of people every year in uk and damages your stomach lining.

It’s not a harmless drug.

[Ina27 in reply to Hidden]

Hi DebraNL. I am only on baby Aspirin, have been taking it for 7months now. I noticed more little bruises recently, some painful, and it made me think about the the risk of clotting vs hemorrhage. Have you discussed with your hematologist before deciding to take the Aspirin every 4-5days? I would like to know what they said. I would like to take the Aspirin at least every other day. Thank you.

[Trocken in reply to Ina27]

I asked about reducing the daily aspirin due to bruising so easily and also very heavy periods and was told under no uncertain terms to stop taking it daily. The haemotologist and pharmacist I see deemed the risks to high to stop its vs the potential side effects, needless to say I followed their advice and continue total it!

[Ina27 in reply to Trocken]

Hi Trocken, thank you for your reply. My periods are light but I have small bruises even on areas that I do not remember knocking. May I ask how high your platelets are and if you take any other medication apart from Aspirin?

[Trocken in reply to Ina27]

My platelets generally sit between 450 -500, I’m on hydroxy, have b12 injections, and take iron and vit d supplements. Like you I bruise without any major impact!

[katiewalsh in reply to Hidden]

Hi. Please read my post below about blood clots, strokes, etc. Katie.

[katiewalsh in reply to Hidden]

Hi. Please read my post below about blood clots, strokes, etc. Katie

[hunter5582]

I also experienced excessive bleeding and bruising when on aspirin. That is pretty common with any blood thinning medication. It is one of the things you just have to put up with. I am sure you would know if the HU had so depleted your platelets that you were in thrombocytopenia. Likely this is just something you will have to put up with when taking aspirin. Certainly let your doc know. Some recommend that we should avoid contact sports. I guess contact with the ground counts. I think we just have to decide which risks are worth taking. I would keep on biking if that is what made me happy. I plan to start more serious martial arts training. Some things are just plain worth it.

All the best to you.

[Trocken in reply to hunter5582]

Thank you for taking the time to reply I have no desire to stop mtb’ing I love it too much, it’s the first time I’ve properly come off and hurt myself. I bruise all the time just from knocking into things I have one on my elbow from the arm on my office chair! I guess what worries me more is the risk of internal clots, where we don’t see a bruise, I’d never considered this until yesterday. I’m always being told to look out for DVT’s when I have my 3 monthly appointments, but no one has ever mentioned the risks caused by injuries!

[hunter5582]

it important to understand the twin risk of hemorrhage and thrombosis. You can be at risk for both. Excessive bruising is the result of the blood being too thin. It is internal bleeding. It is a balancing act to keep the blood thin enough to avoid thrombosis, but not so thin that you get excessive hemorrhage. Hopefully you already had a von Willebrand Panel done. there is evidence that Acquired von Willebrand Disease (a bleeding disorder) can occur at platelet levels as low as 800K.

Regardless, I do hope you are right back up on that bike sailing down the trails. Down is more fun than up! My question to the Neurosurgeon after I had brain surgery last year was "How soon can I get kicked in the head? I want to do martial arts training." He thought it was funny, but had me wait until the skull was all the way fused. Sadly, I have yet to get kicked in the head. Maybe someday!

All the best to you. Bike on!

[katiewalsh]

Hi have you talked to your MPN specialist about this? All of mine said a bad fall could be extremely dangerous & I should go to the ER immediately if I ever have one, or am in a car accident with hard pressure against my body. Also, not everyone survives blood clots so don’t ignore your doctors advice by thinking it’s easy to treat them. I was diagnosed when I almost died from bilateral pulmonary embolisms & now need oxygen when I sleep & 24/7 when I am sick. And that really affects my options for vacations. And there are others on this forum with severe permanent damage from strokes & heart attacks from blood clots. Obviously if you’re willing to take the risks after being fully informed & honest about the risks, go for it. But at least recognize the possibility that you can become severely & permanently injured both from the injury & staying off prescribed medication like baby aspirin. Best to have your specialist discuss all this with you. Take care. Katie

[Trocken in reply to katiewalsh]

Thanks Katie, it’s something I’ve never had a discussion about, but most definitely will, I’m going to drop my specialist nurse an email today. I’m sorry to hear the impact your PE has had on you. A lesson to us all I think, we shouldn’t be as flippant about things as perhaps we are. Thank you ❤️