Reluctant member of the MS Stunt team

[Raingrrl]

I'm a reluctant member of the MS Stunt team due to my spectacular falls that bang up my body. I had an especially graceless humbling fall a week ago Sunday that banged up my right leg and bruised it from the top of my thigh to just above my ankle. The fall also produced a large painful hematoma at the top of my thigh/lower part of my hip. I used ice on it the first 48 hours and that took the swelling down a lot but its still large and painful.

I went to my primary care doc who wasn't much help other than to say it didn't seem I broke anything and I should be using warm compresses. I tried to get in to my orthopedic doc but because I haven't been there in 3 years, I'm considered a new patient and they won't see me until Oct. Gee thanks.

Has anyone had a large hematoma that is painful? Did it go away on its own? Did you use anything on it besides ice in the beginning and then heat later? I'm also using a cream that has arnica in it.

[erash]

If you are taking something that increases your bleeding, aspirin or fish oil etc. that will make the bruising last longer. I am inclined to agree that mild heat after 48 hours may be better than ice at this point. Some of the hematoma will re-absorb and some may stay and you may have a little bit of a calcification, a hard spot, that last a while or indefinitely.

[Raingrrl in reply to erash]

Thanks erash ! I stopped taking Advil a few days ago because I read about it making the bruising last longer. I don’t like the idea of a hard spot hanging around! Yuck.

[Iona60 in reply to Raingrrl]

I had a hit to the head 20 years ago that caused a hematoma and it calcified. Now I have a hard knot in the middle of my forehead. If it ever happens again, I was told to use Advil to keep it from calcifying.

[erash in reply to Iona60]

Interesting. I will have to investigate that. Seems counterintuitive to me 🤷🏻‍♀️

[erash in reply to Iona60]

So I researched this a bit and it looks like no definitive answer. NSAIDs (ibuprofen) is controversial. May help or hinder. But avoiding deep massage, re-injury, (falling not allowed 😜) over use seems like a consistent recommendation. Arnica is mentioned in several non-medical sites. Early ice, ice, ice 👍

They say calcification is rare and usually resolves in weeks to months. However, I have seen large hematoma calcifications that persist, one on a woman's buttock that required surgical intervention so she could sit comfortably. Raingrrl now that I've terrified u, remember, this WILL likely resolve on its own 🌈

[Iona60 in reply to erash]

Thanks for researching. That advil advice was given to me 20+ years ago. Turns out that my skull had been fractured where it calcified. I found out years later when I had my first MRI for MS. I've always wondered if the two were connected.

[erash in reply to Iona60]

Oh my!

[Raingrrl in reply to erash]

erash ..I had already freaked myself out by reading about calcifications. Yuck! It’s why I’m thinking I should try to get in to see a sports medicine doc if I can.

[CalfeeChick CommunityAmbassador in reply to erash]

Good advice erash

[Lilith08]

Ugh! I hope the arnica helps. My mother had a heck of a bruise last year and Arnicare gel worked miracles on it. (Looking at pictures of hematoma, I’d say her bruise was one; I just didn’t know it 😉)

[Raingrrl in reply to Lilith08]

Thanks Lilith08 . Good to hear about your Mom’s experience with arnica gel. I’ve used it on a scar and it helped my primary care doc was saying it was a waste of money. I’m ignoring her for now. 😎

[Jazzyinco]

Raingrrl, Ouch! I hear ya! I'm getting to be a little clumsy myself, I also used on my hematoma rubbed my hemp cream w/arnica, aloe-vera. & also peppermint oil just a dab & it quit, also, erash gave u good, sound medical advice too, she used to be a nurse👍😍 & I studied for 4 years to be an RN,but had to quit due to undiagnosed Relapse & da patient/Resident fell on me So, anyways i'm rambling, sorry! hope & Pray it gets better💗❤💚---Jazmine🌹💜Rose

[Raingrrl in reply to Jazzyinco]

Thanks Jazzyinco . Did you make that cream yourself or buy it? My acupuncturist put CBD oil on it when I was there last week and it helped the pain so Inwas thinking about buying some of that.

[Jazzyinco in reply to Raingrrl]

Raingrrl, i bought it from greenlotus.com they are great, they have freeze & heat hemp cream, it is wrking.... 😍👍 hope this helps. Blessings🙏💗💚💙---Jazz🌹💜

[Raingrrl in reply to Jazzyinco]

Thanks!

[greaterexp]

Oh, dear! You have a great sense of humor about it, but I sure hope you have no more falls and recover from this one quickly.

[Raingrrl in reply to greaterexp]

Thanks greaterexp ! I have to laugh when I do stupid stuff. I don’t like to dwell on the negative because it doesn’t help me to do that.

[jimeka]

Ouch! I can feel your pain. erash gave you good advice. Keep us posted on how it clears up. Big hug, blessings Jimeka 🤗

[Raingrrl]

Thanks @jimeka. I’m very lucky it’s not worse.

[CalfeeChick CommunityAmbassador]

As a former long distance bicyclist, I had more than my fair share of crashes and major bruises/hematomas. It's too late to tell you to take a cool bath, then start dong the RICE routine, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. I realize compression sounds what you don't need, but it does help it from getting any worse and supports the area. Don't make it too tight! I saw above about the arnica gel and Aloe and that's good advice. I grow Aloe and use it on burns, bug bites and scrapes. keep us posted Please. Best to you and hope you feel better soon. Lyn

[Raingrrl in reply to CalfeeChick]

CalfeeChick I did the RICE routine for the first day and a half. After that I was on the plane to go home. My doctor said no more ice but do warm compresses instead so I’m using a heating pad with my leg elevated. Compression is not easily done because of where the bump is. I can’t wrap it like I could if it was entirely on my leg.

I’m feeling cautiously optimistic because it felt better today except when I first sit down or stand up. I walked close to 2 miles in downtown Seattle without pain.

[CraigS]

I slipped and fell the other day and whacked my head next to my eye. It’s inky painful when I touch it. But I can’t seem to stop touching it. I figure it will go away on it’s own. I’m taking ibuprofen for the neck strain that was a result of the fall. It was my own damn fault for wearing socks outside on my Trex deck.

When will I learn?

Good luck, I hope it’s not too painful.

[Raingrrl in reply to CraigS]

Thanks CraigS ! I’ve had 5 black eyes in my ‘stunt’ history. It’s why there are always frozen peas in my freezer. They are my ice bag of choice! I hope you heal quick!

[IFwczs in reply to CraigS]

Chiropractor for a neck injury!

[lbenmaor]

I'm sorry you had to go thru that. Arnicare truly helps.

Leslie

[Peruzzot]

I hope you're feeling better. If I were you I'd still get it x-rayed just to make sure nothing is broken. The last bad fall I had the doc didn't think I had broken anything but to make another appointment at the end of the week if it was still bothering me. It was still bothering me but it took 3 weeks before I could get another appointment and it was still bothering me so he ordered x-rays...I had in fact broken my arm! My husband had thought I was being overdramatic with the ice packs I'd kept on my arm. He felt bad when I announced it was broken.

[Raingrrl in reply to Peruzzot]

Hi Peruzzot ! I’m thinking about calling my doctor’s office and getting a referral to a sports medicine doctor who would know more about this kind of injury. It actually feels a little better today so I’m hopeful that is a good sign. Especially since I did a lot of walking without pain.

[Peruzzot in reply to Raingrrl]

That's a good sign.

[IFwczs]

I was seeing a Chinese doctor and taking Chinese herbs. They made the hematoma from my fall heal super fast. Today I realized these herbs might be strengthening the immune system, which would work against Ocrevus, and so after a year, I have stopped. A Naturopathica serum had immense healing qualities (the hematoma was on my face, so I had to make sure I don't look like I was in a bar fight).

[Raingrrl in reply to IFwczs]

I understand your concern about the Chinese herbs. The cream I’ve been using that has arnica includes a bunch of stuff. Echinacea is one of the ingredients and is a known immune system booster. I was hesitant because of that but decided it’s not a high enough dose for me to worry about.

[IFwczs in reply to Raingrrl]

I am sure it's harmless unless you ingest it. My yoga instructor (who has MS and gets injured a lot) swears by that arnica cream!

[Raingrrl in reply to IFwczs]

My PCP told me not to bother with arnica. I didn’t argue knowing full well I was going to ignore her. I’m a bit stubborn that way. Ever since a bad medical experience when I was young, I don’t blindly follow any doctor’s advice.

I’ve used arnica before and it helped. Plus I know other people it’s helped. My PCP is really not helpful when it comes to injuries. So I’ve asked for a referral to a Sports Medicine doc. I had a bad fall a few years ago that messed up my knee and my PCP’s idea of treatment made it worse.

[IFwczs in reply to Raingrrl]

It sounds like it's time to change PCP. I am getting a new one in 2 weeks after 10 years with the same PCP. Do you need this PCP for insurance reasons?

[Raingrrl in reply to IFwczs]

Dec 1 I start on Medicare. This was a surprise to me. I found out a couple of weeks ago that I was automatically enrolled because I’m getting SSDI. I have to figure that out before I go shopping for a new PCP. So many doctors don’t accept Medicare.

[IFwczs in reply to Raingrrl]

It's true, but I think you'd be better off googling than going to your old PCP. My fired PCP last time had a coffee cup that says: "Don't confuse your Google search with my medical degree!" She also said steroid eye drops are topical and given to babies, and that there are no blood vessels in the eye. These eye drops made me bed-ridden.

[Raingrrl in reply to IFwczs]

Wow! That's terrible! Was your PCP old?? I can't imagine any doctor believing that there aren't blood vessels in the eye. Completely idiotic!

[IFwczs in reply to Raingrrl]

She was in her forties and completed her residency at Yale. Question: Can only you and I see our messages? If you are on board with sharing email addresses and no one else can see, I would like to give you my email address.

[Raingrrl in reply to IFwczs]

Sent you a DM via the chat section on this board.