OK, so I KNOW bruising is normal with plavix. But I have been on in since my MI in December, and after my car accident in January I had a HUGE hematoma (to be expected) that took about 2+ months to heal. Well about 10 days ago I tripped in the dark on a brick, landed on my shin on a brick. Should have been NO BIG DEAL. Thought, some bruising due to plavix. But I have the BIGGEST hematoma ever. It has migrated downward and now my left ankle is about 2-3 x larger than my right and purple-blue-black. Cardio said nl. But my dad & grandpa have been on plavix for YEARS and they have never had this. I am also working on my 2nd black eye. This is TORTURE. MD said plavix for the rest of my life. Anyone else have hematomas with such bad swelling that the pain is severe and really large????
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Exceptional LARGE hematomas with plavix
- By phelan
- Posted April 13, 2009 at 3:12 am · 9 replies
- In Experiences with prescription medicines
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- By martzj
- Posted April 13, 2009 at 9:59 am
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Phelan,
yes...me again. I ended up with the same excrutiating bone deep hematomas after massive clot busting TPA was administered at ER during heart attack, 41. The followed the entire left side of my body....temple, upper arm, hip, thigh. (I had lost consciousness and fallen down long flight of wooden stairs trying to get to door to let EMTs in). The hip & thigh hematoma was so long and deep that it was over 6 months before the muscles completely unlocked...my hip muscle deformed at bit and began sub-luxing a few years later. I know it hurts like the dickens....it is truly torturous. For some reason, the CIC nurses kept rolling me over ONTO all those excruciating hematomas during my 5 days stay....rather than change the angle of the bed slightly to spare me from that.
These were younger women who'd obviously never had a hematoma. The thigh slab was HUGE and deep and felt like something was fractured every time they rolled me to check the EKG leads on my back...which were old and kept dislodging and setting the beepers off. The auto-blood pressure cuff that came on every 30 minutes created another blue-black bone deep hematoma that nurses declined to move or shift to other arm....the pain was so horrible everytime that cuff squeezed I blacked out...on top of already being semi-conscious from HA, feet restrained because they had to leave tubes in both groin arteries for 3 days in case I coded.
My mom took photos at home....it looks like a perfect 4 inch wide black tatoo band around my upper left arm. Because the meds made me swollen, the auto cuff had to squeeze even harder.
Be careful with your hematoma'd muscles....You might try a mild compression stocking to force the circulation to increase rather than allowing fluids to accumlate and sludge in your lower calf and ankle. I used stocking to help protect from inner tearing of hematoma-locked muscle tissue). That helped me a lot.....If I'd been close to a pool back then I would have spent time there every day doing gentle leg flutters to get circulation going and help hematomas loosen the lock hold on leg muscles. I now use water as a whole body compression suit....it forces circulation throughout body, head to toe...and organs and lung capacity greatly improve too. As a water person, you are well aware of these benefits I'm sure : )
The other Plavix ladies have quite a time of it here. Some get facial bruises that cause their hubbies to get hostile looks when they are out in public together...We need to make a t-shirt that sez something like: It wasn't him...It was PLAVIX! (smile)
Hang in there.....I can't take Plavix and feel for you who can. It may be saving your life though....so that is an acceptible trade-off, no? : )
Jaynie
- By grace5
- Posted April 13, 2009 at 12:47 pm
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Hi Phelan,
If you type 'plavix bruises' in the 'find it' box, top right hand side of this page, you'll find tons of posts on the subject. You have my sympathy, I'm also on Plavix and I hate the way my extremities look, especially in the summer, and the more careful I try to be the more bruises I seem to gather!
Lidia xx
- By heart39
- Posted April 14, 2009 at 12:07 am
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Phelan,
I also get these horrible, painful bruises. Many of mine get infected and swell until they burst like a large blister (sorry for the visual). I then go to the doctor & get a round of antibiotics, but she cannot expalin why this happens to me. It happened twice before my heart attack, so I know it is not the asprin/plavix thing. They leave dark black, hard bruises that don't go away. My doctor said sometime it can take years for that. I've had 2 on my shin from 3 years ago that just began to fade.
Lidia (grace5 above) said she tried arnica from the health food store and thought it helped. I went to GNC a couple weeks ago & found it in a gel by the arthritis stuff. I use it once a day & my 2 old bruises are nearly gone after 2 weeks!!! I'm so happy, I could swim across the pond to hug her & give a peck on her cheek! As she'd say, I'm chuffed to bits with arnica!
My newer ones are fading, too. My husband & doughter used it on bruises & they were gone in 2 days! It's a plant extract & I recommend trying it for sure. It's not just for looks, it actually breaks up the hematoma. The bumps are going away with it.
I hope you try it and have good luck. The only other thing my doctor recommended was ice & elevation.
- Peg
- By grace5
- Posted April 14, 2009 at 4:50 am
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Peg, I'd kiss you back if I could reach you ;-)
I'm so glad it worked for you.
Lidia, very chuffed, of course!
- By martzj
- Posted April 14, 2009 at 12:14 pm
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"Lidia (grace5 above) said she tried arnica from the health food store and thought it helped. I went to GNC a couple weeks ago & found it in a gel by the arthritis stuff. I use it once a day & my 2 old bruises are nearly gone after 2 weeks!!!
Thanks ladies....I didn't know about this one. Will get some asap. I'm wondering if it is similar to the nitro-gel stuff my mom puts on her toes and fingers to restore circulation when Reynaud's sets in and they turn white, then blue. The gel burns a little, but works like a charm....topically!! Reynauds' is part of her scleraderma.
- By grace5
- Posted April 14, 2009 at 12:55 pm
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Jaynie, Arnica is beautiful, gentle as a butterfly wing, it won't burn you, I promise. I've used it for years but it's nice to hear it helped dear Peg too, it comes highly recommended if she wants to swim over here just to hug me!
This is just a random website....
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Benefits-and-History-of-Arnica-Cream&id=21655 75
- By martzj
- Posted April 14, 2009 at 1:14 pm
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Lidia,
"Otherwise commonly known as 'Leopards Bane' or 'Mountain Tobacco' it is a small plant that grows to about 2 feet in height. It is also a member of the sunflower family and it produces bright yellow / orange flowers."
I'm amazed. This is what my granny Esther used to call Mountain Tobacco or Indian tobacco.....we would pick and chew the leaves as we climbed our mountainside. It still grows there. I may ask my sister to send me a bag of it. Haven't had any since I was a girl. Thanks for the memory spark! You keep doing that somehow...from way over there : )
toodles, Jaynie
- By grace5
- Posted April 14, 2009 at 1:21 pm
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I think I would have liked your granny Esther, very much!
Lidia xx
- By heart39
- Posted April 14, 2009 at 5:33 pm
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No, it doesn't burn at all & smells good, too! I've started putting it on everything from a sore muscle to a burn (can't hurt, right?). My back hurts today & I'm going to try it on that right now!
- Peg
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