Inexplicable Bruising

Elaina can I just welcome you to myLot first and I want to congratulate you on a fanastic response. This is exactly what myLot should be about. Quality and relevence and it is so nice to meet such a newbie who looks like they are going to do great here. I only wish you were one of my referrals. Anyway, yes back to the discussion. I know you will be really mad at me for saying this but I am on the Atkins diet and it has being going great for me and I am losing the weight I wanted to and a steady rate and I am feeling fanastic for it. All vegetables, well almost all have been cut out of my diet and calcium too. Well I eat cheese which I think as loads of calcium in it but I am not allowed to touch a drop of milk. I will be coming off the diet though in about four weeks and obviously to keep the weight off and stay healthy vegatables are going to play a big part in my diet. I should really go and get myself some vitamins. Tomorrow I will go down to the shops and get myself some. I found it so familiar that you used the wordds purple knot. That is exactly what happens to be when I bang myself. It instantly becomes solid and purple. The worrying thing though is how fast the bruising comes on. I remember when I was in high school I knocked my leg off the pedal of the exercise bike in gym class and with in a minute it was almost black. I showed the teacher cos it hurt so much and knew I needed ice on it and she refused to believe that it had just happened and she told me I must have done it the day before for it to be so black. So do you think I should just get multivitamins or should I get something specific. Sorry any information would be greatly appreciated if you know of it. Thanks again for responding and I hope to see you around alot.

Claire- I think it's great that you found a diet that works for you! I personally don't think I could stand a protein-only diet, but a lot of people swear by the Atkins diet. I'm glad it's helping you to achieve your weight-loss goals and overall feel better about yourself. That really is the most important thing. I think feelings of confidence and happiness are some of the most powerful healers out there. As for when your diet is over, I'm glad to hear you're thinking ahead as to staying healthy and adding those vital fruits and veggies back into you diet. I know they will make a difference, and help maintain an overall feeling of health. Getting back to the bruises; it is strange how in your circumstance the bruises come on so quickly. Mine do too, actually, but not as severly as yours sound. Within minutes, mine are already appearing slightly purple and swollen, but to be so quickly black? This does sound serious. I honestly believe that adding a multivitamin will help, and you should especially start now since you are on the Atkins diet and missing a lot of important vitamins from your daily routine. Also try going for whole grains when you incorporate breads back into your diet for the health benefits they offer as well. I'm not saying you should give your eating lifestyle a complete overhaul and never eat any of the things you enjoy, but just be conscious of the things you eat, read labels, and try to stay away from too many ingredients that are hard to pronounce:) Most food labels will tell you their vitamin/mineral content so you can better manage your intake. I would also advise that you pick up a seperate bottle of Vitamin C tablets if you won't be eating citrus fruits and take one of those along with a multivitamin. The extra vitamin C should not only help with your skin's strength but should provide you with an immune boost as well. On an herbal note, I myself do not currently take herbal supplements, though I have in the past. I believe that some can be beneficial, but there are some people who take so many different ones I wonder if they're really doing any good. To each's own, of course. In relevance to bruising, however, I've heard good things about the herb "Arnica." It is usually found in creams intended for application to the bruised area, and may contain Vitamin E, Elastin, Collagen, and Aloe Vera, all of which are also known for their skin-nourishing and skin-healing capabilities. Arnica is said to work by stimulating the activity of the white blood cells, which sounds good for your case. It is also supposed to reduce inflammation, bacteria, and pain, encouraging healing. You may want to check into your local GNC for an Arnica cream or supplement, or if you have any local organic or Whole Foods markets that may be a good bet as well. Keep me posted as to how things go. I'll be interested in what you find works best, but for now that's all I really know. See you around myLot!

HI Elaina,Yes this diet has done absolute wonders for me. I have shifted so must weight but probably also about 5 inches from my wasit. I was not obese or anything but I know that I certainly was overweight. I was what you would call "voluptious" but I was getting bigger and bigger so got myself on the Atkins, the only thing that has ever worked for me and I have slowly been shifting it off. This is the smallest I have been in years, maybe even since an early teen. When I do get back on a normal eating plan I am going to strictly eat healthy with lots of vegatables and fruit. If I continued to eat the way I was before then I would end up putting it all back on. Well yes, my bruising is very bad. The doctor says I test low for platlets, whatever they are but I have always been like this since I was young. It all started from that blood disorder. I asked my Mum the name of it but she couldn't remember. She said it was three initials though that it is known by. The bruising does come up very black but the thing that really gets me is how sore it is. Like say I nudge my leg against a table to slide it out the way, then I am i complete agony for hours. Anything more than a touch and I can really feel it. Well I bumped the side of knee last night and I don't know if it is because it is swollen but I am very aware of it when just walking. I have used Arnica before. When I was drinking and falling over alot I used to rub it on my bruises morning and night but to be honest, I don't think it did anything. The last time I used it I had infact fallen on my face and my cheek was black. I used Arnica but I felt like the bruise just took the same amount of time. I think though I will head down to the pharmacy and pick some of this stuff up, you know Arnica and the vitamins. It has really got to do something. I have a pic here that will freak you out a bit but just have a look. Basically I cut my arm last year and ended up with stitches. Look at the picture of it the next day.... I just realised that this picture is not very good. It is the only one that I have access to on my laptop. Everythinng else is on the computer.

I heard something like that recently about a certain food and medication. I can't remember what it was though. Damn! Yeah but basically if you were to eat this certain food while taking a certain medication then the mellolin(?) in your skin could go wrong and end up with brown patches. Thanks for that list of food and when I am off this damn diet I swear that I will eat one of them every day.