Post Op. Question
 

Hi All,

I have a question for those who have had surgery. Since my surgery I notice that I bruise more easily on my surgical side. I didn't do this before surgery. At times when I bruise, I will develop swelling very quicky, and then it turns into a large bruise, for example I slammed my hand in a dresser drawer and developed an egg sized lump that eventually covered the whole top of my hand. It has happened in less severe ways before, like bumping a finger into a counter or something. My TOS is Neurogenic and yet I really notice what seem to be vascular changes,

Any one else experienced any thing similar like this??

Thanks so much!!
G~

Gromlily

Cannot say I have experienced that...do wonder if this is maybe due to some medications....are you are steroids as these will make you bruise more easily, or blood thinners? Unusual why just on specific side..

Foxed me on that one, has doc got an answer for that...would investigate your meds and ask question .

Hx

Hi Hx
 

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. No Steroids or blood thinners. I haven't asked my Dr. yet. I just had the thought yesterday. I decided to run it by everyone here first, I see my Dr. next week.


Maybe I'm wrong, maybe the slams and bumps were worse than I thought. I don't have the same sense of perception that I had pre-injury and am definitely clutzier with that hand. :eek:

Thanks for the things to consider though!

G~

I think you may have noticed something
 

I think after surgery the body may not be able to handle inflammation as it did before surgery. I think if you feel like you bruise more easily than that might be possible after having surgery.

Surgery requires more nutrition to heal, I think. You may be low in something now as a result of your body trying to recover from the surgery. The obvious one that comes to mind is vitamin K. Usually vitamin K can cause easy bruising or bloody noses sometimes. This may or may not be the case for you because most vitamin K is from bacteria in your GI tract. Is it possible that your eating has changed because of the surgery? Were you given an antibiotics that may have killed off that bacteria? This is one possibility.

It may be possible that your body is just trying to recover and it might be something more general, like a problem with inflammation right now. I like to recommend that people consider using digestive enzymes for inflammation. The proteolytic pancreatic enzymes are best for imflammation. Most people are aware of bromelain and its anti-inflammatory capabilities, but bromelain is just one of many enzymes for this problem. But, bromelain and enzymes are great for healing after surgery and can help with inflammation problems.

I use enzymes for this purpose and take them with meals and also on an empty stomach. Taking them on an empty stomach means they get into your bloodstream to go to work on other parts of your body besides your GI tract. I can notice changes in inflammation when I lower the dose. I wake up with more puffiness around my eyes, and I have a problem with hemmoroids that seems to come on go depending on my enzyme levels.

If you think you noticed that you bruise more easily then I think you probably are. I think the body may not be in the same shape it was before the surgery. It is good to notice these little changes and try to handle them on your own, if you can. Make sure your are is good and consider some extra efforts to help with the recovery from surgery. After surgery there are different things that can help, nutritional supplements, enzymes, homeopathic remedies, herbs, etc.

Of course it is good to talk to your doctor about this on your next visit. But making an appointment just for this is probably not an effective use of your time or money.

Grom,

I was put on an anti-inflammatory for the rib re-section, for the acute inflammation following surgery. I stayed on it for months though, as no one told me to discontinue it. I don't think ordinary anti-inflammatories do anything for the type of nerve inflammation we TOSers have in the BP/ thoracic outlet area, that is chronic and doesn't respond to them.

Anyway, after some months I noticed easy bruising whenever I bumped myself, bruises that got terrible-looking and stayed for weeks, and anytime I had blood taken there were some type of problem.

When I went back for the pec minor surgery six months post-op from the rib re-section, the pre-op tech found a vein ( for anesthesiologist), only for it to blow, then had a hard time getting bleeding to stop. Dr A. and the anesthesiologist took over. ;)

At follow-up I asked him if anti-inflammatory could be responsible for these things, and if I could go off it, and he agreed. There is no long-term benefit from long term use of an anti-inflammatory, I believe, and I think it was responsible for the bruising and other vascular-type sx I experienced as they cleared up completely once I was no longer on it.

I don't know if this is the case for you, but if you are still on an anti-inflammatory, you might want to speak to your Dr about discontinuing it and see if these events stop.

beth :)

Thanks for your suggestions!
 

I apreciate the feedback! I am not taking anti -inflammatories regularly, however I do take Norco on bad days. That could be it.

Also I was on antibiotics in July, that was awhile back. I think my diet has not been the best these last few weeks. That could be a factor too.

More good ideas from you both!!

Thanks and take Care,
G~

I also have a problem with bruiising following the rib resection. My bruises are like blood ruptured veins under the skin. I have asked several doctors during my normal visits and they seem to think it could be from the anti-inflammatory-800 ibuprofen I take for the residual swelling along my scalene muscles. I guess I will discontinue them and see what happens.

Thanks Sandy,
 

It is good to know that somone else knows what I'm talking about.

I think I wll pay closer attention to my meds and see what happens.

Best wishes!

G~

how long since surgery??
 

I have had sx july 05 and just started noticing in the last three months or so easy bruising and large bumps with the bruises. I am on lyrica and flexaril but these dont seem to have been the culprit as I have been on them for a while. no answers from my doctor about it. I have no idea what causes it but I am a major clutz and bump into things a lot they just turn the most horrible colours and stay for ages......no answers...

Victoria

I haven't had surgery
 

and I bruise SO EASY. The day before yesterday, I bumped my arm into the TV. I have a straight line bruise from my elbow to my knuckles, and it burns like fire. My arm is swollen along that line, and I can't stand to have it touched. I have always bruised fairly easily, but not this easily. My DH says it looks like I have been beaten. He is quite concerned about it and is asking me to go to the Dr. to ask about it. I will let you know what he has to say.

Thanks you guys!!
 

There has to be something to this!!

Victoria, like you I get a huge lump under the skin that eventually turns into a large bruise. I am clutzy too especially on my surgical side, which happens to be the left as I am left handed. I have been that way since my injury. I think the clutziness is called prioprociptation or something along those lines.( Beth woud probably know!!) We aim for something but our hand doesn't go where we we want it to, thanks to good old TOS!

Trix, please let me know what the Dr. says. I'd be curious to hear what he thinks!

Hope all have a good day!!
G~

I'm not as klutzy as I was, maybe my brain's rewiring? And my worst bruising WAS post-op, though it did get much better after I got off the anti-inflammatory, so I think that helped. But it makes sense in a way, if we have circulatory problems, with slow blood flow return from the arms and Reynaud's Syndrome (or something like it) that there would be easy bruising. And these lumps are what? Burst capillaries or veins?

Grom, the word you want is proprioception, our sense of proprioception is impaired. Here's a link:

http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionar...proprioception


Interesting it talks about the Alexander Technique! Also that it's located in the inner ear, when so many of us complain of "noisy" ears. I was affected pretty dramatically at first by my reaction to the tetanus toxoid. After that wore off I gradually developed the "TOS klutzies" LOL!

beth

Thanks Beth!!!
 

I knew you'd know!! Wow, that is interesting about the Alexander technique!! And I too suffer from the noisy ears!! It makes sense to me that I am even more clutzy when my ears are especially sensitive!

When I first was injured I regularly would hear breaking glass like sounds at the beginning of words or sounds. It drove me crazy. Now there is a continual ringing,cracking and stuffiness. I only get the breaking glass sounds with a migraine like headache.

And I definitely have the Reynauds like symptoms, especialy in my toes! :eek:

Thanks so much, this is beginning to make sense!!

((Hugs ))
G~ :)

Raynaud's causes one to feel numb and cool in response to cold temperatures or stress. It's really a disorder of the blood vessels that supply blood to your skin.

During a Raynaud's attack, these arteries narrow, limiting blood circulation to affected areas. Since this is how Raynaud's works, with a lack of blood supply to the area, the brusing wouldn't happen and doesn't happen with Raynauds. You need blood to cause brusing. Even with the blood flow coming back the the area when the attack happens, it won't cause brusing. Maybe look for another cause.

Do you take aspirin? Sometimes other drugs can cause this too.

No...
 

I don't ever take aspirin. And the bruising isn't in my fingers or toes, it is on my arms and legs mostly. Occasionally trhe back of my hand, as in this incident that I initiated the thread about.

I understand Reynauds, and have been diagnosed with it by Dr. Ellis and several other Dr.'s since my injury, and it is another condition recognized as being associated with Tos. It causes coldness, and discoloration as well as painfulness to the extremeties.

Thanks for your input though.
G~