[indiegrlx]

Since i've been on my diet i've started to get a lot of bruises lately. I'm terribly clumsy to start with, but i haven't been running into anything hard lately. I've never eaten a ton of red meat but what I did eat I cut back on because what I was eating wasn't healthy. I eat more chicken and fish than anything else. I just end up with these mysterious bruises here and there. A while back when I was still heavy I talked to my boyfriend's coworkers (all of whom are nurses) and they told me i could try and iron suppliment but that i would most likely always have some bruises like that, that would just appear. My boyfriend suggested that my diet may be making me anemic. Any suggestions, thoughts, ect?

[nelie]

I follow a vegan diet and I've never had any bruising issues. Do you take a multivitamin? Do you eat green leafy veggies? How is your diet overall?

I was just looking at a website which said lack of vitamin c can cause bruising.

[Hamoco350]

I've only had a handful of people ask me that before, and every time we tried something for them, they stillgot bruises. It was downright frustrating.. one of them did end up being anemic, and the other two still searched for the right supplement.

What has finally helped one of them, a lady from upstate, is vitakim K. Apparently, she had some trouble with her blood clotting abnormally, and the K really straightened her out. Her doc was afraid she had von Willebrand's disease, but thankfully it wasn't that serious.

I really urge you to see a doctor, though. I don't want to be Mrs. Serious, but a friend of mine started getting bruises all over her body, honestly not even realizing she had them until she showered/changed clothes/etc. She initially had leukemia. Easy bruising can be a sign of something worse.

[Hamoco350]

On a lighter note, it's highly possible that you just have a vitamin deficiency of some sort. Bruising can be a sign of malnutrition. Pick up a multi and see how that helps.

I still recommend the doc, though.

[indiegrlx]

i don't normally take a vitamin simply because they normally make me sick. I've tried a lot of them so it isn't just one vitamin that does it. If i do take vitamins they are children's chewables (don't make me sick) I have always bruised easy but i've just seen one or two more in the last few weeks. I'm not covered in bruises though. And yes I eat vegetables ect ect ect.

[Hamoco350]

I guess I misunderstood. I thought you said you were getting a lot of bruises lately.

I still think seeing a doctor is important.

[Altari]

I've always bruised easily, but it takes a lot to break the skin. I've nicked my finger with a knife and ended up with a killer bruise, but not cut, hehe. That could just be how your skin is.

On the flip side, any kind of vitamin deficiency can cause bruising. Vitamin K and Iron, as mentioned. A Vitamin C deficiency will interfere with the absorption of iron. Many people are B12 deficient, which can cause damage to the red blood cells, and this is a hard vitamin to absorb. Folic Acid, another B-family vitamin, also plays a key role in the health of red blood cells and a deficiency (also common) can cause easy bruising.

Of course, as Hamoco said, it's really important to see a doctor about it. It could be nothing (as in my case, my skin is just thick but will bruise rather than cut), it could be a vitamin deficiency that you've always had due to an imbalanced diet or it could be a mild-to-severe blood/liver disorder [highly unlikely, I'd like to add].

As a final note though...move everything away from your bed. :P For weeks, I was sure I had leukemia. I would find random, bizarre, nonsensical bruises on my arms and legs. When I finally told my husband, he said, "Oh, I thought you knew. You toss and turn and hit the night stand every night." He went on to tell me that every night I went to the washroom, without fail, I'd hit my leg on the dresser. D'oh...

[KrisR]

I had about a year of extremely horrible bruising on my forearms. I would not only bruise at the slightest pressure to my arms but I would bleed with the least of abrasions.

My GP sent me to a blood specialist who ran every test known to man (cancer, bleeding disorders, cushings disease were all ruled out). He told me the only thing he could attribute it to was old age (I'm only 50 for pete's sake) and that I shouldn't worry about it.

Oddly enough, it has 100% cleared up in the last 2-3 months. Other than a daily healing meditation (I know, I know.....wooo wooo to many) the only changes I have made is to virtually eliminate coconut oil from my diet (I was using about 3 Tablespoons per day) and I upped my carbs from a very low/ketogenic level to about 80-100 carbs per day.

I know....many people have no problems with coconut oil or VLC diets and I'm not one to say that either are bad. I can only be aware that when I changed those two things, my bruising/bleeding issues went away.

I agree with the previous poster though.....it's not something to ignore.

[paradoxx]

Another thing to consider is low potassium. When you make a significant diet change, it can really throw off your potassium levels and that can cause crazy bruising. I went through that when I tried Adkins and totally gave up bananas. I used to joke that the bruise fairy came and visited me every night.

[garnetrising]

Originally Posted by indiegrlx

i don't normally take a vitamin simply because they normally make me sick.

Not exactly related to your initial question, but I'm the same way. Even cutting a regular size vitamin in half still makes me sick to my stomach. What I take now is the same thing I took growing up - Flintstones Complete. They may be market for children, but they work just the same for adults and it's the only thing that my stomach can handle.

[mandalinn82]

Gummi vitamins work, often, for those who can't take regular vitamins without getting nauseous.

You definitely might want to check with a doctor on the bruising. It's possible it's something minor...but you want to be sure. Any major diet change can mess with vitamin balances and etc.

[JayEll]

If you take vitamins on an empty stomach, nausea is practically guaranteed. Take them only with a meal--that might clear up the symptoms.

Jay