Bruising on child legs with no explanation

[worriedMum1123]

I’m really worried about my daughters legs they have bruising on them. I am of course going to call my GP in the morning but right now I’m going crazy googling and finding all sorts of diseases it could be a sign of. Please tell me if you’ve experienced similar with your kids please. She has been with me all week so no chance of anyone doing this to her. She’s doesn’t remember how it happened and it doesn’t hurt when I touch it. What could be the cause?

@Verbena17
I would find it quite reasssuring if I had a worry, started irrationally panicking, and 99% of posters responded with 'don't be silly'
My worry when my dc were small was meningitis, I used to look forward to my then dh getting home and rolling his eyes at me and saying 'she's just tired.'

I get bruises over my lower legs all of the time, don’t hurt either. It took me years to realise I was banging them on the same spot repeatedly and not even noticing. I have poor spatial awareness and anaemia though, so constantly bang into things and get bruises then wonder how the heck it happened. It’s worth getting her bloods checked but it also might be worth checking if there’s anything in the home she regularly bangs into or kneels on that’s causing them too, and try not to worry! (Easier said than done when it comes to your kids)

‘Easy bruising’ can be a sign of other more serious things as explained by the Mayo Clinic….

They look like old bruises - clue being the yellow and are in a very common place.

both my kids spent their lives with bruises around about there and they never remembered the causes. Kids are clumsy. I wouldn’t be worried but if you are doing ring doctor.

That’s absolutely not true. People abusing the system is a huge problem.

And do you think that would have helped you had she actually had meningitis?

Maybe those of us with a child who had a serious illness whose symptoms were not taken seriously and who were told we were just anxious have a different viewpoint.

What's abusing the system? If I take my child to the GP for a completely innocuous symptom and it is nothing, am I abusing the system? What if I take my child to the GP for a completely innocuous symptom and it is something? Then I'm not abusing the system, right?

🙌

@Verbena17

‘Easy bruising’ can be a sign of other more serious things as explained by the Mayo Clinic….

This seems like normal bruising though. If the child had 'easy bruising' whether indicative of something more serious or not, OP surely would have mentioned that. As it is OP is anxious about what appears to be 2 absolutely normal bruises in a very common place for bruises. In the context of the thread I don't think 'easy bruising' applies.

Obviously 🙄

The point I'm making is that most people don't know if their symptom is anything to be worried about or not before consulting a health professional (not a bunch of randoms on mumsnet).

The glass test will not work on bruising, it's for rashes so it wont tell you anything but will get this lady in even more of a panic when she tests it and realises the bruises remain.

It is to test for damage to blood vessels (from a rash) caused by septicaemia poisoning the blood stream and resulting in small holes/leaks. A bruise by its nature is damage to blood vessels so it probably won't dissappear under a glass.

I don't think there would ever be a day when I could check my kids skin and not find a bruise somewhere. The same with me, and I never know how I've done them!

I understand your worry OP I would be the same, Google can definite an enemy to those of us with an overactive mind. I imagine bruises in unusual places would be more suspect, but just ask your doctor to take a look for reassurance.

Exactly this.

‘Definitely be’

How would any of us know that ? 🤔
For example, my own child’s easy bruising started at around age 11, when other health issues also came to light. Whether or not they were all connected is unknown but my point of posting the Mayo Clinic reference, was to illustrate that ‘easy bruising’ can start suddenly and can have an underlying cause.

I’d get her checked over at the GP if you’re worried. A blood test will rule out a number of different things

The chances are they are just normal bruises but it will give you some reassurance

I found a number of small lumps in my sons neck when he was quite young - think pea sized and there were tons of them. I literally feared the worst. ENT referral and they were totally ruled out as being anything to worry about just on an examination.

Try to not worry

@Verbena17

How would any of us know that ? 🤔

We don't, but neither would a GP, with no other bruises or indicators and they won't be doing any investigations based on 2 bruises.

For example, my own child’s easy bruising started at around age 11, when other health issues also came to light.

So not just a couple of normal leg bruises then.

Whether or not they were all connected is unknown but my point of posting the Mayo Clinic reference, was to illustrate that ‘easy bruising’ can start suddenly and can have an underlying cause.

Right, but in the absence of any other indicators, this is just a couple of bruises.

So watch and wait would commonly apply.

Has she been to a playground? If she's been climbing steps to get up a slide it's where you'd bump your legs. I forever have bruises there as we have a bed that low down and has a wooden surround shin height, I'm always walking into it, took me ages to work out it was that, my husband was forever asking me what I'd done and I had no idea, couldn't remember bumping them. I'd assume she's bumped them and forgot, unless she got random bruises on other part of her body in the next couple if weeks I'd assume she bumped them and can't remember. If you google it you'll probably get it's a sign of leukemia or something serious, our friends had that panic and all the tests, the conclusion was she bruised easily.

My friend's GP absolutely did investigate based on 2 bruises, because they were massive and my friend pointed out her child hadn't done anything to warrant them. They appeared just after a long car journey so she couldn't have knocked them herself.

Thank goodness they did investigate. Unless you're a doctor yourself, you don't know what they would or wouldn't do. And even then different doctors approach things differently. Some are more cautious than others.

Why be so set in stone and adamant that the OP is over reacting?
How does it effect you if the OP gets her DD’s bruises checked out?

Why be so set in stone and adamant that the OP is over reacting?

How does it effect you if the OP gets her DD’s bruises checked out?

It doesn't. OP posted asking for advice. The rest of it is back and forth conversation. My opinion hasn't changed over the course of the thread so obviously I'm going to seem 'adamant' - just giving my POV tbh.

A one instance of unexplained bruising with no other symptoms, you just note and ignore. Maybe they kicked the bed in the night when they were asleep.

3 occurrences you could go to the doctors. If it's one off, it's such a waste of everyone's time and preventing genuinely sick people accessing medical care.

Which wouldn’t qualify as wasting time.

wasting time is when you turn up at A&E with a sore toe that’s been bothering you for two weeks.

or month old back ache.

or taking a 5 year old to the Gp with a fever and a cough they’ve had for one day.