Will the GP think I am bonkers if I tell him I am bruising really badly and easily but my current large bruise appears to have come from no fall.

[TheOriginalFAB]

I am seeing him tomorrow for a follow up after my asthma attacks the other week and you are not allowed to ask about 2 things at one appointment. I am wondering if I could get away with saying I was meant to be coming for my asthma but that is fine so can we talk bruises instead. He is a very scary doctor.

I'm sure I don't need to tell you that stress releases histamine that will trigger asthma.
If you are stressed for long periods of time it can cause real upset physically in your body and will manifest in a number of ways
Is your ankle swollen at all? (the one with the bruise)

If you need to please don't hold back from mentioning both issues. As others have said you have two symptoms, how are you to know whether they are related or not ? In any case sounds as though they are both in need of attention. Treat it as practice in assertiveness if you like and consider various ways of doing it.
eg mention you have two problems from the outset, or just drop it in in a "one more thing" way at the end, or somewhere in the middle eg. could it be a side-effect of medication ?

Possibly try to introduce an element of humour about it in your own mind. Feel a little rebellious about their silly rule and notices.
Don't let him scare you ! HTH

The bruise is on the back of my leg. I have one above it too but I know how I did that one.

It was platelets I was thinking of. The medication could be having an impact on your body and needs to be investigated.

But please dont thiink the worst and DONT GOOGLE ANYTHING. It could be just this medication and they may need to change it.

Googling highlights many symptons that are so similar for so many different prognosis's and you can focus on one and it be completely wrong.

The bruising does need to be checked, especially if it appeared out of nowhere (you didnt bang your leg did you?)

Go in with a written list of ALL YOUR SYMPTONS and present it as being one problem

That's the thing. I don't remember banging my leg and they were both hurting when I was walking up the stairs and the next day I saw the bruise.

I wouldn't bother googling ITP as I can recire them for you (bruising, bleeding gums, rash which doesn't disappear when glass applied) but you could have any number of things or in fact nothing at all. Just for a laugh I will uploads my bruising photos for your comparison but bear in mind my platelet count was zero at this point!

there you go profile made visible with bruising... I am expert at bruising [proud of somehting ridiculous emoticon]

Imo your breathing probably isn't normal because you're panicking a bit. Also, if the bruise is only in one area I'd say its UNLIKELY to be anything to worry about but yes, mention it.

You say you're on antid, are they for helping with anxiety too? (Hope you don't mind me asking)

Ouch, those bruises look painful . Mine are not as bad as that. I have always bruised easily and couldn't always explain why, but dh said I haven't been as bad as this before.

I am on ADs for depression but though don't help me stop being a worrier.

I am waiting on news today so trying to keep busy and not cry.

I bruise very easily as does my dm. I often have large bruises I haven't a clue where they came from. I was told as long as they are on limbs it's not usually a concern. If you're getting multiple (or large bruises) on torso or uncommon sites it's more of a concern. Someone I knew found he had leukaemia when he was getting lots of bruises inside his mouth.

I have to have blood tests done on Wednesday. The GP has requested full blood count and clotting screening. Bit scared tbh.

I know its scary (been there!) just try to remember that the most likely scenario is either nothing at all or something really easily treated. In case it helps - my bruises were not at all painful. They were very scary but not at all painful because the pain is caused by tissue damage when you knock the area, my bruises were caused by a total inability to clot and caused by such mino things - the pictured bruises were caused by having blood taken and having a plaster put on (which then got worse when the plaster was taken off).

Lots of people walk around with platelets half what is considered to be "normal" and they don't bother treating it because your platelet count has to drop quite low before it becomes dangerous. They would probably just keep an eye on it. And that even assumes its low platelets causing the problem.

DeWe - I too had bruises inside my mouth and on my lips and my nose bled when I blew it (I mean really bled not dribble)

Hi FAB. Don't be daunted by Dr Scary and his one problem, one appointment issues. As others have pointed out the bruising could be due to the asthma or the medications so you need to tell the doctor that you think the two things are linked. Say something like, My asthma is fine/not too bad (or whatever you want) but I am wondering if it might be the cause of these bruises'

It is up to him whether or not they are actually linked but you would be fully justified in mentioning it even if you don't really feel they might be related.

That policy annoys me too. We have it our surgery but they don't go on about it thankfully. It is daft because how are you supposed to know if symptoms are related? That is their job to decide unless you go in to have your asthma sorted and then start talking about an ingrowing toenail which clearly aren't related. Often it isn't as simple as one problem one appointment.

Hope it goes well.

I really hate having blood taken.

Sorry looks like I have misunderstood your last post and you have already been to the doctors.

I nearly passed out first time I had blood taken so when I had it done the first time when pregnat with DS1 I told the nurse this and she said try to relax (ha, ha) but more importantly, keep talking. Whilst you are talking you aren't paying attention to what is going on. It works even if you feel a bit foolish and I am a lot calmer about it now. Worth a try.

(I still can't look though.)

FAb - sorry but how much do you hate it? Can you try hypnotherapy? I get 9 vials of blood taken each timebut at least these days its one needle vs the old days when each bottle required a new needle (ouch!)

If you go to a hospital for it trained phlebotomists are generally excellent and you can hardly feel it.

Oh, I never look and I ask them to talk to me about anything at all. They are usually really kind and it is over so quickly I feel daft.

I think the idea is that you do the talking so that you don't hyperventilate and so you are distracted. Them talking is only a distraction if you are listening but you can tune it out if you really get scared/upset.

Lots of people hate injections/having blood taken so it can't be that daft! Even I don;t relish it and I am well used to it (childhood illnesses) and I do watch - to make sure they aren't aiming at anything they shouldn't! Thats really just as daft isn't it!

Not daft. Brave!

Both the nurse and I talk. I need to make sure I am calm as anything that makes me anxious at the moment is setting off my asthma.

Well, I hope you strike lucky and get somebody who is an expert. I went to a blood taking clinic once. I sat in the chair, had the strap put on, waited for her to get on with it and then she said I could go. I was a bit confused for a few moments - why am i being sent away when you haven't even done it yet and she said she had. Bloody marvellous.

I have good veins though.... apparently

That is brilliant!

I have been told I have good veins so heres hoping.

Hi fab, have you had any feedback from the doctor? How are your bruises?

Blood tests were fine. Bruises are going. I plan to book an appointment once I get chance. Things are mad busy at the moment.