Comment by Tim on June 28, 2010 at 1:19pm

I've got a monster black and blue bruise on my right thigh for the past 5, 6 days at an injection site. It just happens. I think it's "hitting a vein" though I can't really prove it. Wow is it ugly.

You talk about "Eating all my meals here"... don't know what that means. I did so much better after going to college because I was in charge of my times and meals, not the school. I controlled the horizontal, I controlled the vertical. Oops, maybe you're not old enough to remember The Outer Limits :-)

Comment by chisaki on June 28, 2010 at 1:59pm

My meals at school were fine, I could make my choices. Now that school is out for the summer I eat all of my meals at my aunt's house where I'm staying. She fixes what her family likes which is lots of carbs, almost no veggies or salads. The only place to eat in walking distance is a McDonalds. If I want to go out to eat I would have to take a bus or the trolley.

Comment by marizona007 on June 28, 2010 at 5:53pm

Hi Chisaki and other bruisers...I take Arnica Montana and it helps with bruising. It's found in health food stores and are tiny little round pills that you let melt under your tongue. No side effects, just faster healing of brusing! I don't know if you have a health food store around you Chisaki, but you might be able to ask your pharmacist for somethign too. Here is one website that talks about Arnica Montana:

http://www.ivillage.co.uk/health/comp/herb/articles/0,,181042_18201...

Comment by chisaki on June 28, 2010 at 6:23pm

I looked it up on Wiki and it sounds kind of dangerous if taken internally. Does it upset your stomach?

I would have to ask my father (he is also my doctor) about before I would consider taking it.

Comment by marizona007 on June 28, 2010 at 8:49pm

I think it is dangerous if you ingest the plant form of it, but I wouldn't even know where to get the plant form. The Wikipedia says " Homeopathic preparations of Arnica 24X or more are not toxic as no or negligible amount of Arnica is left after dilution.[6][7]" but you are smart to not jump on a bandwagon and do research! I really swear by it. No, no upset stomach, no side effects except that bruises go away much quicker than if I don't take it when I get a bad bruise. There are things in a regular drug store too that may help you!

Comment by Emmy on June 28, 2010 at 9:52pm

As far as I know Arnica is toxic if ingested and you can't use it on open wounds either. I've seen the homeopathic forms that you are supposed to ingest, but I would never use them. My Dad used some homeopathic remedies once that nearly killed him. They do use toxic substances in some of them, so I just avoid anything homeopathic, and stick with herbal treatments. You do need to research things first.

I do use an Arnica gel for pain relief sometimes. It works. Its for external use only.

However, for bruising I use witch hazel. Its a clear liquid, I just put it in a spray bottle and spritz it on and let it dry. You can also use it in a compress. It makes the bruise look worse for a day or two, but it clear up much faster than without the witch hazel. Its also healing for sprains, strains and sore muscles.

Another thing that helps with nasty bruising is comfrey. You can buy comfrey ointment at health food stores. It great for bruises and even helps speed healing with fractures and broken bones. Comfrey is another herb that can be toxic if the wrong variety is taken internally. Comfrey ointment is safe for external use, which is the only way I'll use it.

I like to spray on the witch hazel and let it dry, then add some comfrey ointment on top of it. When the bruise is not as dark, start using aloe vera gel in place of the witch hazel, or use all three.

I get a lot of bruising because of a bleeding problem, I have several very dark bruises from shots right now, and they are all healing nicely now. Once I start this treatment they really heal fast, compared to the usual.

Comment by chisaki on June 28, 2010 at 10:00pm

I'll get some witch hazel and comfrey ointment tomorrow. I would like to get rid of this bruise before the weekend as I might be going camping at a beach park.

Thanks for the advice.

Comment by Terrie on June 28, 2010 at 10:18pm

Not a good idea to inject onto scar tissue also.

Comment by Brian (bsc) on June 29, 2010 at 4:37am

One thing that I have noticed is that often when I inject, I will know right away when the injection has caused a trauma that will lead to a bruise. You all know the feeling, that awful stinging. When that happens, go right to the fridge, grab an ice cube and compress the injection point. A bruise forms from bleeding, and the bleeding stops within like 30 seconds. If you apply cold and compression to the injury site in those critical 30 seconds, you can markedly minimize bruising.

Usually, I just do the ice trick cause it hurts, but then again, look at my face, I am a total wimp.

ps. It may well be too late for a normal registration, but there are always exceptions to rules. Go right to the school registrar personally. Seek a meeting directly with the registrar and plead your case face to facce. You might be surprised at the result. Think about it.

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