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Sudden bruising all over my body??

I am 17 years old, and in the past 3-4 days I've developed a total of about 40 bruises all over my body, mainly my lower legs and arms, and a couple on my hip. About 20 small ones are in a big cluster on my shin. I've been diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia before from prolonged periods, but that was about a year and half ago, and I've NEVER had bruising anywhere close to this before. They don't hurt either and I have no idea where they came from. The sight of them in the mirror startles me, because they're everywhere. Ive also been feeling very dizzy especially when standing, run down, and cold all of the time. I can also tell my immune system has weakened, because Ive been getting slightly congested with canker sores all over my mouth in the past couple weeks. It's all been making me kind of nervous, but a doctor isn't very accessible to us. Any thoughts?
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363281 tn?1643235611
Hello~I understand that a doctor is not accessable, but I really think you need to see one for a complete blood work up. Sometimes bruises can be due to leukemia or other serious blood disorders, not always, but, it is best to have this checked. None of us are doctors here, although you have gotten some very good answers,  but the best answer will be from your physician.

I hope you feel better soon.
Helpful - 0
1081992 tn?1389903637
"What I'm worried about is that the anemia WASN'T the cause of the bruising in the past and it all came on over the past few days."

Yes, the sudden onset is the feature that stands out. Did you happen to have a very bad cold before this?


"Ive also been feeling very dizzy especially when standing..."

If not from a virus cold, and you are not dehydrated or currently anemic, then you can look into "Orthostatic Intolerance" in which the blood pools in the legs.

If you happen to be very flexible and/or have very stretchy skin, look into Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, in which a connective tissue disorder can involve OI and also make for fragile blood vessels that bruise/bleed too easily.


Usually, for easy bruising/bleeding, you'd look at:
-- platelets being too few or too inactive
-- coagulation proteins being too few in the blood. They are made in the liver.
-- fragile blood vessels. Do you get enough vit C, magnesium, vit K, B12?


Also, for sudden onset: were you recently taking lots of blood thinners, such as aspirin, fish oil, vit E or any herbs?


Overall, can the "prolonged periods" (bleeding), iron deficiency anemia and easy bruising all be from a B12 deficiency? You're not a vegan, right?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I get cankers all over the mouth too and they just go away so you can't attribute them to a weak system. Actually you have no idea how your immune system is working, because no one else does either without medical diagnosis, so you should have a doc look at all this bruising instead of just guessing you are able to diagnose since it could be serious.
Since you say a doc isn't easily accessible, then I understand why you are trying to guess the answer but I don't think it is a good idea to not get looked at, especially if you haven't had an iron check recently which you indicate was the cause of the spots in the past.
Helpful - 0
2 Comments
yes I suppose you're right about seeing a doctor. What I'm worried about is that the anemia WASN'T the cause of the bruising in the past and it all came on over the past few days. Thanks for the advice though
Bruises will likely go away in a few weeks, so maybe just keep an eye on it to make sure it is going away. Are you supposed to get regular anemia checks or did the doc give advice on what to do?
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