Thursday Thirteen #451

 Me fall down go boom. In late January I fell down at work and landed hard on my forearm. It left me with a big lump and a multi-colored bruise, and its progression toward healing has fascinated me.

1. A bruise happens when blood vessels break but the skin isn't broken.

2. My bruise is a hematoma, caused when a large amount of blood pools under the skin and causes a lump.

 

3. That big lump is my body's way of breaking down the blood that's collected there.

 

4. It could take months for the lump to fully heal and disappear. 

 

5. I should have elevated my arm right after I fell. Since my arm tends to hang at my side, the blood flowed down toward my fingertips, and the injury. Raising it would have slowed the flow. I did not do this. Because that would have inconvenient – I was at the store – and since it really didn't hurt very much, I didn't bother. I'm an idiot.

 

6. Had I iced it right after I fell, the lump may not have grown so big. I didn't do that, either. Again, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed.

 

7. After two days, I applied a heating pad a couple times a day for a few minutes at a time. Finally! I did something right! Heat can gradually break down the lump and speed healing.

 

8. OTC pain relievers like ibuprofen can help with pain and reduce swelling. I did do this at bedtime the first night I had the bruise. 

 

9. Some websites recommend applying arnica cream to reduce pain and discoloration. I didn't take this advice. I don't have any, the bruise never really hurt that much, and I've kind of enjoyed watching the changes of the colors.

   

10. My bruise started out as dark purple. Now it's mostly brown with a little blue in spots. Other common bruise colors are red and green.

 

11. The color changes as the body reabsorbs the blood.

12. Women bruise more easily than men. It's a hormone thing. Our skin tends to be a little thinner.

 

13. Because I'm (gulp) a senior citizen, my skin is thinner still and provides even less protection to blood vessels.

 

How about you? Do you have any visible bruises right now?

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.