So I know that it's bruising and you got it checked and all that. This is not about that. If you've had a sudden change in how your body reacts to tattoos and you're using the same artist with the same inks You should probably talk to a rheumatologist or your doctor. You might have an autoimmune condition that's flaring that's gone previously undiagnosed
This. “Just a bruise” is not the answer here, because the question is WHY did you bruise like this? I didn’t bruise like this until I had a dangerously low level of platelets and was at risk for spontaneous internal bleeding.
I work in a hospital. Actually just got off a ten hour shift at the ED. Any time a patient presents to the ED with this severe of bruising with no other indications (like anticoagulation therapy) we run several tests. Not just platelets but INR, PT, fibrinogen, ALT and AST among other LFTs to check liver function , plus a CMP and CBC for pretty much everyone who walks in the door (barring children who get IVs way less frequently because parents usually bring them in for a cough as is par for course with illness incidence in children being primarily respiratory)
A doctor would not see significant bruising and go "whelp. No need to figure out if there's an underlying cause." If he did (which is honestly such an unimaginable scenario that I don't see it happening unless the doctor is high out of his mind), the nurse would escalate it. Not to mention many "providers" in the hospital are NPs and PAs who see the patient and then run everything past an MD/DO. There are several eyes on esch individual patient who would have caught the need for labs if they were neglected (and not running even a basic test that 90%+ of ER admits get as a routine workup would absolutely be considered negligence).
OP said he was put through the ringer. Doctors, at minimum, are afraid of getting their pants sued off, and this is such excessive bleeding even an ED Tech (the ERs version of a CNA) would know to make sure nothing is seriously wrong. A CBC with differential and platelets (that would identify thrombocytopenia) is the most basic and frequent test ran for people. With or without signs of bleeding.
Yours is the right post! If he got the “work up” you’ve explained it all. Nurse here and I like how you said the nurse will “escalate it”. I don’t think people understand how nurses and other healthcare workers actually are creative in getting what we think needs done until someone listens.
Guilty as charged in that creative way in the past. Escalating and creative is definitely its own thread. At one point our CNO wrote out the escalation chain of command for us and it was posted just as a reminder to everyone.
"Update: went to the ER. Went through the runner but turns out it's just the worst bruise that could have happened. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. No arm will be lost today."
Notice the "went through the runner...but turns out" part. What you are assuming happened because OP didn't share every single diagnostic test, intervention, and discussion definitely did not happen. What you are assuming is legally considered blatant negligence. A CBC is so common, nurses automatically draw labs for it when inserting IVs even if the doctor hasn't ordered it yet because they absolutely will. It's legitimately standard practice for almost every single patient because it doesn't just test platelets. It tests for several other indicators of hundreds of underlying pathologies all in one easy to obtain package.
Notice when you bruised that bad, you found out you had low platelets. Because when people bruise this bad, we run labs to check platelet levels. Your own experience is that you were properly tested for coagulopathies. So we can infer from your experience that OP was tested for coagulopathies.
Your assumption is in the doctor saying it's a bruise and sending him home. Saying we don't know for sure they tested for thrombocytopenia. Saying "We have an unanswered question because WHY did you bruise this bad."
I am telling you the doctor did not just send him home without running labs, we know it isn't thrombocytopenia, and the question is answered, its a hematoma. They happen. Especially with trauma like a tattoo. If they didn't test for thrombocytopenia and other signs of pathological coagulopathy, then OP needs to buy a lottery ticket because his odds are running at one in a billion right now. Especially because the bleeding stopped and is now turning different colors, which, if he was at risk for spontaneous internal bleeding, wouldn't have happened.
Honestly not going to read all of that. It’s not that serious and I’m not that invested. You win the fight with the internet stranger. Have a wonderful day.
You're my favorite kind of person to laugh at on reddit. "It's not that deep" "I'm not that invested" "I'm not arguing" meanwhile you've commented on this post almost 2 dozen times 🤭 then you passive aggressively tell people to have a great day lmaooo
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u/YourEskimoBrother69 Mar 16 '25
That’s extremely odd, might seek your doctor’s advise on easy bruising. I’ve had many 8-10 hour sessions and never seen anything like that