RANDOM BLOOD VESSEL BREAKS

[Sing]

For the past eight years maybe four times a year? a vein breaks, seemingly from no cause. These have been in my lower legs, feet and hands. It feels like a stick into a vein from a larger guage needle. Then a pool of blood forms under the skin and a bruise shows up the next day. There is a puffed out area filled with fluid after it happens. I have a very few varicosities and have also developed small fiber neuropathy in recent years. I haven't taken any aspirin for years and no NSAIDS for well over a year. The pills I am on have varied during the eight years, but the type and frequency of these same bleeds has stayed the same.

Does anyone else get these or have any ideas about what might be causing them?

Thanks,

Sing

 

[Sparrow]

I haven't had exactly what you've described, but I used to get something similar in my eyes all the time. Sharp stabbing pain, then there would be a very promenant "burst blood vessel" looking red wiggle in that eye. They've died down now - seemed to be very common in phases, then not as common in others. I haven't identified why they showed up in the first place.

I also get burst blood vessels in other places (looks like a hickey) from very mild pressure. Again, seems to go in phases where I'm really prone to them.

I've heard burst blood vessels and easy bruising listed as symptoms of high sulfur, or that NADH might help. I limit sulfur, take NADH, and still get them sometimes regardless, though. Would love to know why. I think something is definitely responsible, since they come so consistently for a while, and then go away. I wish I had been keeping better track all along so I could tell what might have changed.

 

[hurtingallthetimet]

ive not really had that in legs..but have had alot of brusing on arms and tops of hands...asked doctor aobut but never really got an answer...but you should has your doctor make sure nothing is going on serious...

 

[taniaaust1]

I dont get what you described..but have at times had bouts of bruising for no reason at all (I hadnt had that thou happening for a while now). I also had the blood vessels in one of my eyes all burst one time for no reason (giving me a hellish looking completely red eye). Ive never felt any like needle stick feel when these things occurred.

ME is known as causing vasculitis ..and I wonder if these issues are something to do with that.

 

[Sing]

Thanks for your responding--makes me feel good and cared about.

Got the bright idea of googling this--"spontaneous bleeding" and learned that the next thing to do is to have a CBC with a platelet count. I didn't know about platelets before, only white or red blood cells. Platelets are in addition to these and are what enable clotting to occur. When the count drops too low, clotting doesn't work well and there are more of these bleeds and bruising. Could be under the skin, in the extremities like the feet and hands, but really anywhere in the body. Most dangerous might be bleeding out more in an accident or bleeding in the brain. So it is important to do something to turn this around, I gathered.

I was interested to hear that one possible cause for a low platelet count is the immune system attacking the platelets. What shows up is more IgG (Will have to look that term up again. IgA? That was the grocery store. Not sure. It is a marker for the immune system flagging platelets to be X-ed out, I think.) A low platelet count is common in certain autoimmune conditions. We are learning how our illness has, or develops, some autoimmune features. Then I read that one of the treatments for low platelet count, depending on its cause, is Rituximab!

Well, I am getting ahead. Next step is to find out if the cause of this spontaneous bleeding is a low platelet count.

 

[Crux]

Hi Sing ;

There can be bleeding problems associated with B12/ Folate deficiencies. Sometimes platelets will be in the low or low normal range.

Folate forms stable compounds with copper and iron, which may help with bleeding problems.

Copper deficiency, even mild, may also make someone prone to a large variety of bleeding problems, including varicose veins, bruising,aneurysms, etc. Copper is a tough one to balance because too much can be toxic and even cause bleeding, but it's still crucial to get enough of it.

http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=10900

http://glutenfreeworks.com/blog/2010/07/28/understanding-copper-deficiency-in-celiac-disease/

 

[Sing]

Thanks, Crux. I don't think I have those deficiencies given the testing I'be had, my diet, etc. Nor do I think my problem is from medications. I found a long list and thought it over. These bleeding events have been happening for years, during which pills and supplements have come and gone. Well, I am going to pursue this as suddenly getting small hematomas on my feet or hands, and long bleeding times, don't suit me at all!

 

[adreno]

Vitamin K deficiency?

 

[Sing]

I don't know that Vit K is the cause, but it seems like part of the solution so I am pushing myself to have more salad. I love salad, it is just that it takes a lot of work to make it.

 

[Sing]

Now I think I understand this symptom as part of the dysautonomia which has been manifesting in many ways. Weakened blood vessels and tissues are part of this. Of course the hypotension problems. Also the lack of sweating. The neuropathy. The inability to produce tears--this stopped all together for some years, then I became able to produce a few only. Difficulty laughing. General lack of oomph--epinephrine and norepinephrine. Anyway, I found a lot of information--it was like hitting the jackpot--when I googled dysautonomia and spontaneous bleeding.

What kind of doctor specializes in dysautonomic symptoms? Anyone know?

 

[Dreambirdie]

What kind of doctor specializes in dysautonomic symptoms? Anyone know?

Ask Sushi. She knows a lot about this.

 

[alex3619]

I am not sure there is a kind of doc who specializes in dysautonomic symptoms. Neurology should be the specialty, but I don't think they are trained right. For cardiac dysautonomia (POTS, NMH) its a cardiologist. If the bleeds are in the skin, a dermatologist might be useful. There is no simple substitute for contacting the doctor directly. One way to do it indirectly though is to see if they have published anything. Google them. If they write about the topic then they know something about it. Bye, Alex

 

[taniaaust1]

What kind of doctor specializes in dysautonomic symptoms? Anyone know?

There isnt a type of doctor as far as I know who specialises in dysautonomia. Its like ME/CFS, one can end up finding a specialist in it in any field so its a nightmare thing to find a doctor for. Ive been to two different heart specialists at different heart clinics and neither of them had even heard of Postural Othostatic Tachycardia Sydrome POTS!!! (and they werent interested in learning anything about it either).

I ended seeing a doctor she was a HEAD PATHOLOGY PROFESSOR of one of the states main hospital who specialises in dysautonomia (and what sucked is even thou she specialised in dysautonomia.. she seemed most of her knowledge was on something called pure autonomic failure and she hadnt even heard of hyperadreneric POTS and wasnt wanting to learn anything about it.. she also didnt have much awareness of ME/CFS and the POTS and gave out recommendations which were useless). That professor who specialises in dysautonomia, works out of the hospitals Ambulatory Dept (ambulatory dept deals with issues related to standing and walking). They dont even do tilt table testing!! so I couldnt even have that.

The one I see now for my dysautonomia and is comfortable treating it (as long as its not too hard to treat) is a GP who is probably my states best CFS specialist, who has learnt about it from his patients. As my case of POTS isnt being properly treatable with just Florinef and medical support stockings, he's now at a loss of what to do for me and mentioned about refering me on. (to who i dont know as far as I know ive seen everyone in my state who has knowledge on it.. I suspect I'll be refered back to that professor who didnt know much about the kind of dysautonomia I have so just dismissed me without even doing a tilt table test and completely ignored the letter from my doctor which said he saw my BP go up to 170 in a minute of standing).

I really wish you to best in finding anyone who can help you with this if this is your issue. I suggest to maybe go to some dysautonomia forums and ask those there if anyone knows of a specialist you could go too.

 

[Sing]

Thank you, my buddies.

I did search around and found a doctor in my area listed on dinet (will check that acronym). This man is a Neurologist who specializes in dysautonomic problems. He did his residency at Mount Sinai in New York, where there is now a CFS center--which I will refer of it to gain legitimacy (How we like illegitimate children trying to gain legitimacy!) Right now, though, I am being checked out by a Hematolgist at the same medical center for the bleeding issue above, so I will ask her for a referral to this neurologist to scope me out for the dysautonomic overview. (Expletive, expletive--I hope I am close ! An accurate reception for what ails me would mean so much, even if there is little which can be done.)

 

[Sing]

The forum for dysautonomic problems is www.dinet.org

I noticed that there are doctors they have listed for Australia who specialize in this--