Earlier today my husband tripped on his sandals while going down some steps. He landed on his butt hard and he weighs about 200 lbs.
Over the past several hrs the spot he fell on has turned into an unbelievably hard knot and is dark purple. It is on his upper butt cheek. I wouldn't be so concerned but the flesh on the one butt cheek is soo hard. I have never felt or seen anything like it. He says it hurts really bad.
Could this be serious? It feels as hard as a watermelon and cover about 5 inches by 7 inches.
We have no insurance so i hope it is not serious.
Posted by Razzle (Member # 30398) on :
Ice
Rest
Homeopathic Arnica (the pellets, taken 2 under the tongue as often as needed, for pain, bruising, shock, injury)
Rescue Remedy (can rub this right on the injury location as long as the skin is not broken; can put a drop on each wrist and each temple, rub it in, or can put 2 drops in a glass of water and sip)
And if you still aren't sure what to do, try to find a 24-hour nursing hotline to call and ask.
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
First aid for a contusion is to apply ice and chill the area. Make up an ice pack, and apply for 20 to 30 minutes, each hour or two.
From what you describe, it sounds like there was some bleeding in the muscle.
After 24 hours, you can apply hot compresses, 30 minutes every two hours. This will help increase blood circulation to the area so that the injured cells can heal.
If you have an LED light therapy unit, or a pulsed magnetic therapy unit, now is the time to use them. Either of these will reduce inflammation and speed healing.
In the hospital, we made up an ice pack using a latex glove, crushed ice, and water. We put some ice into the glove from the crushed ice maker in the fridge, a little water, and fastened the wrist closed with a rubberband.
Then we folded the glove into a paper towel, and taped that down around it. The towel kept the ice from freezing the skin, and absorbed condensation.
Posted by gigimac (Member # 33353) on :
Thank you guys for the info! I hope this doesn't seem like a dumb question but I have never seen or felt a bruise that got so hard that it doesn't even feel like flesh anymore.
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
Does your husband take any medications that would delay blood coagulation?
That's a possible reason for the bleeding.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Carol... No chance of his having a blood clot there?
Posted by Sammi (Member # 110) on :
I think it should be checked out to be safe.
My husband recently whacked his shin really hard on a concrete wall. It no time, the area swelled to the size of a baseball. We left the event and went to an urgent care.
Did your husband scrape the skin or get any kind of a cut? If so, he should get a tetnus shot if he has not had one.
I agree about making sure there is no clot. My husband was told not to take anything that would thin the blood for a few days. Believe it or not, this includes garlic.
Posted by steve1906 (Member # 16206) on :
No he does not take any medicine that would delay blood coagulation. but I have noticed that he bruises very easily so I guess a hard hit would really bruise.
No, Thank goodness he did not get cut at all. How would one know if there is a clot? Just avoid anticoagulants?
Thanks for all the input everyone, we are considering going to urgent care.
Posted by OtterJ (Member # 30701) on :
GigiM, have you checked out any free clinics? Many couunty clinics are sliding scale. I think you
might try calling social services, tell them you are too poor to afford insurance, x-rays, any
diagnostics, etc. Start now in case it takes a few days to get into
see someone. Even sliding scale would be important. If this thing progresses, you need to have your
ducks in a row. Coccyx-es are very easy to break, too.
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
Gigimac, was your husband able to apply ice within the first 24 hours? Now he needs hot compresses every couple hours, and it can be difficult to get a person to do this, as it's tedious and boring.
You can read through this info about hematomas, and the sections with patient comments are interesting too.
Gigimac-How would one know if there is a clot? Just avoid anticoagulants?
To the best of my knowledge; the Common symptoms include swelling, redness or discoloration, warmth, and pain.
Posted by Carol in PA (Member # 5338) on :
Steve1906, It is normal for a clot to form after a contusion. It's called a hematoma.
You wouldn't want an injured spot to keep on bleeding, because you'll die if you lose too much blood.
Are you concerned because you're having a similar problem? A blood clot in a vein can be a problem if it detaches and travels to the lungs, heart, or brain.
Posted by steve1906 (Member # 16206) on :
No Carol, I don't have any problems with clots. I onlt posted that because Gigimac asked (How would one know if there is a clot)
Thanks for asking!
Posted by Sammi (Member # 110) on :
gigimac, how is your husband?
Posted by gigimac (Member # 33353) on :
Thanks for all the info. everyone! My husband is doing better. He did ice it quickly and i should get him to try the hot compresses now.
The bruise has spread and covers one whole "side" but thankfully the hard part that felt like a melon is now much softer. It seems to be healing well.
I almost wish I could post a picture of it. This is the gnarliest bruise I have ever seen.
Posted by Judie (Member # 38323) on :
The blood in the bruise is good, it nourishes the area so it can heal.
One time when I had something similar to what you're describing, the emergency doc gave me a shot of steroids to "take down" the swelling. What I didn't know is that it removes lots of blood from the area.
It didn't heal properly, even with physical therapy.
My PCP figured out the problem and had me to acupuncture. She actually re-injured the area to increase the blood flow there. I got worse at first and then it healed up great with no problems.