It's not what it looks like. No, really. But thanks for asking...I think.

[River]

I once managed to literally walk into a door one day, then the very next day bashed the same arm on the car door getting out. http://www.etiquettehell.com/smf/Smileys/default/rolleyes.gif This resulted in two bruises perfectly placed and shaped to look like finger marks on my arm. I just happened to have a doctor's appointment when they were nice and purple and he asked me about it. I think my answer "I walked into two different doors" raised a bit of suspicion! He looked me right in the eye and said "It looks just like someone grabbed your arm." I explained in more detail, but I think he was still quite concerned when I left! Honestly, if it hadn't been me it happened to, I mightn't have believed it either.

[Mental Magpie]

I don't know why I didn't remember this before in this thread, but the Eagle bruises very, very easily.  We like to wrestle which often results in him trying to pin down me to tickle me and me grabbing his arms to ward off him.  This results in fingertip bruises all up and down his arms.  I wonder what people thought...

[Piratelvr1121]

I had a friend in college who, for a while, bruised very easily, so much so that one of our mutual guy friends quietly and gently asked if everything was okay between herself and her boyfriend.   The girl laughed (genuinely) and said they were fine, she was just a klutz!

Turns out it was a malfunctioning spleen that caused her to bruise so easily, so she had it removed and the bruising stopped.  The bruises did look pretty bad, though.

[Calistoga]

"I understand why you're concerned, but I have a sinus infection, and you're being very rude right now".

[Yvaine]

I don't know why I didn't remember this before in this thread, but the Eagle bruises very, very easily.  We like to wrestle which often results in him trying to pin down me to tickle me and me grabbing his arms to ward off him.  This results in fingertip bruises all up and down his arms.  I wonder what people thought...

That they'd never seen an eagle with arms before? 

[Zilla]

I don't know why I didn't remember this before in this thread, but the Eagle bruises very, very easily.  We like to wrestle which often results in him trying to pin down me to tickle me and me grabbing his arms to ward off him.  This results in fingertip bruises all up and down his arms.  I wonder what people thought...

Who is eagle?  Your son?  I know when my kid got stitches on her forehead at age 3, I got funny looks at the store.  I felt like putting a sign around her neck, "She really did run into the corner of the wall!" lol

[amylouky]

Our DS5 is constantly hurting himself and getting little bruises. So much so that I was nervous last year when taking him to the pediatrician for his checkup that they'd think it was suspicious.
I love our ped.. he just looked at DS's shins (which probably had about 10 bruises on them at the time) and said, "Yep. You're a 5 year old boy, all right."
I guess they can tell when bruises are a cause for concern.

[Mental Magpie]

I don't know why I didn't remember this before in this thread, but the Eagle bruises very, very easily.  We like to wrestle which often results in him trying to pin down me to tickle me and me grabbing his arms to ward off him.  This results in fingertip bruises all up and down his arms.  I wonder what people thought...

Who is eagle?  Your son?  I know when my kid got stitches on her forehead at age 3, I got funny looks at the store.  I felt like putting a sign around her neck, "She really did run into the corner of the wall!" lol

The Eagle is my fiance.

[EllenS]

Our DS5 is constantly hurting himself and getting little bruises. So much so that I was nervous last year when taking him to the pediatrician for his checkup that they'd think it was suspicious.
I love our ped.. he just looked at DS's shins (which probably had about 10 bruises on them at the time) and said, "Yep. You're a 5 year old boy, all right."
I guess they can tell when bruises are a cause for concern.

Our pediatrician looked at my dd's bruised shins and said "Leading edge bruises ...good, you're enjoying your summer!"

[Garden Goblin]

We go into intake. He sits in the corner while I talk to the very nice male nurse, who took my information and asked me about my bruises. He glanced at DH a couple of times, then leaned closer to me and quietly asked if I needed a safe place to spend the night. Unfortunately for me, I cracked up! Laughing when you have two broken ribs is... painful. But I've never forgotten how careful he was to ask me that in a way that wouldn't have alerted DH, if he had been an abuser. (He's still "Mr. Right" after 18 years.    )

My mother in law fell and got injuries to the side of her face that matched more or less what someone would get from a roundhouse or a backhand by someone strong.

The doctor in the ER was so subtle about questioning her that she thought he was just a ditz who kept needing her to repeat herself.  I caught on and found an excuse to leave the room for a few minutes so he could question her privately for his peace of mind.  When I explained to her what he'd been doing, she was all insulted on my behalf.  I found the whole thing amusing and reminded her that it was one of the reasons I liked this hospital so much - they actually care about their patients.

[Garden Goblin]

My responsibility to medical professionals is to tell them my medical history, including explaining that my inability to walk more than a few steps unassisted is what leads to my falling and the bruises.  While I understand and respect their need to ask me about possible abuse, they also need to respect my answer.

A friend of mine ended up switching clinics because so many of the staff at her old one wouldn't accept her answers.  She and her SO boxed, and also were involved in an alternative lifestyle.  Yes, she was bruised, yes, he'd left the bruises, no, she wasn't abused was just impossible for the staff to wrap their minds around.

[Piratelvr1121]

I had an interesting 4th year.   Within the time span of one year I was in the hospital 4 times, three of which were in the ER for a broken leg, dislocated arm and stitches across my nose and eyebrow (or just under, it's been 30 years and I have trouble finding that scar though the nose one is still visible).  I also ended up having surgery to have my adenoids removed. Only good thing I (vaguely) remember from that year is getting my ears pierced.  It's one of those things I am not sure if it's an actual memory or based on what I was told.

I do remember being strapped to a papoose board as they sewed up my nose and eyebrow, screaming my lungs out.  Got that from falling down the stairs.  My mother told me that a nurse warned her during one of those incidents that if I ended up in the ER again, CPS might get called.   AFAIK, CPS was never called. 

[mmswm]

I had an interesting 4th year.   Within the time span of one year I was in the hospital 4 times, three of which were in the ER for a broken leg, dislocated arm and stitches across my nose and eyebrow (or just under, it's been 30 years and I have trouble finding that scar though the nose one is still visible).  I also ended up having surgery to have my adenoids removed. Only good thing I (vaguely) remember from that year is getting my ears pierced.  It's one of those things I am not sure if it's an actual memory or based on what I was told.

I do remember being strapped to a papoose board as they sewed up my nose and eyebrow, screaming my lungs out.  Got that from falling down the stairs.  My mother told me that a nurse warned her during one of those incidents that if I ended up in the ER again, CPS might get called.   AFAIK, CPS was never called.

I had CPS called on me for "failing to treat a broken wrist".  The only person who ever said anything like that was a doctor who'd been filling in for our regular pediatrician.  This would be a doctor who, if she cared enough could have looked up the child's medical records and confirmed that the large bump on the outside of his wrist was the result of a bone tumor between the ulna and radius pushing the ulna out of place. While we would eventually attempt to fix it, at the time multiple hand surgeons had deemed it inoperable.

Here's what it looked like on the outside:



And an x-ray


I called our primary ortho when the social worker showed up at my door and he hit the roof, finished work and drove 4 hours to where we lived to go visit the social worker himself, as well as filing a medical board complaint against the doctor who called CPS to begin with.

[VorFemme]

My responsibility to medical professionals is to tell them my medical history, including explaining that my inability to walk more than a few steps unassisted is what leads to my falling and the bruises.  While I understand and respect their need to ask me about possible abuse, they also need to respect my answer.

A friend of mine ended up switching clinics because so many of the staff at her old one wouldn't accept her answers.  She and her SO boxed, and also were involved in an alternative lifestyle.  Yes, she was bruised, yes, he'd left the bruises, no, she wasn't abused was just impossible for the staff to wrap their minds around.

I'm gathering that she liked boxing and "being bruised"?

[JacklynHyde]

Seriously, MM?  One look at his medical history would have shown EXACTLY why your son's wrist looked like that.  Sheesh.