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Unexplained Bruising? Vaccine or Flare?

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Posted 6/2/2021 11:37 AM (GMT -6)
2 weeks into my first Pfizer dose (which incidentally also started a mini flare immediately and only settled by the third week before my second dose), I noticed tiny bruise spots on my left arm (vaccinated arm) and left leg. Since this is the first time I ever had these, I initially thought it was an insect bite. Initially they were red and then turned purple over the next couple days and finally disappeared in a week. I didn't really get a chance to see a doc about them because one it was not possible to get an appointment right away where I am at and two because eventually it was time for the second dose and they had faded away. When I asked the nurse about it at the time of the vaccination, she said she had no clue about them. They were paper hole punch out size mostly.

Anyways, exactly 2 weeks into my second Pfizer dose, (while I thankfully had no flare this symptom this time around), I again develop these purplish bruises on both my upper arms. Much bigger now, more like 3-4 inch blotches, one each on both arms. I am not sure why I am suddenly bruising so easily without any impact but I do notice that the day before they came on both times, I also experience severe whole body itching. No other troubling symptoms. This time I headed to the ER and waited 3 hours to see a doc there but then finally had to come back home because they were not able to say how much longer I would have to wait to see one and it looked like it could be indefinite because the nurse said it didn't look critical. Since I was extremely cold with the air-conditioning in the waiting lounge and for some reason again getting increasingly itchy while I was at the hospital, I left and went home. Once I was back home, showered and all , the itching subsided weirdly. Not sure if I was allergic to something at the hospital or it was the cold or anything else.

The nurses who administered the vaccine shots asked me to head to the ER only if I went down with a very high temperature. No one mentioned anything about symptoms like I had.

So I am curious if anyone else has experienced any kind of post vaccination bruising with the covid vaccines? Mine were not on the vaccinated spot as such but near. Or is this some kind of pre-UC flare warning? I find it very puzzling because I have never had these this kind of symptoms before.

Should I be concerned and insist on seeing a doc? What do you think they are? If they fade in a week's time like they did before, I won't have anything for the doc to examine really which is another quandary.

My hair seems to be getting frizzy again too since the vaccines.
Posted 6/2/2021 4:07 PM (GMT -6)
Didn't a moderator or U.S. forum member post a national phone no. COVID-19 vaccinated people can use to report unexpected post-shot symptoms? I have the feeling I saw it in a thread here within the last month. Absent such info. here I'd advise to phone your principal doctor's office to inquire about your bruising in case you need any lab work to follow up. As for frizzy hair, they probably wouldn't consider that a major concern. Good news that your gut calmed down again. / Old Hat (40+ yrs with left-sided UC)
Posted 6/2/2021 5:54 PM (GMT -6)
Aren’t people with IBD at an increased risks of clots due to changes in platelets? These vaccines have been messing with platelets.
Posted 6/2/2021 10:05 PM (GMT -6)
Well the US forum phone number won't help because I am not there.I am due for regular blood tests next week though with my follow up endocrinology doc though so I could ask him about any irregularities in my tests. I think they cover just basic ones like CBC though platelets are typically tested for in them. I will try to contact my GP again for a discussion around this but it seems impossible to reach a doctor in a timely manner unless one has something really serious to consult them for.
Posted 6/2/2021 10:19 PM (GMT -6)

Theanxiousaries said...
Aren’t people with IBD at an increased risks of clots due to changes in platelets? These vaccines have been messing with platelets.

Is that so? I wasn't aware no. Do you mean in general people with IBD are at increased risk of clots? Or IBDers who take the vaccines are at increased risk of clots? Other than platelets count what other tests or lab work indicate issues with clotting?
Posted 6/2/2021 11:10 PM (GMT -6)
Endocrinologist should definitely be able to deal with your questions + CBC is always a valid starting point for assessment of existing or potential problems. Sounds like you'll be in good hands soon so jot down your questions prior to your appointment and take the list along to make sure your major concerns get addressed. You have reasons to stay positive. Try to keep calm. I advise this knowing that skin issues can freak a person out because we all want to look our best. / Old Hat
Posted 6/3/2021 5:52 AM (GMT -6)
People with IBD have an increased clotting risk. Especially when flaring
Posted 6/3/2021 10:39 AM (GMT -6)
I could be wrong, but I thought the increased risk of blood clots with UC is only when you are in a severe flare with lots of blood loss & diarrhea. If that is not the case, what causes the increased risk?

Seeker -- sounds like you have a lot of anxiety about the vaccine. Hair takes a long time to grow and unless you applied the vaccine to your scalp I can't think of any way that it could have caused frizzy hair. Try to relax. You are now protected from getting seriously ill (or worse). Your life can start to get back to normal (though still be careful around crowds). Time to celebrate!!!! smile
Posted 6/3/2021 11:47 AM (GMT -6)
I belong to another health forum & have been reading about the members & vaccines. The ones that had itching it was in the area of the shot & happened immediately. The itching did not last very long either.

Have you had your iron checked lately? When I am low on iron my skin gets what I call blotchy, affects my hair too. Low iron can cause a lot of different symptoms. I had the Moderna shot, the first one the skin around the injection site was very cold for about 20 minutes, other than a sore arm that was it. The second shot, within 11 hours I was in bed wrapped in a blanket with terrible chills & a low grade fever. I took Tylenol to keep the fever in check. Fortunately this lasted 24 hours & was done.
Posted 6/3/2021 11:59 PM (GMT -6)

straydog said...
I belong to another health forum & have been reading about the members & vaccines. The ones that had itching it was in the area of the shot & happened immediately. The itching did not last very long either.

Have you had your iron checked lately? When I am low on iron my skin gets what I call blotchy, affects my hair too. Low iron can cause a lot of different symptoms. I had the Moderna shot, the first one the skin around the injection site was very cold for about 20 minutes, other than a sore arm that was it. The second shot, within 11 hours I was in bed wrapped in a blanket with terrible chills & a low grade fever. I took Tylenol to keep the fever in check. Fortunately this lasted 24 hours & was done.

Thank you. Yes will be checking iron levels, Thyroid and CBC in a week with my follow up with my Endocrinologist. In March my Hgb had gone upto 12.4 with the transfusions but that was before the vaccines.Since the 1st dose set me off on a 3 week flare it is quite likely there could have been a drop in iron again. Will see what the doc has to say about it. I have also managed to get an appointment with my GP again three weeks from now just in case the Endocrinolgist is not able to figure out what my purple bruise blotches all about. These look like proper bruising, like when there is bleeding under the skin. But with no injury. Hoping my itching is not a delayed allergic reaction to the vaccine because this is a new one for me. It still seems to come on sporadically and for short whiles now but not as intensely and as long as the day before these bruises appeared and the day I went to the ER to have it checked. My skin doesn't look or feel dry though.

Post Edited (Seeker275) : 6/4/2021 12:03:43 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 6/7/2021 8:36 AM (GMT -6)
Are you taking azathioprine?

I've been on azathioprine for 15 years and I have had a problem with bruising very easily for that long, that I have always attributed to azathioprine.
Posted 6/9/2021 4:10 AM (GMT -6)
No not on azathioprine and I am not on any blood thinners for that matter either. I have never had any kind of unexplained bruising like this until now. Just came on very suddenly with no reason at all. Haven't introduced anything new either in anyways . The good thing is that both have now disappeared (again exactly a week after they showed up, just like the first time around). The ER nurse had recorded it as an 'Emergency Hematoma' in her closure report during my previous visit to the ER when I didn't get to meet with a doctor.
My blood tests ffrom yesterday have come back from the lab and my Hgb, iron , Platelets and Thyroid are within the lab range to me, though my TSH ought to be a bit lower since I am on meds for it. I will mention my episodes around these Hematoma and the incredible itching I had then , when I consult with my Endocrinologist next week and have him interpret my lab results. Very puzzling indeed but now that these marks have visibly disappeared and I don't have the itching either and the blood tests seem non indicative of anything particularly to me not sure if they can make anything of it either.
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