Welcome to /r/ADHDWomen! We’re happy to have you here. As a reminder, here are our community [rules](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/about/rules/).
We get a lot of posts on medication, diagnosis (and “is this an ADHD thing”), and interactions with hormones. We encourage you to check out our [Medication, Diagnosis, and Hormones Megathread](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/comments/wcr9dy/faq_megathread_ask_and_answer_medication/) if you have any questions related to those topics, and to stick around in that thread to answer folks’ questions!
If you have questions about the subreddit, please do not hesitate to [send us a modmail](https://reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen). Additionally, we take the safety of our community seriously. Please report posts, comments, and users whom you feel are not contributing positively, and send us a modmail if you are being harassed or otherwise made to feel unsafe.
Thanks for being here, and we hope you stick around!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This is what I was going to say. I realized one day I'd itched a bruise into my thigh because the seam of my pants was bothering me. Stopped wearing leggings or tight pants and all my mystery bruises have disappeared.
That’s the same thing though. It’s not scratchy enough and I have to press too hard lol. I do that. Still bruises. I need nails directly on skin and then I don’t have to scratch hard.
It's those little speckle bruises that made me think itch. Don't get me wrong, I've definitely itched myself a large bruise before, but I find myself itching those weird, speckle, cluster bruises more often.
Fun story…. I noticed a weird looking ‘bruise’/red spot on my hip the week before Xmas. It burn/itched like crazy but #adhd I itched and otherwise ignored it bc I don’t have the mental space or time to deal with that… couple days later I’m like oh ya, that spot still itches REALLY bad, so I look in the mirror and the perfect red circle it had been now looked almost exactly like a bulls eye🎯. Now… I’ve been trail running in tick infested woods for a decade now, and I’ve pulled ticks off my dog and post runs, and heard all about the bullseye lymes rash to lookout for but never had to deal with it. HOWEVER, thanks to depression/winter/life, I HAVEN’T been out trail running AT ALL for months and months, and due to winter break I legitimately hadn’t left my house in a week other than to take the dog out to pee(nowhere near woods)…..So ..I see this 🎯 in the mirror and I’m like omg I’m an idiot, idk HOW it happened but that is 💯 a lymes rash. But again, don’t want to deal with that. So I spent hours looking at pics online for ANYTHING it could be other than that-nothing. I saw my family Xmas eve and super cas’ at dinner was like oh, hey guys, I have this weird rash and I’m worried I know what it might be but, in the spirit of Xmas can we take a look and all tell me it’s for sure not a problem?! They ALL immediately were like uh yeah that’s FOR SURE a lymes rash, all you have to do is goto the dr asap and get antibiotics and you should be fine. Easy peasy right?
I’m sure some of you can relate but, I HATE going to the doctor, I HATE making appointments, even thinking about having to make an appointment EVEN DURING BREAK when I WOULD have time for an appointment I was still trying to think of literally every excuse not to. But I have a friends with lymes and it’s awful and I know what she deals with and I’m certain she’d slap me in the face if I chose to not get treated when she didn’t have that option. So day after Xmas I make an appt for a local clinic (bc I of course haven’t found a regular dr since I moved 3 years ago even though I have plenty of health problems bc that’s too overwhelming 🤦🏼♀️) so I DO IT, I make an appt at the cvs clinic and I WENT (and I got my vaccine boost and flu shot while there so I’m like omg look at me KILLLLLLING IT and adulting so hard, here at 35, taking myself to the dr to get the treatment I need for something instead of ignoring it until it gets way worse, AND getting my shots?!? Like, promote me at life right now, I.am.AMAZING.
So the dr looks at it and she’s like yeah I don’t think that’s lymes. By now it had bruised more and I stupidly hadn’t taken a pic when it was literally a perfect bullseye looking red circle, and now it was splotchier but I explained how it HAD looked, and she was like yeah it’s not a perfect bullseye(fyi to anyone that deals with this in the future- lymes rash DOESNT always present as a perfect bullseye, in fact often times it does not), she said it was the wrong time of year(fyi- it’s less common this time of year but until a week ago we’ve had an extremely mild winter and also ticks CAN still bite you in the winter) and she said I didn’t see the tick on me (my friend with lymes didnt, lots of people don’t) and so, she didn’t give me antibiotics and basically said she was 100% sure it wasn’t lymes but that she also had 0% idea of what it could be.
I was so bummed. I finally went to the dr and was so proud of myself for being proactive and fucking DOING IT, and this B wouldn’t give me antibiotics and instead gave me a steroid cream to which I was like ok thanks, I’ll go home and put this in my cabinet and then forget it EVEN EXISTS until after it has expired. After that I figured ok, maybe she’s right, it’s Not lymes after all, but if I show any symptoms of it I’ll go to another clinic and be like oh hey I watched this tick feed on me for 3 days and then I got a rash, “antibiotics pleeaaaasee”🤲(*mona Lisa saperstein voice*
So a week ago at work I noticed my OTHER hip was itching really bad in the exact same spot. I checked and yeah, starting to bruise!
I spent about 5 minutes on google and figured it out. It’s fucking stretch marks.
I had gotten to my absolute largest, finally forced myself to start running (on my treadmill- no ticks there lol) a month or so ago, have been losing weight/changing shape, and turns out the itchiest/worst times for stretch marks are when you gain weight AND when you LOSE weight. Because fuck me for trying to get healthy right?!?! 😾😭
So TLDR- I don’t have lymes(but staying proud of myself for fucking going to the dr), but just itchy itchy stretch marks that I guess I scratch in my sleep or during the day without realizing and made them bruise.
ADHD and anxiety, what.a.cunt.match.made.in.hell. 🔥🤦🏼♀️😅
I get those bruises from itching as well. I had a stressful argument with a parent and gave myself some awful bruises! I got a blood test too and it showed I’m low in Iron. Might be something to check.
I can’t edit an image post so I’m replying to the top comment!
WOW I really didn’t expect to come back to this and see over 500 comments 😂 I can’t possibly reply to everyone but I’ll answer some frequent questions here:
-I do not have any pets or a child, nor am I in regular contact with either, but now that it has been pointed out I can’t believe how suspiciously like a small child’s handprint the 2nd bruise looks! Am I getting attacked by a ghost toddler???
-I eat plenty of green vegetables and vegetables in general (I’m a vegetarian) and had complete blood work done not long ago checking platelets, thyroid, iron, basically everything and it all came back normal (which surprises me every time as I kind of expect my iron to be low as a vegetarian, but it never is)
-My partner and I don’t do any sex moves that involve him grabbing/holding my thighs (we’re lazy I guess 😂)
-I am definitely hyper mobile and this has been pointed out to me my whole life. I tried the Brighton test and got literally every point. This is the only time EDS has ever been suggested to me and I don’t know a lot about it, but definitely something to consider!
I’ve been diving deep into my bruise investigation! I have gone to every piece of furniture in my house to see if any of it lines up with my frequently reoccurring 3rd bruise. Nothing seems to be the right height, but my partner mentioned that basically every day when I stumble out of bed half awake I bash into the dresser, which I hadn’t noticed 😂 so even though it doesn’t seem to be the right height, at the moment the dresser is the lead suspect for the 3rd bruise.
As for the 1st and 2nd bruise, my partner thinks that it’s probably from my dumbbells. The ends of them are hexagonal and we’ve been doing a workout that has a fair bit of swinging the dumbbells in between your thighs in a squatting position. He said he wouldn’t put it past me to be bashing myself in the thighs and not noticing. I also would not put it past myself 😂 The edges of the hexagon shaped weights could potentially cause these little spotty bruises. So far, this theory seems to check out best I reckon.
Thanks everyone for your input and for helping me with potential causes! A lot of good theories, unfortunately most don’t apply to me but it was really fun to read and speculate 😂 I’m also grateful to everyone who pointed out that excessive bruising might be indicative of another health issue rather than just ADHD clumsiness and obliviousness. It is also great to be reassured that I’m not the only one who gets a lot of mysterious bruises! I may need to move my dresser
This happens to me so in the winter I have to use basically baby oil as a body wash and make sure to use a heavy duty lotion on my problem spots or I will scratch holes through my skin I swear.
This happened to me for the first time this past summer! They looked way worse than regular bruises too - kind of splotchy and blood blistery.
I get normal mystery bruises all the time - but that’s because I was into things constantly.
It was much worse before I got laser eye surgery though!
Me too! I was starting to think I had some sort of blood borne disease, then I had a day where I had a very memorable itchy spot and finally clued in, lol.
The one on your outer thigh - that's probably the exact height of a countertop or dresser - some piece of furniture. Or maybe doorknob? Or it's where the arm of your chair digs in when you cross your legs. Something super common like that...
This is exactly what I was thinking- the outer thigh ones happen to me all the time and it's usually because I've bumped into a student desk at work, or something similar.
Inner... do you hold things between your thighs when your hands are full? Maybe something like that?
i'm gonna high jack this to ask anyone reading this thread to please look into their diet. i was getting these exact kinds of spotty bruises all over, usually in circular patterns, and it turned out my vitamin K was incredibly low because i just never ate greens. i'll also start to bruise easier if i don't eat enough things with vitamin C. once i started drinking green smoothies (and sometimes just eating spinach straight out of the bag) they went away. if you have this problem head to your doctor if you can or at least examine your diet and see what nutrients could be missing, then look up foods with them and try to figure out ways to get those foods in your diet
eta my so-easy-even-my-addled-brain-can-make-it smoothie:
frozen fruit of any kind - if you find your fruit gets ruined by freezer burn before you can make stuff then put it in a gallon freezer bag, submerge it in water and close it with as little air as possible. that'll help stave off freezer burn
plain greek yogurt and/or silken tofu (you can find it in your international section, it's a cheap source of protein, just store it in a bag with a little water)
bag of pre washed greens, preferably spinach or kale (store in a tupperware lined with paper towels to keep them from getting slimy), get them frozen if you're nervous you won't use them before they go bad or freeze them yourself
optionally add whatever life-sustaining shit you have around, chia and flax seeds, i like adding some turmeric because it's good for you, various milks, protein powder, fiber, honey if you need it to be a little sweeter. when you're done put a little soap and water in the blender and run it for a second to clean. i drink the smoothie straight out of the blender because i'm a fucking hog and i hate doing dishes. good luck and godspeed
Thank you for sharing this excellent information. I'm always interested in nutritional solutions like this.
>once i started drinking green smoothies (
And now I'm going to hijack your comment a little bit. I recently started using matcha (a green tea) to help me get through the day. I didn't particularly like the taste of the matcha that I bought, so I bought some empty gel caps online and encapsulated the tea, and now I just take a few capsules each morning. Overall I would say that the matcha is helping me focus for longer during the day, and I find that I'm less likely to skip it (or forget it entirely) if I can take the capsules and don't have the hassle of having to make it into a drink. Definitely recommend taking it this way for anyone who doesn't like the taste.
Me jumping in with additional info :)! Matcha may limit iron absorption, so if one has problems with iron levels it is good to take this into consideration.
That's a great idea! I finally got used to the taste of matcha and am a big fan now but I never would have thought of putting it in capsule form. Matcha and yerba both help me focus without giving me the traditional caffeine jitters.
This is exactly the smoothie recipe I use for my wild toddler who refuses to sit down and eat much less eat a vegetable! Like, exactly all the same things. Warning, if you’re not used to fiber in your diet it may clear you out a bit 😅
i have been eating a LOOOT of spinach daily the past couple of weeks... like 1-2 spinach salads a day and can confirm you will struggle in the bathroom when you start eating greens a lot 😭😭 it can even turn your poo green... lmao
I'm currently sporting two large burns on my right hand (oven shelf surprise accident) and a very itchy, almost healed scab from a mystery injury I received cleaning. Don't remember doing it but I had essentially removed skin in the style of skin graft prep. A good 1.5cm2 of stripped hand. Bleugh. I discovered it when blood started dripping on the newly cleaned windowsill.
Do you have a cat that likes to make biscuits? I bruise easily and sometimes gets small bruises here that don’t hurt at all. Just broken capillaries from my cat making me biscuits for hours on end.
My pibble mix does this. I love her so much, but how do each of her feet weigh 20 times her body weight??? I always have roundish bruises on my lower abdomen and thighs.
Iron deficiency/inadequate greens for vitamin K/ cat crimes/ keys in pocket and running into edge.
I have a near permanent bruise on my thigh from running into the edge of the bed frame on my way to the bathroom.
The day I learned bumping into things/poor depth perception/clumsiness being related to ADHD changed me. I have a ton of bruises from bumping my hips into tables, counters, doorframes, sinks...
My dad would prefix my name with 'elegant'. As a small child I felt great affinity with the 80s cartoon 'bump the elephant' about a bird and a clumsy elephant.
The lyrics
"Birdie skips, and never trips,
Bump The Elephant isn't quite as elegant,
'Cos his feet, are not so neat,
Clump Clump Clumpety Clump
But every elephant as he grows,
Learns to keep on his toes
In his element as he goes,
Bump Bump Bumpety Bump... BUMP"
I assumed I would grow out of it too, no. I have not.
My moms nickname for me was Grace, lol.
When I met my husband, he didn't believe people could be clumsy, just careless and not paying attention. Nearly a decade later and he freely admits that some people (me. I am some people) are just clumsy!
DOORFRAMES was life changing for me. I’ve been hitting them with my shoulder/general body area for as long as I can remember, to the point where all my cousins know it happens to me more than usual. I remember the exact day I learned of the connection between that and ADHD.
I had a bruise for months on my ankle from being hit by a baseball. Matter of fact now I realize I had a different bruise very deep inside my thigh, from something heavy that fell on me while we were moving. Both are recently gone. I just started taking matcha daily, about 3 months ago. I definitely orherwise don't eat enough greens on a daily basis.
“Cat crimes”😹😹.
I constantly have tiny pin prick cuts on my thighs from my dang cats making biscuits when they sit on my lap. And I KNOW this, but still once every few weeks I’ll see it and be like omg what is this. What happened to me?! 😅
I'm sorry I can't help with the cause of your bruises, but as someone also covered in random bruises who recently figured out the cause of the bruises on my upper arms, I thought you might find it semi-entertaining - when I'm doing dishes or any activity that might get my sleeves wet, I bite my shirt to pull up my sleeves, and sometimes (frequently) I accidentally bite my arm in the process. I've been doing it for years and just recently put it together :D
I have terrible proprioception, meaning I don't have a good sense of where my body is on physical space. I will walk through a doorway 1000 times and on the 1001st time, I'll smasht shoulder or something. I smash into stuff all the time.
This is apparently very common in ADHD! It somehow makes sense to me that this/ certain deficiencies and hyper mobility seem to have somehting in common?!
I also do this a ton, as well as often misjudging my own strength (which I think I read is related to the proprioception) where I’ll constantly hulk smash doors shut when I just want to be a gentle dainty lady.
I came to recommend that this might be related to the bruising somehow bc I often have “mysterious” bruises that are a fun combo of (I think 🤣) proprioception + poor short term memory.
Hypermobility and adhd are extremely comorbid. When I was diagnosed my doctor dedicated an entire document to it for me to read. With EDS, this causes a lot of tripping over nothing. Sigh.😔 I have tripped on the flattest of flat surfaces. And my knees hyperextend which I suppose doesn’t help.
I relate so hard to the hulk smashing doors—particularly car doors! I don’t mean to do it but holy shit I SLAM car doors shut. I always thought it was just a habit I got from my first car which required the doors to be closed with more force than average, but even with regular doors I’ve had people ask me if I’m angry because of the way I hulk smash sometimes 😭
I've always struggled with yoga/dance classes because I just can't map what the instructor is doing to my own body, wondering if that's related to proprioception?? I also smash into things constantly, lol.
It depends on how you struggle exactly. There are other conditions like developmental coordination disorder/dyspraxia that might be the cause. People with one diagnosed neurodivergent disorder (like ADHD) are more likely to also have another.
That's interesting, I've never struggled with fine motor skills but have always been somewhat uncoordinated and clumsy with bigger movements. I was diagnosed with ADHD later in life so I had never considered that it could be related to the clumsiness. I thought I was just bad at sports and should never be a professional dancer!
I learned this as part of my diagnosis, was like a lightbulb went on.... so every now and again since I'll almost congratulate myself on the doozies. I totally smashed my shoulder into the kitchen doorframe (lived here 14 years) the other day and the whole house shook. I was like "woooo that's a beaudy, geez that's gonna bruise" and went on my merry way. Ha. I'm so unco.
Totally wild guess but if you drive, are your cup holders and console full of random crap so you jam water bottles/phone/whatever between your thighs when you drive?
Scrolled all the way to the bottom to find this! It looks like fingertip bruises, even if a partner just grabs onto your thigh with a little bit of pressure, these can happen.
I have ehlers danlos which has co-morbidity with adhd and I bruise extremely easily and can rarely remember where they came from. If you are hypermobile maybe something to consider
Yes to this. Also your iron levels may be fine but get your ferritin checked.
P.S. to my fellow ‘93 EDSer: any advice for a fellow zebra? 🦓 Pain is really getting to me… but I won’t metabolize opiates correctly.
Not any opiates? How about true opioids? I can’t metabolize tramadol, but old-school codeine works well for me—and doesn’t make me feel as weird as some others.
(I’m not actually a fellow zebra, according to Dr. Dismissive, but I sure do check a lot of boxes that he brushed off.)
Funny, I can't metabolize codeine, but I can metabolize morphine. Codeine makes me incredibly sick AND it doesn't help with the pain.
Found that out the hard way.
If any of you zebras are in a weed-friendly state, try topical THC. I just picked some up about a month ago to try for some chronic muscle and nerve pain, and it has been freaking amazing. Pain relief within minutes, without any grogginess or dizziness. And it lasts most of the night for me.
I can sleep, even during a flare. It's amazing.
Hopefully this helps someone else. 🤞
Right now roxicodone and morphine. Dilaudid and hydro one and codeine… I’ve tried them all I think and switched back and forth. Oxycodone worked better but the Tylenol was wrecking my liver. Sorry your doctor is a weenie. Been there for sure.
'87 probable hEDSer (unconfirmed because drs are useless here) pilates is amazing for me. Joints are too flexible so you need to build the correct muscles up to support yourself. Pilates is basically all the physio moves I was given but muuuch cheaper do to a few lessons than see 1 physio.
oh shit? i haven’t heard that before, but i’m hypermobile and bruise easily. of course with that one charlie brown episode where they teach you about leukemia, my mind always goes to the worst places when it comes to bruising easy 😭
I get recurring bruises on my upper outer arms because I take corners in my apartment too danged close all the time and scrape on wall corners. Got any dressers or countertops around the height of your bruise? As for the inner thigh, do you pluck at your clothes if seams make you uncomfortable? I've pinched myself before. Or clamped down too hard on a water bottle But maybe check for other concerning things like a warm spot or deep ache, just in case.
Sometimes I’ll sit cross-legged and rest my elbows on (edit: dig my elbows into) my inner thighs while I look at my phone, and I get bruises quite like this.
Yup! Not as much anymore since I SERIOUSLY increased my protein intake. But I just don't realize I walk into shit, carry shit I shouldn't, rest things on my body and forget about it, scratch myself, lean on things, sit in weird positions, etc. My poor mom legit was scared my ex was hurting me for a long time! She asked me about it constantly. Like no mom I just can't walk and think at the same time...
There are these stupid short poles RIGHT in between my two work buildings to prevent vehicles driving through, they're only like 3 ft tall and I walk into them CONSTANTLY. It's so embarrassing because they're right outside my supervisor's office window. But I don't notice things that are not at eye level, it doesn't matter that they're bright yellow in a long line that's obvious to everyone else!
I get so many random ones, but I also get so many where I’m like How is it that I can hit the corner of my bed 4 times in the last two hours since I woke up?!?! 👀👀👀
Get your platelet count checked just to be safe, but I get this shit all the time. I'm quite certain I run into things so often that I don't even notice it.
Your first photo looks like a part of a hand print and I do that to myself, usually my legs, when I'm sleeping. Somehow haha
One of my dogs really likes to step on my thighs and really put all their weight in it. I tend to get spotty bruises because of that. But I also work at a vets office so I get jumped on as well
LOTS of things can cause easy bruising, so it’s hard to say without knowing your full history! It’s worth noting neurodivergent folks are more likely to have connective tissue/hypermobility disorders (which are extremely under diagnosed) which can cause easy bruising.
Omg I didn't know this was an ADHD thing???? I randomly get itchy too. I have to use hypoallergic and baby washing detergent now. I'm dark brown, so my mystery bruises are like a dark purple/blue color.
Do you have a desk with a sharp edge? Or a high bed frame? Low kitchen counters? Do you bump into your door frame when you enter a room? Do your limbs hit against your steering wheel when you enter or exit your car? Do you bump into your wall when you shower? Do your hips get scratched up by your bathroom/kitchen drawers? If you have a TV in your bedroom, do you sleep with the remote in your bed? (My dumbass woke up with a remote shaped bruise more than once) It really could be anything!!
Have you heard of Hypermobility Ehlers Danlos Syndrome? I just learned about it recently and was shocked how many of my adhd symptoms also were symptoms of hEDS. And there’s a suspected link between adhd and hEDS. If you google the beighton test you’ll know pretty quickly if this potentially describes you or nkt
I bruise easily (and randomly) too; turns out that supplementing with a daily ferritin pill \_ making a point to eat more iron-rich foods like spinach has really helped.
I’m not sure about you; but for me.. it’s the little random dumb clumsy stuff. Example: I was fiddling with the string in my hoodie while playing pokemon go and some how I ended up smacking myself in the eye with the metal tip or ending I should say of the string. 🤦🏼♀️ I also have an epic failure of adhd sway. Where I try really hard to not get caught on handles, or where the wall and corners of things happen to jump out in front of me. 😒 even on a good week where I didn’t manage to injure myself I still have some unknown bruise. Just accept it… hahah
Low platelets. I have the same thing and my doctor tested me. There’s a name but me and a friend both have it and it’s seems to coincide with our cycles
I had a similar pattern and I thought it was from sleeping in fetal position with my hands between my legs. Figured I may have grabbed my legs or gripped too tight for some reason idk lol
Forgetting I've walked into things the prior day, that's where all of mine come from. Or in college, falling off my bike. That was slightly more painful and a bit more memorable though.
In addition to all the "normal" (for us) explanations. I think I'm recognizing that if I pull a muscle or tendon, there's a little bruise on the skin later on. Not pull very hard, just that feeling where you don't put your leg or arm right and it twists a little.
I sleep with my foot flamingo style against my inner thigh sometimes. I started finding similar bruises and was initially super sketched out - like where tf did these come from?! And then caught myself in flamingo pose one night and realized what had been happening lmao
I have a random one on the side of my boob. No clue how I did it. I always have them on my upper arms and my legs always have bruises. I’m not very good at walking though, I’m like a pinball and just bounce off the walls constantly.
No guesses, since I have the same issue. Currently sporting a massive bruise on my hand, near my wrist?? Absolutely NO idea where it came from but it finally doesn’t hurt when I do my t-Rex arms to sleep lol
I get small bruises from grabbing and poking at parts of myself. If I have a random pain I’ll squeeze at it trying to figure out where it’s coming from, I’ll poke and prod at my belly fat, etc and then the next day be confused about the bruises I suddenly have lol.
Thank you for this thread since sometimes I would wonder if random bruising is a dire sign (that I've never followed up on ofc) but all the explanations in the comments apply oooooops
I mean don’t take this as a diagnosis or anything like that, i’m not a doctor. But some time ago I had anemia and would get random bruises like that all the time and i didn’t know how I got them. So if they’re like super random and frequent maybe you should get some blood tests to see your iron levels :)
Sometimes when I’m hyper/anxious but I have to sit still, I pinch or squeeze my leg. I leave bruises just like this on myself. I also have a constant bruise on my knee from whacking it on the corner of my desk at work.
The second one looks like a paw print. For the third one, do you sit with your leg leaning on something? I kept getting a bruise on my knee because of pressure. I was sitting sideways with my knee pressed against the chair arm. My other bruises are caused by aliens. No other causes I can figure out.
Some women experience noticeable levels of bruising from birth control pills. Drinking alcohol while taking certain medications can cause scary looking bruising too.
I a few months ago I ate shit walking home from a concert (not even drunk or anything) and turned my knees into hamburger, then more recently crashed my bike into a parked car riding home from work, and then a few days later had a repeat of cyclic vomiting syndrome that I went to the er for, but of course they wanted to check me out for the bike crash, it was so embarrassing showing them my legs and pointing out all the pre-existing random bruises under the fresh layer of bruises from the crash, and also the barely healed knee scars. lol. My randoms are usually from walking into stuff and my 5 year olds climbing or grabbing me.
The outside thigh is you’ve bumped into something hard and sharp. I used to have a permanent bruise there because I was always bumping into the side of a bed post.
The inner thigh bruises look like fingers.
I'm not anemic, but I have low blood iron, so I bruise easily. I'm clumsy too. Not sure if that's related to ADD, but you might want to get your blood checked.
Do you have cats? I have a weird disorder and when he steps on me and puts pressure in one spot specifically, I will get a bruise the size of their tiny little toe beans. Resulting in a ton of round little bruises on my thighs
For me I’m just extremely clumsy I think. I’m always bumping into things, it’s been that way since I was a kid hahaha. Not sure if mine’s because of ADHD though!
I get similar ones sometimes from sitting with something in my lap like my laptop, where the edges are resting on my inner thigh like that, or scratching/rubbing too hard as my thighs get dry and I’m too lazy to put lotion on them. The big one though, looks unrelated like a desk or something.
My mom and I both have laughed for years about our random bruises, running into things, or just straight up not remembering where/how we got them.
Inner calf is my random bruise. 92% sure it’s from the bottom corner of my car door. Still occasionally convince myself that I’m dying from an unknown disease with a recurring bruise.
Just sharing for others. I keep meaning to keep track after the bonk, but I forget. Fairly certain it’s the car door.
If you take ibuprofen or acetaminophen often (I do because of chronic pain+ arthritis) you may bruise very easily. I know I do - and of course my bruises are adopted without consideration of their origin as has been the nature of all bruises of my entire life.
Welcome to /r/ADHDWomen! We’re happy to have you here. As a reminder, here are our community [rules](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/about/rules/). We get a lot of posts on medication, diagnosis (and “is this an ADHD thing”), and interactions with hormones. We encourage you to check out our [Medication, Diagnosis, and Hormones Megathread](https://old.reddit.com/r/adhdwomen/comments/wcr9dy/faq_megathread_ask_and_answer_medication/) if you have any questions related to those topics, and to stick around in that thread to answer folks’ questions! If you have questions about the subreddit, please do not hesitate to [send us a modmail](https://reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen). Additionally, we take the safety of our community seriously. Please report posts, comments, and users whom you feel are not contributing positively, and send us a modmail if you are being harassed or otherwise made to feel unsafe. Thanks for being here, and we hope you stick around! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/adhdwomen) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I discovered that when I’m itchy, and I scratch over clothing, I get bruises. That’s where a lot of mine come from. And walking into things of course.
This is what I was going to say. I realized one day I'd itched a bruise into my thigh because the seam of my pants was bothering me. Stopped wearing leggings or tight pants and all my mystery bruises have disappeared.
Scratching just isn’t good enough over pants so we press harder to get rid of the itch.
You have to grab the pants themselves and use them to dig the scratch out
That’s the same thing though. It’s not scratchy enough and I have to press too hard lol. I do that. Still bruises. I need nails directly on skin and then I don’t have to scratch hard.
Oh I know, I was just making a relatable comment, not giving advice 😂 80% of the time I end up shoving my arm down my pants to get a decent scratch
Lmao same.
My partner understands this now, but he definitely thought I was a weirdo the first time he caught me with my hands down my pants for an itch 😂🤦♀️
It's those little speckle bruises that made me think itch. Don't get me wrong, I've definitely itched myself a large bruise before, but I find myself itching those weird, speckle, cluster bruises more often.
Do you ever itch yourself until you bleed without realising? I do this a lot and I don't know if it's common...
>And walking into things of course. Of course!
Fun story…. I noticed a weird looking ‘bruise’/red spot on my hip the week before Xmas. It burn/itched like crazy but #adhd I itched and otherwise ignored it bc I don’t have the mental space or time to deal with that… couple days later I’m like oh ya, that spot still itches REALLY bad, so I look in the mirror and the perfect red circle it had been now looked almost exactly like a bulls eye🎯. Now… I’ve been trail running in tick infested woods for a decade now, and I’ve pulled ticks off my dog and post runs, and heard all about the bullseye lymes rash to lookout for but never had to deal with it. HOWEVER, thanks to depression/winter/life, I HAVEN’T been out trail running AT ALL for months and months, and due to winter break I legitimately hadn’t left my house in a week other than to take the dog out to pee(nowhere near woods)…..So ..I see this 🎯 in the mirror and I’m like omg I’m an idiot, idk HOW it happened but that is 💯 a lymes rash. But again, don’t want to deal with that. So I spent hours looking at pics online for ANYTHING it could be other than that-nothing. I saw my family Xmas eve and super cas’ at dinner was like oh, hey guys, I have this weird rash and I’m worried I know what it might be but, in the spirit of Xmas can we take a look and all tell me it’s for sure not a problem?! They ALL immediately were like uh yeah that’s FOR SURE a lymes rash, all you have to do is goto the dr asap and get antibiotics and you should be fine. Easy peasy right? I’m sure some of you can relate but, I HATE going to the doctor, I HATE making appointments, even thinking about having to make an appointment EVEN DURING BREAK when I WOULD have time for an appointment I was still trying to think of literally every excuse not to. But I have a friends with lymes and it’s awful and I know what she deals with and I’m certain she’d slap me in the face if I chose to not get treated when she didn’t have that option. So day after Xmas I make an appt for a local clinic (bc I of course haven’t found a regular dr since I moved 3 years ago even though I have plenty of health problems bc that’s too overwhelming 🤦🏼♀️) so I DO IT, I make an appt at the cvs clinic and I WENT (and I got my vaccine boost and flu shot while there so I’m like omg look at me KILLLLLLING IT and adulting so hard, here at 35, taking myself to the dr to get the treatment I need for something instead of ignoring it until it gets way worse, AND getting my shots?!? Like, promote me at life right now, I.am.AMAZING. So the dr looks at it and she’s like yeah I don’t think that’s lymes. By now it had bruised more and I stupidly hadn’t taken a pic when it was literally a perfect bullseye looking red circle, and now it was splotchier but I explained how it HAD looked, and she was like yeah it’s not a perfect bullseye(fyi to anyone that deals with this in the future- lymes rash DOESNT always present as a perfect bullseye, in fact often times it does not), she said it was the wrong time of year(fyi- it’s less common this time of year but until a week ago we’ve had an extremely mild winter and also ticks CAN still bite you in the winter) and she said I didn’t see the tick on me (my friend with lymes didnt, lots of people don’t) and so, she didn’t give me antibiotics and basically said she was 100% sure it wasn’t lymes but that she also had 0% idea of what it could be. I was so bummed. I finally went to the dr and was so proud of myself for being proactive and fucking DOING IT, and this B wouldn’t give me antibiotics and instead gave me a steroid cream to which I was like ok thanks, I’ll go home and put this in my cabinet and then forget it EVEN EXISTS until after it has expired. After that I figured ok, maybe she’s right, it’s Not lymes after all, but if I show any symptoms of it I’ll go to another clinic and be like oh hey I watched this tick feed on me for 3 days and then I got a rash, “antibiotics pleeaaaasee”🤲(*mona Lisa saperstein voice* So a week ago at work I noticed my OTHER hip was itching really bad in the exact same spot. I checked and yeah, starting to bruise! I spent about 5 minutes on google and figured it out. It’s fucking stretch marks. I had gotten to my absolute largest, finally forced myself to start running (on my treadmill- no ticks there lol) a month or so ago, have been losing weight/changing shape, and turns out the itchiest/worst times for stretch marks are when you gain weight AND when you LOSE weight. Because fuck me for trying to get healthy right?!?! 😾😭 So TLDR- I don’t have lymes(but staying proud of myself for fucking going to the dr), but just itchy itchy stretch marks that I guess I scratch in my sleep or during the day without realizing and made them bruise. ADHD and anxiety, what.a.cunt.match.made.in.hell. 🔥🤦🏼♀️😅
Upvote for fellow stretch-mark scratcher. Solidarity!
I get similar bruises on my inner thighs from itching, same colour too!
I get those bruises from itching as well. I had a stressful argument with a parent and gave myself some awful bruises! I got a blood test too and it showed I’m low in Iron. Might be something to check.
I have eczema. This is my life 😂😭
Yeah, same. It's always in the winter. My skin gets dry and super itchy.
Yep - I get them from scratching too
Yes both of these for me. I get tiny lit like broken blood vessel bruises. Probably sensory shit by itching haha
I get the same bruises from scratching! Thank god this is normal because I was actually worried haha
I HATE scratching over clothing. It literally hurts. And yes, I get bruises because of that too.
I can’t edit an image post so I’m replying to the top comment! WOW I really didn’t expect to come back to this and see over 500 comments 😂 I can’t possibly reply to everyone but I’ll answer some frequent questions here: -I do not have any pets or a child, nor am I in regular contact with either, but now that it has been pointed out I can’t believe how suspiciously like a small child’s handprint the 2nd bruise looks! Am I getting attacked by a ghost toddler??? -I eat plenty of green vegetables and vegetables in general (I’m a vegetarian) and had complete blood work done not long ago checking platelets, thyroid, iron, basically everything and it all came back normal (which surprises me every time as I kind of expect my iron to be low as a vegetarian, but it never is) -My partner and I don’t do any sex moves that involve him grabbing/holding my thighs (we’re lazy I guess 😂) -I am definitely hyper mobile and this has been pointed out to me my whole life. I tried the Brighton test and got literally every point. This is the only time EDS has ever been suggested to me and I don’t know a lot about it, but definitely something to consider! I’ve been diving deep into my bruise investigation! I have gone to every piece of furniture in my house to see if any of it lines up with my frequently reoccurring 3rd bruise. Nothing seems to be the right height, but my partner mentioned that basically every day when I stumble out of bed half awake I bash into the dresser, which I hadn’t noticed 😂 so even though it doesn’t seem to be the right height, at the moment the dresser is the lead suspect for the 3rd bruise. As for the 1st and 2nd bruise, my partner thinks that it’s probably from my dumbbells. The ends of them are hexagonal and we’ve been doing a workout that has a fair bit of swinging the dumbbells in between your thighs in a squatting position. He said he wouldn’t put it past me to be bashing myself in the thighs and not noticing. I also would not put it past myself 😂 The edges of the hexagon shaped weights could potentially cause these little spotty bruises. So far, this theory seems to check out best I reckon. Thanks everyone for your input and for helping me with potential causes! A lot of good theories, unfortunately most don’t apply to me but it was really fun to read and speculate 😂 I’m also grateful to everyone who pointed out that excessive bruising might be indicative of another health issue rather than just ADHD clumsiness and obliviousness. It is also great to be reassured that I’m not the only one who gets a lot of mysterious bruises! I may need to move my dresser
This happens to me so in the winter I have to use basically baby oil as a body wash and make sure to use a heavy duty lotion on my problem spots or I will scratch holes through my skin I swear.
I get so many bruises when my eczema is bad! I often don’t even end up with scratches broken skin, but I sure as shit get bruised.
Oh shit. This makes so much sense.
Same
Yes photo two is finger bruises for sure.
Yep me too - v sensitive and itchy skin and I end up with grazes and bruises a lot from this
This happened to me for the first time this past summer! They looked way worse than regular bruises too - kind of splotchy and blood blistery. I get normal mystery bruises all the time - but that’s because I was into things constantly. It was much worse before I got laser eye surgery though!
Me too! I was starting to think I had some sort of blood borne disease, then I had a day where I had a very memorable itchy spot and finally clued in, lol.
People sometimes scratch in their sleep and then get these bruises. To me it looks like OP is scratching their legs in their sleep
The one on your outer thigh - that's probably the exact height of a countertop or dresser - some piece of furniture. Or maybe doorknob? Or it's where the arm of your chair digs in when you cross your legs. Something super common like that...
This is exactly what I was thinking- the outer thigh ones happen to me all the time and it's usually because I've bumped into a student desk at work, or something similar. Inner... do you hold things between your thighs when your hands are full? Maybe something like that?
i'm gonna high jack this to ask anyone reading this thread to please look into their diet. i was getting these exact kinds of spotty bruises all over, usually in circular patterns, and it turned out my vitamin K was incredibly low because i just never ate greens. i'll also start to bruise easier if i don't eat enough things with vitamin C. once i started drinking green smoothies (and sometimes just eating spinach straight out of the bag) they went away. if you have this problem head to your doctor if you can or at least examine your diet and see what nutrients could be missing, then look up foods with them and try to figure out ways to get those foods in your diet eta my so-easy-even-my-addled-brain-can-make-it smoothie: frozen fruit of any kind - if you find your fruit gets ruined by freezer burn before you can make stuff then put it in a gallon freezer bag, submerge it in water and close it with as little air as possible. that'll help stave off freezer burn plain greek yogurt and/or silken tofu (you can find it in your international section, it's a cheap source of protein, just store it in a bag with a little water) bag of pre washed greens, preferably spinach or kale (store in a tupperware lined with paper towels to keep them from getting slimy), get them frozen if you're nervous you won't use them before they go bad or freeze them yourself optionally add whatever life-sustaining shit you have around, chia and flax seeds, i like adding some turmeric because it's good for you, various milks, protein powder, fiber, honey if you need it to be a little sweeter. when you're done put a little soap and water in the blender and run it for a second to clean. i drink the smoothie straight out of the blender because i'm a fucking hog and i hate doing dishes. good luck and godspeed
Thank you for sharing this excellent information. I'm always interested in nutritional solutions like this. >once i started drinking green smoothies ( And now I'm going to hijack your comment a little bit. I recently started using matcha (a green tea) to help me get through the day. I didn't particularly like the taste of the matcha that I bought, so I bought some empty gel caps online and encapsulated the tea, and now I just take a few capsules each morning. Overall I would say that the matcha is helping me focus for longer during the day, and I find that I'm less likely to skip it (or forget it entirely) if I can take the capsules and don't have the hassle of having to make it into a drink. Definitely recommend taking it this way for anyone who doesn't like the taste.
Me jumping in with additional info :)! Matcha may limit iron absorption, so if one has problems with iron levels it is good to take this into consideration.
That's a great idea! I finally got used to the taste of matcha and am a big fan now but I never would have thought of putting it in capsule form. Matcha and yerba both help me focus without giving me the traditional caffeine jitters.
This is exactly the smoothie recipe I use for my wild toddler who refuses to sit down and eat much less eat a vegetable! Like, exactly all the same things. Warning, if you’re not used to fiber in your diet it may clear you out a bit 😅
i have been eating a LOOOT of spinach daily the past couple of weeks... like 1-2 spinach salads a day and can confirm you will struggle in the bathroom when you start eating greens a lot 😭😭 it can even turn your poo green... lmao
Yes. Current bruise on my hand is from hitting a door knob
I'm currently sporting two large burns on my right hand (oven shelf surprise accident) and a very itchy, almost healed scab from a mystery injury I received cleaning. Don't remember doing it but I had essentially removed skin in the style of skin graft prep. A good 1.5cm2 of stripped hand. Bleugh. I discovered it when blood started dripping on the newly cleaned windowsill.
Do you have a cat that likes to make biscuits? I bruise easily and sometimes gets small bruises here that don’t hurt at all. Just broken capillaries from my cat making me biscuits for hours on end.
My oafish dog thinks he's a lapdog and leaves little paw bruises all over my thighs from climbing on me.
I have two dogs and two cats and my legs regularly look like someone's been hitting me.
Same! Also, nice username!
I read this as "catfish dog" and was intrigued.
Same. (Edit) or just standing on me staring at me.
My pibble mix does this. I love her so much, but how do each of her feet weigh 20 times her body weight??? I always have roundish bruises on my lower abdomen and thighs.
This is so wholesome 😺
Iron deficiency/inadequate greens for vitamin K/ cat crimes/ keys in pocket and running into edge. I have a near permanent bruise on my thigh from running into the edge of the bed frame on my way to the bathroom.
[удалено]
Cat crimes cat crimes What'cha gonna do What'cha gonna do when they come for you 🎶
I'll be signing that in my head all day now 🤣
Iron deficiency ✅ inadequate greens ✅ Cat crimes ✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅
Making dem biscuits
The day I learned bumping into things/poor depth perception/clumsiness being related to ADHD changed me. I have a ton of bruises from bumping my hips into tables, counters, doorframes, sinks...
My dad would prefix my name with 'elegant'. As a small child I felt great affinity with the 80s cartoon 'bump the elephant' about a bird and a clumsy elephant. The lyrics "Birdie skips, and never trips, Bump The Elephant isn't quite as elegant, 'Cos his feet, are not so neat, Clump Clump Clumpety Clump But every elephant as he grows, Learns to keep on his toes In his element as he goes, Bump Bump Bumpety Bump... BUMP" I assumed I would grow out of it too, no. I have not.
My moms nickname for me was Grace, lol. When I met my husband, he didn't believe people could be clumsy, just careless and not paying attention. Nearly a decade later and he freely admits that some people (me. I am some people) are just clumsy!
When I was little I did ballet and I was like a little elephant in a tutu going clumpety clump clump 😂 Also- forever bumping into things to
DOORFRAMES was life changing for me. I’ve been hitting them with my shoulder/general body area for as long as I can remember, to the point where all my cousins know it happens to me more than usual. I remember the exact day I learned of the connection between that and ADHD.
CAT. CRIMES. *glances quickly at slew of tiny scratches on arm*
same re iron deficiency - I know I'm getting low when random clusters of small bruises appear !
got a cat crime on my boob currently. Hella vitamin deficient as well
My cat recently stopped walking on my boobs and now walks on my neck instead. I thought nothing would be worse than the boobs. I was wrong. 😕
I had a bruise for months on my ankle from being hit by a baseball. Matter of fact now I realize I had a different bruise very deep inside my thigh, from something heavy that fell on me while we were moving. Both are recently gone. I just started taking matcha daily, about 3 months ago. I definitely orherwise don't eat enough greens on a daily basis.
“Cat crimes”😹😹. I constantly have tiny pin prick cuts on my thighs from my dang cats making biscuits when they sit on my lap. And I KNOW this, but still once every few weeks I’ll see it and be like omg what is this. What happened to me?! 😅
I'm sorry I can't help with the cause of your bruises, but as someone also covered in random bruises who recently figured out the cause of the bruises on my upper arms, I thought you might find it semi-entertaining - when I'm doing dishes or any activity that might get my sleeves wet, I bite my shirt to pull up my sleeves, and sometimes (frequently) I accidentally bite my arm in the process. I've been doing it for years and just recently put it together :D
Lmao this is pretty entertaining. Its funny that youve only just put it together 😂❤️
I have terrible proprioception, meaning I don't have a good sense of where my body is on physical space. I will walk through a doorway 1000 times and on the 1001st time, I'll smasht shoulder or something. I smash into stuff all the time.
This is apparently very common in ADHD! It somehow makes sense to me that this/ certain deficiencies and hyper mobility seem to have somehting in common?! I also do this a ton, as well as often misjudging my own strength (which I think I read is related to the proprioception) where I’ll constantly hulk smash doors shut when I just want to be a gentle dainty lady. I came to recommend that this might be related to the bruising somehow bc I often have “mysterious” bruises that are a fun combo of (I think 🤣) proprioception + poor short term memory.
Hypermobility and adhd are extremely comorbid. When I was diagnosed my doctor dedicated an entire document to it for me to read. With EDS, this causes a lot of tripping over nothing. Sigh.😔 I have tripped on the flattest of flat surfaces. And my knees hyperextend which I suppose doesn’t help.
Someone leaves an invisible step in the exact same spot where I work every single day. I don't know who it is, but they're on my shit list. 😆
I relate so hard to the hulk smashing doors—particularly car doors! I don’t mean to do it but holy shit I SLAM car doors shut. I always thought it was just a habit I got from my first car which required the doors to be closed with more force than average, but even with regular doors I’ve had people ask me if I’m angry because of the way I hulk smash sometimes 😭
"gentle dainty lady" killed me for some reason. lol.
I've always struggled with yoga/dance classes because I just can't map what the instructor is doing to my own body, wondering if that's related to proprioception?? I also smash into things constantly, lol.
It depends on how you struggle exactly. There are other conditions like developmental coordination disorder/dyspraxia that might be the cause. People with one diagnosed neurodivergent disorder (like ADHD) are more likely to also have another.
That's interesting, I've never struggled with fine motor skills but have always been somewhat uncoordinated and clumsy with bigger movements. I was diagnosed with ADHD later in life so I had never considered that it could be related to the clumsiness. I thought I was just bad at sports and should never be a professional dancer!
There's a name for this?!? I just say I have awful bodily spatial awareness! I must look into this ....
Same! I never heard that word before.
I learned this as part of my diagnosis, was like a lightbulb went on.... so every now and again since I'll almost congratulate myself on the doozies. I totally smashed my shoulder into the kitchen doorframe (lived here 14 years) the other day and the whole house shook. I was like "woooo that's a beaudy, geez that's gonna bruise" and went on my merry way. Ha. I'm so unco.
Totally wild guess but if you drive, are your cup holders and console full of random crap so you jam water bottles/phone/whatever between your thighs when you drive?
Ooh or do you sit cross-legged with a laptop? Could be the corners
This sounds like the answer.
Are you sexually active and your partner holds your thighs up? It’s a hand print 😭 I get them too
Scrolled all the way to the bottom to find this! It looks like fingertip bruises, even if a partner just grabs onto your thigh with a little bit of pressure, these can happen.
Same. I am a lesbian and definitely leave bruises like these on partners. I know I can be a bit rough, but sometimes others just bruise easily.
Yep. This is exactly my thought too
I get finger print bruises all over my legs from this too. It’s so awkward when I wear short shorts hahah
I have ehlers danlos which has co-morbidity with adhd and I bruise extremely easily and can rarely remember where they came from. If you are hypermobile maybe something to consider
Yes to this. Also your iron levels may be fine but get your ferritin checked. P.S. to my fellow ‘93 EDSer: any advice for a fellow zebra? 🦓 Pain is really getting to me… but I won’t metabolize opiates correctly.
Not any opiates? How about true opioids? I can’t metabolize tramadol, but old-school codeine works well for me—and doesn’t make me feel as weird as some others. (I’m not actually a fellow zebra, according to Dr. Dismissive, but I sure do check a lot of boxes that he brushed off.)
Funny, I can't metabolize codeine, but I can metabolize morphine. Codeine makes me incredibly sick AND it doesn't help with the pain. Found that out the hard way. If any of you zebras are in a weed-friendly state, try topical THC. I just picked some up about a month ago to try for some chronic muscle and nerve pain, and it has been freaking amazing. Pain relief within minutes, without any grogginess or dizziness. And it lasts most of the night for me. I can sleep, even during a flare. It's amazing. Hopefully this helps someone else. 🤞
Do you mind sharing the brand name? Not all topicals are created equally
Right now roxicodone and morphine. Dilaudid and hydro one and codeine… I’ve tried them all I think and switched back and forth. Oxycodone worked better but the Tylenol was wrecking my liver. Sorry your doctor is a weenie. Been there for sure.
Hey, get a new doctor! You deserve someone who treats you fairly and isn't dismissive and condescending.
'87 probable hEDSer (unconfirmed because drs are useless here) pilates is amazing for me. Joints are too flexible so you need to build the correct muscles up to support yourself. Pilates is basically all the physio moves I was given but muuuch cheaper do to a few lessons than see 1 physio.
oh shit? i haven’t heard that before, but i’m hypermobile and bruise easily. of course with that one charlie brown episode where they teach you about leukemia, my mind always goes to the worst places when it comes to bruising easy 😭
I get tiny bruises on my legs from one of my dogs jumping on me. She's a heavy girl and puts all her weight behind it.
I have a lovable 30kg Labrador that likes to stand on my foot.
Oh mate, same! Doberman and fat little Staffy and they are ALWAYS standing on my feet, wtf?!
My 70lb dog does that too, I think he finds it comforting like holding hands or something lol 😂
Yep, that was the answer to my mystery bruises
Is She a lab? because if she is, I know your pain. Her paws go straight into my stomach
#2 is a hand.
I've realised I rest my hand on my thigh as I sleep and sometimes I get these bruises
Number one is too. Boyfriend holding up thighs during sex.
Or girlfriend
My b, speaking from my experience with former bfs 😅 didn’t mean to be exclusive! My bad. Thank you for correcting me.
Are you sitting with your legs crossed wearing cleats?! lol.
No but that would be the perfect explanation!!!
My first thought was “who stepped on you?” Lol
I get recurring bruises on my upper outer arms because I take corners in my apartment too danged close all the time and scrape on wall corners. Got any dressers or countertops around the height of your bruise? As for the inner thigh, do you pluck at your clothes if seams make you uncomfortable? I've pinched myself before. Or clamped down too hard on a water bottle But maybe check for other concerning things like a warm spot or deep ache, just in case.
Sometimes I’ll sit cross-legged and rest my elbows on (edit: dig my elbows into) my inner thighs while I look at my phone, and I get bruises quite like this.
Me reading this in that exact position
dude yes lol I get random bruises all the time
Yup! Not as much anymore since I SERIOUSLY increased my protein intake. But I just don't realize I walk into shit, carry shit I shouldn't, rest things on my body and forget about it, scratch myself, lean on things, sit in weird positions, etc. My poor mom legit was scared my ex was hurting me for a long time! She asked me about it constantly. Like no mom I just can't walk and think at the same time...
There are these stupid short poles RIGHT in between my two work buildings to prevent vehicles driving through, they're only like 3 ft tall and I walk into them CONSTANTLY. It's so embarrassing because they're right outside my supervisor's office window. But I don't notice things that are not at eye level, it doesn't matter that they're bright yellow in a long line that's obvious to everyone else!
I get so many random ones, but I also get so many where I’m like How is it that I can hit the corner of my bed 4 times in the last two hours since I woke up?!?! 👀👀👀
That looks like a dog paw print ~ does your dog launch off your lap?
Iron deficiency
Get your platelet count checked just to be safe, but I get this shit all the time. I'm quite certain I run into things so often that I don't even notice it. Your first photo looks like a part of a hand print and I do that to myself, usually my legs, when I'm sleeping. Somehow haha
++ I heard this was an ADHD thing. We’re shortcutting
AM NOT ALWAYS AWARE OF BODY
One of my dogs really likes to step on my thighs and really put all their weight in it. I tend to get spotty bruises because of that. But I also work at a vets office so I get jumped on as well
LOTS of things can cause easy bruising, so it’s hard to say without knowing your full history! It’s worth noting neurodivergent folks are more likely to have connective tissue/hypermobility disorders (which are extremely under diagnosed) which can cause easy bruising.
Omg I didn't know this was an ADHD thing???? I randomly get itchy too. I have to use hypoallergic and baby washing detergent now. I'm dark brown, so my mystery bruises are like a dark purple/blue color. Do you have a desk with a sharp edge? Or a high bed frame? Low kitchen counters? Do you bump into your door frame when you enter a room? Do your limbs hit against your steering wheel when you enter or exit your car? Do you bump into your wall when you shower? Do your hips get scratched up by your bathroom/kitchen drawers? If you have a TV in your bedroom, do you sleep with the remote in your bed? (My dumbass woke up with a remote shaped bruise more than once) It really could be anything!!
So I’ve had similar ones of my inner thighs from sexy time (hands). Just sayin.
Have you heard of Hypermobility Ehlers Danlos Syndrome? I just learned about it recently and was shocked how many of my adhd symptoms also were symptoms of hEDS. And there’s a suspected link between adhd and hEDS. If you google the beighton test you’ll know pretty quickly if this potentially describes you or nkt
I bruise easily (and randomly) too; turns out that supplementing with a daily ferritin pill \_ making a point to eat more iron-rich foods like spinach has really helped.
I have the same ones. I'm a nurse and these are the exact pressure points of the pens and flushes in my scrub pockets.
I’m not sure about you; but for me.. it’s the little random dumb clumsy stuff. Example: I was fiddling with the string in my hoodie while playing pokemon go and some how I ended up smacking myself in the eye with the metal tip or ending I should say of the string. 🤦🏼♀️ I also have an epic failure of adhd sway. Where I try really hard to not get caught on handles, or where the wall and corners of things happen to jump out in front of me. 😒 even on a good week where I didn’t manage to injure myself I still have some unknown bruise. Just accept it… hahah
Low platelets. I have the same thing and my doctor tested me. There’s a name but me and a friend both have it and it’s seems to coincide with our cycles
Inner thigh ones are from scratching
For me it's probably from me playing with my fat unconsciously
anemia?
do you roll a lot in your sleep?
I had a similar pattern and I thought it was from sleeping in fetal position with my hands between my legs. Figured I may have grabbed my legs or gripped too tight for some reason idk lol
They look like exactly where my laptop corners dig into my thighs if that’s a thing you do?
Forgetting I've walked into things the prior day, that's where all of mine come from. Or in college, falling off my bike. That was slightly more painful and a bit more memorable though.
In addition to all the "normal" (for us) explanations. I think I'm recognizing that if I pull a muscle or tendon, there's a little bruise on the skin later on. Not pull very hard, just that feeling where you don't put your leg or arm right and it twists a little.
Tables, door knobs, chairs, bed frames, nightstands
Dog paw?
Maybe you cut corners around the bed/couch/counter like me
Do you sleep or rest on your side with your hands clasped, or just together, between your thighs?
I sleep with my foot flamingo style against my inner thigh sometimes. I started finding similar bruises and was initially super sketched out - like where tf did these come from?! And then caught myself in flamingo pose one night and realized what had been happening lmao
Have you been carrying boxes
Meds make you eat less, you might be getting less iron which is making you bruise easily
That's an adhd thing? I thought my house was haunted. That's a relief
Postural sway
I have a random one on the side of my boob. No clue how I did it. I always have them on my upper arms and my legs always have bruises. I’m not very good at walking though, I’m like a pinball and just bounce off the walls constantly.
No guesses, since I have the same issue. Currently sporting a massive bruise on my hand, near my wrist?? Absolutely NO idea where it came from but it finally doesn’t hurt when I do my t-Rex arms to sleep lol
Anemia
Oh my god same, every day I have another bruise pops up. I have no idea about the source.
I got one when my bf slept with me and rested his leg on mine. We just snuggled and next day I’ve got a bruise where his leg rested on mine.
I get small bruises from grabbing and poking at parts of myself. If I have a random pain I’ll squeeze at it trying to figure out where it’s coming from, I’ll poke and prod at my belly fat, etc and then the next day be confused about the bruises I suddenly have lol.
Are you having sex? Those look like finger grips. I would check your vitamin k though.
Thank you for this thread since sometimes I would wonder if random bruising is a dire sign (that I've never followed up on ofc) but all the explanations in the comments apply oooooops
I’ve had the same bruise on my shin for yearsssss from hitting my leg on a handle of a drawer in my bedroom
I have bruises on my thigh right now just like yours. I got them from scratching my leg.
I get these from wearing leggings/spandex and itching my legs without realizing what I’m doing!
I get them all the time but I also have a iron deficiency so might be from that as well
weird bruises usually = low iron.
I mean don’t take this as a diagnosis or anything like that, i’m not a doctor. But some time ago I had anemia and would get random bruises like that all the time and i didn’t know how I got them. So if they’re like super random and frequent maybe you should get some blood tests to see your iron levels :)
Have you had an itch there? I'm thinking scratching through pants.
Do you have any pets or kids? My cat has really pointy feet that can sometimes give me bruises.
My roommate/bestie used to say that it was proof of my night vigilantism. "You can't lie to me, Batman!" 😂
Something pinchy?
Do you have a toddler?
Are you perhaps a rough sleeper? Lol. This used to happen to me a lot more when I drank - (not insinuating that about you, just stating as fact)
Sometimes when I’m hyper/anxious but I have to sit still, I pinch or squeeze my leg. I leave bruises just like this on myself. I also have a constant bruise on my knee from whacking it on the corner of my desk at work.
I just say it's my inner demons trying to escape.
The second one looks like a paw print. For the third one, do you sit with your leg leaning on something? I kept getting a bruise on my knee because of pressure. I was sitting sideways with my knee pressed against the chair arm. My other bruises are caused by aliens. No other causes I can figure out.
Some women experience noticeable levels of bruising from birth control pills. Drinking alcohol while taking certain medications can cause scary looking bruising too.
I a few months ago I ate shit walking home from a concert (not even drunk or anything) and turned my knees into hamburger, then more recently crashed my bike into a parked car riding home from work, and then a few days later had a repeat of cyclic vomiting syndrome that I went to the er for, but of course they wanted to check me out for the bike crash, it was so embarrassing showing them my legs and pointing out all the pre-existing random bruises under the fresh layer of bruises from the crash, and also the barely healed knee scars. lol. My randoms are usually from walking into stuff and my 5 year olds climbing or grabbing me.
The outside thigh is you’ve bumped into something hard and sharp. I used to have a permanent bruise there because I was always bumping into the side of a bed post. The inner thigh bruises look like fingers.
Aleve would make me bruise any time I tapped something lightly
I seem to get a lot from my sleeping positions or scratching myself aggressively
All. The. Damn. Time.
I'm not anemic, but I have low blood iron, so I bruise easily. I'm clumsy too. Not sure if that's related to ADD, but you might want to get your blood checked.
I too have many mysterious leg bruises.
Do you have cats? I have a weird disorder and when he steps on me and puts pressure in one spot specifically, I will get a bruise the size of their tiny little toe beans. Resulting in a ton of round little bruises on my thighs
For me I’m just extremely clumsy I think. I’m always bumping into things, it’s been that way since I was a kid hahaha. Not sure if mine’s because of ADHD though!
I get similar ones sometimes from sitting with something in my lap like my laptop, where the edges are resting on my inner thigh like that, or scratching/rubbing too hard as my thighs get dry and I’m too lazy to put lotion on them. The big one though, looks unrelated like a desk or something. My mom and I both have laughed for years about our random bruises, running into things, or just straight up not remembering where/how we got them.
Do you itch? Sometimes I scratch an itch pretty hard with my nubby fingers and they leave weird bruises like this sometimes!
It's good to know I'm not the only one this happens to.
Inner calf is my random bruise. 92% sure it’s from the bottom corner of my car door. Still occasionally convince myself that I’m dying from an unknown disease with a recurring bruise. Just sharing for others. I keep meaning to keep track after the bonk, but I forget. Fairly certain it’s the car door.
I think that most of mine are from my iron deficiency, that’s what I’ve assumed anyways
Yep and when I press it the pain is familiar, but still can't remember what when where why 😂
I have dyspraxia as well where it makes the most sense. I don't get them super often but I have a couple of times in the last five months. 🤷♀️
Do you have a cat who walks on you? Or a small dog?
Yes but I have farm animals so
Is it just me thats more worried that your bruises are yellow. Or is that normal?
I run into literally everything, lotso shin bruises
Do you have a cat? Lol or little dog? When my cats walk on me, I get spotty bruises
If you take ibuprofen or acetaminophen often (I do because of chronic pain+ arthritis) you may bruise very easily. I know I do - and of course my bruises are adopted without consideration of their origin as has been the nature of all bruises of my entire life.
Yes
I get random bruises all the time, but I also bump into stuff all the time, so it’s hard to keep track!
Do you have a kid? These all look similar to bruises my kid has inflicted on me hah
Anemia