Human Hematomas

4faults

4faults

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I am wanting to pick the brains of anyone who knows anything about hematomas.

I fell off my 4 yo almost 4 weeks ago, landed on my rear end had huge bruising and swelling. Bruising is now gone but massive swelling remains, its normal skin colour and has not diminished in size at all. I have been doing the icing, ibuprofen etc as recommended by GP but it hasnt budged :(

It hurts to sit down and I cannot ride at all, I think I may be about to lose my job(grooming and riding) because of it. I have another appointment with my GP next week but I just wondered if anyone on here had any experience.

Its seriously embarrassing(you can imagine I look lovely in anything form fitting atm ) not to mention painful and its getting me down a bit.

Thank you in advance for any replies
 
I don't want to upset you but I got bitten on the bum on Feb 20th (won't forget THAT date) I still have the huge and very painful haematoma and yes, it still shows through my clothes! I would seriously recommend you see your gp and have it drained. I don't know if I have left it too late but am going to ask next time I go in as I don't think it is ever going to go on it's own! You have my sympathy because I know EXACTLY how you feel.
 
It is essentially a bruise - it sounds like deep tissue bruising which takes ages to go. Alongside the stuff your doctor has recommended i would be taking arnica (30c strength) and arnica cream to rub into the affected area. You can get both from Boots and they are safe to take with ibuprofen etc but they will help heal the bruising quickly.:)
 
Have you had yours looked at? Did they tell you to rest, ice, compress and elevate it above heart level? :eek::eek: My first thought was how in the heck am I going to do that lol.
 
I got bitten really badly on my arm a couple of years ago by a rather grumpy horse, and I got one that lasted nearly 3 months before it started going down. I went to the doctors, but they were not overly concerned, and eventually it slowly disappeared but I think it took nearly 5 months to completely disappear. It was only painful for a few weeks.
 
Thanks Slinky :) MIL got me some arnica have only used it a couple of times but will start putting it on more frequently. I really think Im going to loose my job :(
 
oooo sounds good I will buy some tomorrow, thank you.

Me too :( but as it happened when I was riding my own(normally very sane) 4 yo as opposed to bosses physco 4 yos(typical :rolleyes:) she is being very unhelpful about it and was hinting today that if I cant ride them she will have to find someone who can :mad:
 
What size is the haematoma? This is a critical question.

I'm very, very familiar with haematomas, as I came off my horse cross country a few years back and hit the raised wood at the front end of an open ditch. I was left with massive bruising and a haematoma the size of a man's fist close to my lower spine.

My GP told me it would be fine, it would go away on its own in time, but a month later, and there was no change. It was unsightly and it really, really hurt.

I went back several times, and my GP did absolutely nothing to help me until I mentioned I had work medical insurance. Then he immediately referred me to an orthopedic surgeon! Turned out I needed to have the stupid lump surgically removed. The surgeon told me that small haematomas go on their own, eventually, but the bigger ones like mine can calcify if not surgically removed.

So it's really important to know how big the lump is. If it's a decent size and not going away, please hassle your doctor about it as much as it takes to get a referral.

[I just registered on the forums to answer your question! I wish you all the best, and really, really hope you don't lose your job over it. PM me if you want more info on my experiences]
 
Hi thank you so much for registering to answer, that is very kind of you :)

I cannot fit my hand over the lump I would say it is roughly the same size as yours was. I have been doing some reading on the net and scaring myself a lot haha. Did you have yours removed? If so how well did you recover?

It is extremely painful I cant even sit in the car or lie in bed without pain so goign to work is a bit of a chore. Locum GP didnt seem the least bit interested said its a hematoma go home basically. Have an appointment next week with my own GP when she is back off holiday. I will keep hounding, thank you so much for your advice I really appreciate it :)
 
Hi, my O/H had a huge haematoma on his leg after a bad bike crash, the Dr's don't like to drain due to risk of infection and they often re-fill. He did eventually go to a really good sports therapist who specialised in sports massage and injury, after quite a few visits to her, (hands and funny machines I'm told.) It has broken down and is almost as it was pre crash.... Might be worth a thought. Good luck.
 
I didn't go to doctors, was far too embarrassed at first and thought it would go. I am now 7 months down the line and it is still exactly the same size and it still hurts a LOT if I sit funny on it or squeeze it (when I'm checking to see if it still hurts lol). If you are at risk of losing your job over it then you need to be talking to your doctor asap, or even try phoning casualty to ask if they will do it, because it can be drained and they will do it if you push for it. I haven't spoken to my doctor about it but an old dealer I know was kicked badly a few weeks ago and was sent to have his leg drained immediately because it affected his ability to work. I use arnica for everything, animals and people, and tbh, in this case, it hasn't helped at all.
 
I got bit on the backside about four years ago by my horse. The bruising and swelling was incredible and I still have a lump to this day. I went to see a physio who did some ultrasound on it to break it down.......is that an option? x
 
I had to have mine surgically removed too. I got dragged by a pony and had one on the top of my spine. It wasn't painful after a few weeks but did calcify. The surgery was only a day surgery though and recovery was v quick so don't panic if it comes to this.

The pain should go soon I'm sure. I really don't think you can lose your job over this. If she is hinting that I would possibly visit CAB!
 
I made a full recovery from the surgery. It is a very straightforward operation - my surgeon who normally works on bad spinal injuries called it "fun"!! :eek:

It was general anasthetic - in and out of the hospital in one day. It can refill with fluid in some cases, so physio is recommended, which I had, and I found it really helped with the scar tissue as well. All I have now is a small scar and some nerve damage from the fall itself, not the surgery.

The surgeon was pretty convinced that nothing short of surgical removal would get rid of a lump of that size. I would definitely keep hounding your doctor for a consultation to see if you need it surgically removing. I was so glad when I had it done. It was a really quick and simple operation - and afterwards, no more lump! And I could finally sleep on my back for the first time in weeks!
 
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