Deciphering the Types of Bruises My EDS Causes

As someone with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), bruising is just a part of life. I rarely give my bruises more than a passing glance anymore. They’re just of a part of my natural complexion at this point.

People who aren’t used to my bruising tend to be pretty shocked, and they’re often confused by my nonchalant attitude about it. It used to bother me quite a bit, especially as a teenager, but I’ve reached a point where I generally don’t care. I’ve learned that positivity is the best approach, and stressing over things I can’t control does nothing but heighten my anxiety, which is a common co-diagnosis of EDS.

One thing I do find odd, however, is that I have different types of bruises. Some appear, and I have no clue how I got them. Typically, they don’t hurt, even when touched. Other bruises are big, but they’re only painful in a small area where the actual injury occurred. The rest is just “extra” bruising.

And then there are those that just hurt and seem to bruise in a semi-normal size. It’s bizarre.

I’ve always been one to easily find patterns, so it didn’t take long to realize that I had different types of bruises, or to realize that each feels different.

The bruises that aren’t painful to the touch typically don’t hurt when they happen, either. I usually don’t know how or when I got them, and they seem more like a temporary skin blemish than anything else. They appear, I wonder where they came from, and then they fade.

The big ones are the kind that tend to make people gape. Thankfully, now that I don’t play contact sports, I don’t get them very often. But when I do, they’re obvious. I know when these happen. They typically involve a significant impact, and I know it’s going to be “pretty.” The point of impact usually starts to bruise immediately, and then over a day or two, it spreads well beyond the original injury point.

The third kind is the one that’s oddest to me. Last week, I accidentally knocked my electric toothbrush off the bathroom counter, and it landed on top of my foot. It’s not a particularly heavy item, it’s not sharp, and it didn’t fall very far. But I knew the moment it hit my foot that the bruise would fall into the “normal sized, but extra painful” category.

There’s a different type of feeling when that impact happens: It’s sharper and deeper, and it lingers. It’s difficult to explain, but I know instantly if it will be that type of bruise.

While bruising is very much an EDS thing, I don’t know if this type of bruising pattern is just me or if others with EDS experience something similar. In the end, the type only really matters for my own curiosity. Whichever it is still doesn’t look good, and I just have to wait for it to heal.

But I do find some satisfaction in recognizing the patterns. It gives me a small sense of understanding of a disorder that is rarely understandable.

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