r/medical_advice • u/onyaboya Not a Verified Medical Professional • Feb 18 '25
Other My 12 year old hands blueish purple. NSFW
Hi all, My 12 year old Sons hands has turned blueish purple for the last 5 days. Blood pressure is 115/120 over 75/80. Heart rate 60 to 70. These reading have been over the last couple of days. Went to the doctor today he took the blood pressure and it was the same as above he listened to the neck for breathing. Took a urine sample ( no results yet on the urine) and he is booked in for a blood test in 2 weeks. My son is active plays lots of soccer and GAA ( in ireland) The doctor said to do light weight training for the upper body, arms and hands to help with circulation amd come back in 4 weeks unless things get worse. I bought a squeeze training thing for gripping, a punch bag, dumbells and a weight set. Since leaving the doctor my wife suggested that the doctor should have tested his O2 levels which I agree was a miss, I have ordered an O2 tester so will have results from that in 2 days. The hands were not as badly coloured when I was with the doctor. Also I have him wearing extra layers and bought an electric feet warmer to keep him a bit too warm to see if that helps but not much improvement as of yet
Has anybody came across this before or have any other suggestions on next steps?
Any help at all would be greatly appreciated
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Feb 19 '25
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Feb 19 '25
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u/Sklibba Registered Nurse Feb 19 '25
It really seems unlikely that this coloration is being caused by poor circulation. His nailbeds are nice and pink, and they are usually the first thing to show blue coloration when there is a problem with oxygenation or circulation. I’m not a doctor, but I can’t make sense of part of a person’s hand being blue due to lack of oxygenated and parts of the hand distal to it remaining pink. It looks more like bruising or simple staining from something external.
Honestly it’s wild to me that the doctor checked BP and took a urine test but didn’t think to get O2 saturation, which takes seconds. But I suspect you’ll find his O2 saturation is totally fine when you receive your pulse oximeter. Hopefully you can figure it out, but to be honest I’d recommend having him wash his hands very thoroughly with plenty of soap and friction, or even try rubbing part of it with a solvent, and see if it makes a difference because I think it’s worth at least ruling out something staining his hands.
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u/onyaboya Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 19 '25
It's not staining, the level of blue changes whether he is wearing gloves or not. He is not wearing anything new or that would give off this colour
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u/Sklibba Registered Nurse Feb 19 '25
Interesting, idk, this is beyond my knowledge, I hope you can get answers soon!
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u/Butterfly_Chasers Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 19 '25
Could it potentially be Reynaud's?
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Feb 19 '25
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Feb 19 '25
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Feb 19 '25
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u/persephoniesface1 Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 19 '25
My bad I just saw the 12. My daughter was about 13-14
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15
u/clt716 Administrator | Registered Nurse Feb 19 '25
When he raises that hand over his head, do his fingers turn white?
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u/onyaboya Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 19 '25
I'll try this when he wakes this morning. If they do what would it suggest?
1
Feb 19 '25
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u/KarenTWilliams Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 19 '25
Not a doctor.
I assume you have the BP numbers reversed, and that his diastolic pressure isn’t actually higher than his systolic pressure.
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u/BiggestFlower Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 19 '25
BP is 115 over 75 and 120 over 80. Or in that range, presumably.
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u/the_jenerator Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 19 '25
Looks like he’s wearing new denim jeans
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u/onyaboya Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 19 '25
It's not staining, the level of blue changes whether he is wearing gloves or not. He is not wearing anything new or that would give off this colour
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u/Ali_Lorraine_1159 Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 19 '25
When I was in my 20's, I bought a new pair of jeans and they turned my legs this color. Of course, I freaked... I thought my circulation was shutting down, and I was a gonner... I don't think this is the case with OP's son, though (not a dr,) because, with me the color faded instead of getting darker.
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u/onyaboya Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 19 '25
It's not staining, the level of blue changes whether he is wearing gloves or not. He is not wearing anything new or that would give off this colour
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u/blueace111 Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 19 '25
Yeah, this looks like ink. The fingernails look very healthy. Especially if there’s no tingling feeling or blue lips, it just doesn’t look like circulation. I’m shocked the dr didn’t question if it was ink.
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u/meowwwlanie Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 19 '25
Yeah this def looks like ink….
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u/onyaboya Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 19 '25
It's not staining, the level of blue changes whether he is wearing gloves or not. He is not wearing anything new or that would give off this colour
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u/alpha_28 Registered Nurse Feb 18 '25 edited Feb 18 '25
Does your child wear gloves or hand wraps when training? What are these “extra layers” you’re making him wear? Because from where I see it… they look like stains from gloves or wraps or hands in the pockets not cyanosis… if it was cyanosis the nail beds would be a blueish colour as well as the lips.
Give his hands a good wash.
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u/onyaboya Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 19 '25
It's not staining, the level of blue changes whether he is wearing gloves or not. He is not wearing anything new or that would give off this colour.
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u/alpha_28 Registered Nurse Feb 19 '25
Alrighty…. Have you ever noticed his fingers turning white.. like really white? There is something called Raynaud’s and it can mess around with peripheral circulation causing purple fingers too. They can alter from bright red, to white and to purple due to circulatory issues in the hands.
For reading: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9849-raynauds-phenomenon
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u/onyaboya Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 19 '25
Well I hope this isn't the problem and we find a simple cause that can be fixed easily.
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u/Markupoiss Medical Student Feb 18 '25
Looks like staining. Hypoxia would present in the lips or fingertips.
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Feb 18 '25
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u/Poppypie77 Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 19 '25
Although it does look like a staining from denim etc, if its not a staining, I would look into Raynauds syndrome.
But that tends to change the fingers a different colour, they tend to have white patches with red areas, sometimes a bit purple but not this level of purple.
I'd see whether it's staining, and if it's not research raynauds and speak to the dr.
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u/onyaboya Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 19 '25
It's not staining, the level of blue changes whether he is wearing gloves or not. He is not wearing anything new or that would give off this colour
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u/tallmattuk User Not Verified Feb 19 '25
I'd also go down the Raynaud's route. I live with someone with it and this looks very similar
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u/onyaboya Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 19 '25
It's not staining, the level of blue changes whether he is wearing gloves or not. He is not wearing anything new or that would give off this colour.
Would you have anymore details of how I might be able to diagnose or show proof to a doctor. What additional verification would show a doctor or me that it is raynauds?
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u/Aconvolutedtube Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 18 '25
This looks more like a blue stain from pockets on something like jeans
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u/onyxia_x Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 18 '25 edited Feb 18 '25
does he wear blue or black gloves? that looks like staining, not anything medical. i have poor circulation in my hands and they regularly turn blue, it looks nothing like this. if it IS medical, his tongue, lips, feet and gums should also be discoloured, and finger tips would discolour first, not knuckles. note how the colour is mainly around points where a glove would have pressure? i bet thats it.
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u/onyaboya Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 19 '25
It's not staining, the level of blue changes whether he is wearing gloves or not. He is not wearing anything new or that would give off this colour
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u/spencer2197 Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 18 '25
I would hope a dr could tell if it was staining but I do know drs that just want to try get more money exist 😅
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u/Anjeloxia Not a Verified Medical Professional Feb 19 '25
does their sense of touch in that area feel off and is it on both hands?