It happened on the last day of school. SMACK! When I got hit in the back of my leg with a softball, I thought I was going to die - of humiliation.
Nothing was broken, but a six-inch-diameter impact mark was red and swollen and, to my absolute horror, I knew I was going to have the mother-of-all bruises on my leg all summer long.
Grandpa acted fast.
First, he washed the area with ice cold water. Then he dried the tender zone and applied a custom-cut Spanish onion. He cut the big onion in half with a slight curve so it would fit perfectly on my leg. Then he taped it there.
Every night Grandpa prepared a warm apple cider vinegar compress for me to wear to bed, under bandages. In the mornings it was Vitamin K. Every morning and again after lunch I remember rubbing the wound with a cream containing Vitamin K. This vitamin aids the body and helps break down dead blood, reabsorbing it into your circulatory system. The rubbing action actually helps speed the healing process. By the next weekend's beach party the ugly dark flesh was considerably lighter, and I stopped thinking about it.
Grandpa tells me that some people bruise easier than others, as a function of ill health. If you are one of these folks you should ingest more Vitamin C everyday - increased intake of vitamin C has been shown to improve the body's resistance to bruising.
