1) Did anyone use soap and water and WASH her skin to make certain this wasn't makeup applied to her arms? She looked like an 80's diva in the mid 90's, so I know she had plenty of dark cream blush, lipstick and purple eyeshadow around.
I know I would have gotten out the skin cleaner if the bruises weren't evident upon admission to Baylor.
2) She was in the hospital for 2 days... She had IVs, and chances are, she saw the bleeding under the skin which occurs during needle sticks when the needle goes through the vein, and which happens when an IV is taken out. I've come home from the hospital looking like I had been beaten severely on my hands and arms from unsuccessful IV/ lab sticks and IVs coming out of my veins, so I KNOW this happens often.
I think there is a chance that a nurse left an IV needle or syringe with a needle within Darlie's reach accidentally and she found a " handy" use for it. Usually, in ICU, there is a bedside supply of items for the staff's emergency use which includes an airway, suction catheters, and in some facilities, packaged IV catheters with a needle introducer.
I've found IV needles and syringer in my hospital bed before so I know it can easily happen. ( I'm not a chroniclly sick person. I am very hard to stick and these types of things are memorable when they happen- a needle in your bed- yikes!).
Chances are, that in 1996 Baylor didn't have the automatic safety shield needles which are automatically sheathed after use which are most often used now. This renders them safe to the hospital staff from needle sticks and also makes them unable to be reused.
I think we all know what a syringe with a needle looks like, even Darlie. IF you puncture veins or even capillaries with a small gauge needle ( even an insulin syringe), blood will flow out under the skin more than above the skin and look like a deep tissue bruise when it isn't. A small gauge needle would not leave long lasting puncture marks and could be used repeatedly without much discomfort at all, especially if she iced her arms down like we used to do when we pierced our ears. Remember?
I know this may seem way off base, but instead of her slamming her arms against something or into something, or having Darin hit her, I think she may have either obtained a syringe or syringes or had that type of thing on hand.
I have always said that Darlie was NOT smart enough to have made bruises on her own arms before the crime, and I stick to that even more now. I think that when she was examined and questioned initially, a comment or two was made about " Lack of defensive wounds on extremities" within her hearing or when they took photos of the cut on her arm that was sutured, they asked to see her upper arms and she asked why, and was told that they were looking for signs of a struggle- bruises..
So she made up her own in one way or another. I am choosing the less painful and quicker way, which is through small vein punctures. Oh, and the blood under the skin is greater if the plunger on the syringe is pulled back, creating negative pressure and sucking more blood out under the skin.
Lab personnel accidentally do this sometimes when they are getting desperate for a blood sample.
Thanks for reading my opinion.
