NOSE BLEEDS

[surromommy2b]

alright, my husband gets nose bleeds at lease 3 times a day. they are not light by any means (constant and very heavy) and they last up to half an hour and were going on a month and a half now. does anyone know what could be causing them and how to "cure" them?

thanks,
nicole

[Zarahia]

I started to get nose bleeds from habitually fussing with my nose, which became very dry and irritated from working in a place with a strong fan blowing 24/7. Air conditioning can cause the vessels in your nose to enlarge and stick out like varicose veins, so they are apt to get badly scratched. I also have sinusitis, which produces constant nasal dripping and a hard, thin crust that's difficult to remove. I had to have my nose cauterized in the hospital emergency room twice when the bleeding did not stop in four hrs. For lighter bleeds, I've found packing the nose with a "cigarette" of tightly rolled toilet tissue often absorbs and stops the bleeding. Do not hold your head forward, or gravity could make the bleeding worse; keep it level. Other home remedies are pinching the nose shut to cut off the blood flow or applying a cold compress to the affected side. Sometimes pinching diverts too much blood down your throat and into your ear canal, though. I almost choked on stringy, clotted blood during the last major bleed. Luckily, a few sips of water cleared it. After the bleeding stops, do not clean your nose for at least an hour. I had a light bleed become serious from blowing the clot out too soon. Lots of light bleeds are a sign you should see a doctor and consider cautery.

An ENT doctor recommended both over-the-counter saline ointment and saline spray to moisten the nose twice daily. These help relieve the irritated sensation, but to keep my fingers away from my nose at night, when I often touch it subconsciously, I wear mittens to bed.

They often suspect high blood pressure if you're over forty, but actually epistaxsis is not a common symptom. Moreover, nose bleeding from hypertension usually comes from the back of the throat, not the front, where most bleeds occur. If you have elevated bp during the bleed, it is most likely from anxiety over your emergency situation; almost everybody has elevated bp in the ER.Therefore, though it's possible that high bp can prolong the hemorraging, this would affect the majority of emergency patients, not only those with chronic hypertension.

[mimi1313]

Hi,

I would go to the doctor. Usually nosebleeds are becasue of dryness due ot allergies, irritated blood vessels or sinus problems. With the frequency that he gets them I would get it checked out by your doctor. In the meantime have him use breathe in steam, and keep the nose moist

Melissa