9 year old with severe headache then nosebleed

[lauramw71]

One of my twins is 9 and he gets nosebleeds quite often.  Usually they just out of the blue start bleeding, but only lasts a short time.  Lately he will get a sudden severe headache, one where he goes down to his knees with his head in his hands, then his nose will start bleeding.  Then he will become very dizzy and cant stand or walk.  I am not able to get him into his pediatrician for a week but was concerned this should be something he should have looked at sooner.  He has had 2 of these in the past week.  He is an active kid, just completed the baseball season, and is now in football.  As far as I know, he has not had any injuries in either of these to his head.  But the nosebleeds started before the sports seasons.  Any information will be appreciated as I am a VERY nervous mom.
Thank you

[massagemaiden]

My nine year old has been experiencing astronomical nose bleeds since about three years of age.  He is diagnosed with seizure disorder/non-epileptic.  He also has several other disorders.  They started after he had his first seizure.  He has severe asthma and used to take a lot of albuterol.  Years later, when the National Asthma Association changed the asthma intake protocols for doctors and patients, the seizures increased...so did the nosebleeds.  A few days ago, after an EEG, they came back severely.  He is also diagnosed with a disorder called 'sinus disease'.  I think all of these issues intersect along some pathway, but I'm not sure which came first, the chicken or the egg.  I keep a close eye and monitor his needs because sometimes his ability to connect and communicate his needs is lower.  I found out about this last nosebleed after he came into the den looking dazed, asking for something to eat, with clumps of blood all over his hands, face and clothes.  He was walking very slowly, speaking in a slurred fashion and later complained of blurred vision t the time of the bleed.  He was definitely affected by the nose bleed.  I started to call 911, but realized the emergency room would only tell me to follow up with his testing physician whom I'm still waiting to hear back from. With the amount of blood he lost, I knew it'd be easy to be disoriented.  Could the electromagnetic arena of the EEG have anything to do with the bleed?  Today makes three bleeds (this one was very light and after his half day of school which is starting a new program for him, so he tends to be exhausted by 1pm when I pick him up daily from school).  His EEG was four days ago.  I have him consume plenty of water (we live in Arizona and our bodies are really dry inside without proper hydration), coconut water every few days and we eat a whole foods diet.  Besides cookies and light snacks, he consumes very little processed foods/sugar.  Any feedback?

[nichole375]

I would be very interested to know what your doctor said. My 16 yr old son has had this exact same thing happen twice in the last 2 months. He gets a sudden piercing headache and a nose bleed from his left nostril at the same time. It's sever enough to bring him to his knees and not be able to talk for about 60 seconds (he is VERY tough and never complains even if he's visibly hurt so it must be pretty dang bad). I'm making an appt for him tmrw, but would like to know what you were told.

[dee196]

I'm elderly (67) and this just started--bad headache w/nausea--sudden nosebleed and then it's ll a-ok.  No problems with hypertension.  History of atypical migraine but none in the last ten years.  I'm looking, too...will notify my PMD and see where this goes.

[shawnb1919]

I recently have just started having this happen to me. I am a 21 year old male and don't drink or do drugs. I will get an intense headache that rates right in there with a migraine and then a few minutes later I will hear a pop and I will get a nose bleed. Most often the headache will fade as the nose bleed starts. If you learn anything that could cause this let me know please.

[dr_simran]

Hi
Usually the headache is due to rush of blood or congestion.The congestion gets relieved and manifests itself throgh the bleeding of the nose and thereby causing less blood supply to the brain which inturn causes the syncope or the dizziness.You should consult a neurologist and get the necessary tests done so that a correct diagnosis can be done .
Best

[lauramw71]

Thank you very much retz!!  
Very scary thing dealing with the head.  My panic is terrible about it.  I know 4 children that have either died from, or have a brain tumor.  Just awful.

[retz225]

Sounds like good newws!!!  Keep your appt with the Ped for the MRI.
I have a friend that is a CT Tech....If they had seen something more than likely they would have admited him for furthur testing.
I'll keep you and your son in my thoughts and prayers.
Let us know how things turn out.

[lauramw71]

Well, I decided to go to the ER yesterday.  They did a CT scan which came back normal.  Not even a sinus infection.  They also did a full bloodwork workup looking for any type of disorder such as leukemia, which also came back normal.  They also had him do an eye test, and he read fine with his right eye, but couldn't read the line with his left eye.  I don't think that would have anything to do with this situation, but I now know to get him to an eye dr.  The ER doc said to follow up with his ped in 2-3 days, and have him do an MRI and possibly EEG (is that the brain activity one?)   But if there WAS somethign wrong, it would have shown up on the CT right?  
Thanks!!

[retz225]

If it were my 9yr I would go straight to the ER.
Good luck with your Dr appt If you do decide to wait it out.

[lauramw71]

Thank you for responding.

He doesn't get the bloody nose until AFTER he gets the headache.  He complains of the bad headache for about 5-10 minutes, and then his nose will start bleeding, and he will get dizzy also.  
Thanks again,
Laura

[dr_simran]

Hello lauramw71,
Headache may be due to loss of blood.  If there is a lot of bleeding, and if the bleeding has continued for a long time, the loss of blood can be serious enough to cause a headache
You can try the following methods-Get a cloth to catch the blood
    Sit or stand with your head above your heart, and tilt your head slightly forward.
   Blow the clots out of your nose.  Do this just once, then stop blowing your nose.
   Pinch the soft part of your nose, just below the bony part.  Keep the pressure on without stopping for about 10 minutes.
    During this time, do not blow your nose or stop applying pressure.  You may want a cold compress or ice pack on your nose or cheeks.
   After 10 minutes, check to see if the bleeding has stopped.  If not, apply pressure for another 10 minutes.
   If the bleeding stops, try to avoid activity for a few hours.  Don't blow your nose, or do any heavy lifting.
Refer http://www.relieve-migraine-headache.com/bloody-nose-and-headache.html for more details.
Best