March 1, 2013

• TMI Alert – Looking for relief from nosebleeds

  This post is kind of graphic and some may consider it TMI.

   

  Since about Christmas, I’ve been having chronic nosebleeds.  I have looked up nosebleeds on several sites (mostly medical, like MayoClinic.com) and for the most part, it seems they are harmless and usually caused by dry air.  However, according to our whole house humidifier, the house is at about 50% humidity, and my smaller room humidifier says my bedroom is between 50 and 60% humidity at all times.

   

  So, I used to take benedryl to sleep at night, and stopped that because I thought it was exacerbating the problem.  I also read that NSAIDs can also contribute, and I was taking one Aleve at night before bed for inflammation (my bum shoulder never fully healed – it still gets sore sometimes.)  So I stopped taking that.

   

  I bought some plain old saline drops, and they relieve my nose temporarily (for about 10 minutes), then I bought some saline gel spray – that seemed to be a little better.

   

  I am on a nasal steroid (Fluticasone HCl - I think it’s the generic for Flonase) to keep my nasal passages from closing up at night.

   

  Finally yesterday I bought a tube of vaseline and use a Q-tip to line the inside of my nostrils with vaseline.

   

  At least now with the vaseline, I don’t have any ‘crusting’.  I thought it was clearing up but I just blew my nose (gently, even) and it was filled with blood.  

   

  I don’t see my doctor until the first week in April.

   

  Has anyone else ever had a problem with this?  From most of what I’ve read nosebleeds are rarely serious.  This is more annoying than anything and sometimes the inside of my nose hurts.

   

  Anyone have any suggestions for home treatments?  If my humidifiers’ readings are correct, it’s not caused by dry air.

  • 9:18 pm
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