11/2009 ~ Bloody, Bloody Nose

Nose Bleed Won't Stop: 11/19/09

I woke up yesterday and my nose started bleeding. I've had problems with my nose bleeding for quite some time, ever since I started taking Plavix and Coumadin - to prevent blood clots after my open heart operation, and Asprin - to thin my blood. As a result, once I start bleeding, it's hard to stop. In the past, my nose would bleed slowly and the blood would just clot inside my nose and build up until I could no longer breathe. But yesterday, my would not nose would not stop bleeding. I tried lying down and putting pressure on my nose, I tried using ice and a cold rag, and I tried stuffing my nose with tissue, but when I would pull the tissue out, it would pull a long string of clotted blood, and my nose would start bleeding all over again.

Doctor Visit:

I went to an InstaCare to see a doctor yesterday afternoon. The doctor sprayed something into my nose, then put a clamp on it and left it on for 10 minutes. Can I just tell you - it hurt! It was tight. But compared to what was coming next, that was nothing. After 10 minutes the doctor came back and proceeded to cauterize my nose with small sticks tipped with silver nitrate. He must of used at least 15 sticks, because it just wouldn't stop bleeding. He even had to have the nurse bring in some more sticks. Let me tell you - silver nitrate on an open wound, way inside your nose - hurts!

Then he put a plug in my nose. But it wasn't just a wad of tissue. No - it was a pug that had access to a syringe at the end of it. After sticking the plug up my nose until it came out my mouth (slight exaggeration - very slight), he attached a syringe to the end and put air in it to balloon the plug so that it put pressure on the cauterized blood vessel. And again, did I mention it hurt? But what was really upsetting is that he told me to keep it in, and come back tomorrow afternoon and he will take it out. So that is what I am going to do now. I really want this thing out. I had a hard time sleeping. I can't breathe through my nose because the other side is blocked with normal sinus problem. Because I had to breathe through my nose, it caused my mouth to be really dry because of the radiation treatment I had for my Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma. As a result I woke up every have hour with severe dry mouth, even though I had gum in an effort to keep my mouth moist. In addition, it is just irritating, so I will be glad to have it out.

Follow-up Visit: Refused to Pay!

I got to the InstaCare office - sort of a clinic/emergency facility, and had to wait for about 30 minutes to even register. When I went to register, they said it was a new visit and I would have to pay the $25 deductible again. I paid the deductible yesterday to see the doctor, but didn't think I should be charged, or have to pay the deductible. I told the lady at the registration desk that all I needed was to have the doctor take the plug out of my nose. If I had stitches that had to be taken out, they wouldn't charge me for taking out the stitches. She said she would check and see. When I went back to see the doctor, the nurse said the doctor would take the plug out and check for bleeding. If there was no problem, there would be no charge. If it was still bleeding and he had to re-cauterize or put in another plug, then there would be another charge. I don't like the policy, but I agreed. I'm glad that it had stopped bleeding. Don't know what I would have done if it was still bleeding, and luckily I didn't have to find out.

Still Bleeding: 11/25/09

I thought that the cauterizing had fixed the bleeding. But it only slowed it down. It still bleeds, off and on, but just very slowly. What happens is that it bleeds, but not enough to run out of my nose, just enough to slowly build up a clot that plugs up the entire nose. Then when I take the clot out, it begins to bleed again. Combine that with a stuffy nose, it gets really ugly. Great, big, dark red, mass with long red snotty trail is not a pretty sight.

I got some saline nasal mist to keep my nose moist, but it hasn't helped. Don't know what else to do, so I just sniff, blow, bleed, and plug. For now...

Solution: 11/26/09

I just couldn't take it any more. For some reason, I remembered when I was younger, and shaved with a razor, I used a styptic pencil to stop the bleeding when I nicked myself shaving. So I decided to go to the store, on Thanksgiving Day, to get a styptic pencil so that I could stop the bleeding in my nose. While I was looking for the pencil, I found QuikClot nosebleed (hemostatic OTC formula). It contains 5 gauze like pads that hold medication to stop the bleeding. I also picked up the styptic pencil, and some liquid band aids (I get a lot of nicks and small cuts that bleed without me knowing.) When I put band aids on them they still keep bleeding, and I have to change them and they look ugly. Hopefully the liquid bandage will help stop the bleeding.

When I got home, I cleaned out my nostril using the saline solution and hydrogen peroxide to clean out all the dead blood clots. I then rolled up the QuikClot pad and put it in my nostril and put pressure on it for about 5 minutes. When I took it out, there was no blood, or bloody clots like before. My nose was clear and there was no blood. It has stayed that way for the entire day, and this is the first time in over a week that my nose hasn't been bleeding or full of blood clots.

11/29/09
Well the QuickClot didn't last. My nose started to bleed again. So after a couple of tries using QuickClot again, I tried using the styptic pencil. That worked, and no bleeding since then. Amazing - the cheapest solution worked.

On a related note, I had a small scratch that wouldn't stop bleeding. It was the size of a large pin prick. So I tried using the liquid bandage. It didn't work. The scratch just kept bleeding, under the liquid seal, then eventually leaked out. But again, the styptic pencil worked here too.