Child with frequent nosebleeds

[Eliseatthebeach]

My oldest dd has been getting nosebleeds for the past few years. They seem to come around all times of the year in all types of weather, day, night, and inbetween. At times (like now) she will get them every day, sometimes a couple times a day and sometimes they are pretty heavy and last a while....maybe 20 minutes or so.
There doesn't seem to be any weather or season related triggers. She is however a nose picker. Could this be contributing to the nosebleeds?
Anyone else have a dc with these issues?

[mags.bubble]

Yes, my son gets frequent nose bleeds. Several a week. If his nose gets bumbed, he will get a nose bleed. Sometimes he gets them for no reason. Other times he is picking. Sometimes they stop quickly others take a little longer.


Yes, picking your nose can cause nose bleeds. Some people are more prone than others.

However, if you are concerned, it never hurst to mention it to your pediatrician.

HTH,
Maggie

[Ellien C]

I got them a lot as did my sisters. Something about having capillaries or something near the surface of the nose. Picking makes it worse and dry weather/air is terrible for my nose.

You can get the nose cauterized -- where they take a burning stick and seal the capillaries. It's stings a bit and doesn't work forever. I don't know if they still do it but we had that done a few times. Hydration helps me a lot and I have a "lipstick" thing - like petroleum jelly in a tube with a stick - that I can put inside when it's bad. It keeps the nose lining moist.

Direct pressure is the best bet for actual nose bleeds. They can last awhile. I've been caught at work over the toilet with a gushing nose.

Other than the inconvenience, it's not really a problem. I'm otherwise healthy as are my sisters.

[Kinipela79]

I was a nose bleeder when I was a little girl. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it at the time. I was not a nose picker but it would just gush away regardless. I grew out of it for the most part but even now hydration and keeping moisture in the air during the winter months is key for me.

It doesn't hurt to mention it to your dr. though.

[VOBetz]

My son is a nosebleeder. I've found that using a humidifier in his room helps a bunch. He hasn't had one since I started using it... Maybe 10 days ago?

A midwife friend just sent me this email, maybe it would help you....

Just came across a neat bit of info...
I use Shepherd's Purse for bleeds after birth, but it can work for nosebleeds as well. Make the tea and soak a cotton ball in it and stick it up the nose.
HTH

[4evermom]

My ds got nosebleeds for two or three years, off and on, for no apparent reason, no link with humidity or season. I just figured it was the capillaries being close to the surface. He grew out of it.

[Best Feeling]

Originally Posted by Ellien C

I got them a lot as did my sisters. Something about having capillaries or something near the surface of the nose. Picking makes it worse and dry weather/air is terrible for my nose.

You can get the nose cauterized -- where they take a burning stick and seal the capillaries. It's stings a bit and doesn't work forever. I don't know if they still do it but we had that done a few times. Hydration helps me a lot and I have a "lipstick" thing - like petroleum jelly in a tube with a stick - that I can put inside when it's bad. It keeps the nose lining moist.

Direct pressure is the best bet for actual nose bleeds. They can last awhile. I've been caught at work over the toilet with a gushing nose.

Other than the inconvenience, it's not really a problem. I'm otherwise healthy as are my sisters.

Ditto all this. I got frequent nosebleeds as a kid and am no worse for the wear.

DD1 started getting them around 2.5 years old. Gushers. They do still do cauterization but my research led me to believe that you've got one shot at it b/c if you do it more than once, you run the risk of doing damage to the nose lining. We had been using a humidifier. We were keeping her nose lining moisturized. Etc. Etc. Like my nosebleeds, certain things made it worse but nothing made it better.

We put cauterization on the back burner until this spring when DD1 was just miserable over the frequency, duration, and volume of bleeding. I remember that feeling so we went back to the ped who sent us to an ENT. I had tracked all of her nosebleeds for 10 months and knew that most of them came out of one side so we only had that side cauterized (after discussing the process at length w/ DD).

It made a huge difference. She still gets nosebleeds, though not quite as often. The biggest difference is that it has reduced the volume of blood when she does get one. Instead of a 20+ minute nosebleed with LOTS of blood, it lasts <5 minutes and is generally just a few drops on a tissue.

Oh, and regarding the nosepicking, YES it can definitely be a cause. DD is a nosepicker and she will readily tell us if her nosebleed is caused by picking or not. I'd say that about 90% of them are due to nosepicking. She's aware of the correlation but that doesn't stop her from digging in What can ya do?

[LynnS6]

Originally Posted by Eliseatthebeach

There doesn't seem to be any weather or season related triggers. She is however a nose picker. Could this be contributing to the nosebleeds?
Anyone else have a dc with these issues?

I too had frequent nosebleeds as a child.

And YES nosepicking can definitely contribute to it.

What I discovered as an adult - I picked at my nose because it itched (very mildly, I would have been hard pressed to say that it itched as a child). When I treated my ALLERGIES and moved to a climate that wasn't as dry in the winter, my itchiness and my nosebleeds went away!

I would suggest:
1. Moist air at night.
2. Ask your doctor if there's a lotion or something you can put in the nostrils to help them not itch.
3. Check her for allergies.
4. Make a note of when she's likely to pick her nose and give her something else to do with her hands when that comes up.

[mommy2caroline]

My dd gets them a lot at night. When she wakes up, her pillow looks like something out of a horor movie! Our ped said we could use a humidifier in her room and put a dab of KY jelly in each nostril, on the septum, before she goes to bed. We haven't yet tried it because she's not had a nosebleed in awhile now. She also seems to have seasonal allergies, which probably contributes.