What causes nosebleeds and when should I be alarmed?

[Michelle My Bell]

Of my five children, I have never experienced nose bleeds until my son. He is 6 and today he walked up to me with a face covered in blood. I immediately took him inside, grabbed a wad of tissue and tried to stop the bleeding. It was dripping out it was coming so fast. I had to keep changing tissues as it was soaking them. This went on a few minutes. Next, I pinched his nose, leaned him forward and held it for 5 minutes. After letting go, a huge amount of clotted blood fell into the bag I was holding under his face. OH MY WORD... it was disgusting. It was still bleeding, but a lot slower. So I held it some more. When I let go, another blob of clotted blood came out, but not as much. It finally stopped bleeding. I am now applying a cold compress on his nose.

 

He assured me he had no injury, and seemed completely oblivious that he had blood all over his face when I first saw him. He has acted normal throughout the ordeal. My daughter thinks I need to rush him to the doctors, but I thought nosebleeds are common enough to not worry too much. We just haven't experienced them. This is his 2nd or 3rd nosebleed ever, it was just the worst I have ever seen.

[Pawz4me]

My youngest started having frequent nosebleeds as a toddler. And yes, sometimes they can be quite scary. As he's gotten older the nosebleeds have become less frequent and less severe. His pediatrician has never been concerned about them. My brother was the same way, and he outgrew them by his late teens.

[bolt.]

Having a nose bleed generally isnt painful, unless an injury (which was painful) caused it. It feels like any other kind of 'running nose'

 

In children, the most common cause is "digital trauma" -- nose picking. A child feels as if they are just cleaning their nose, but scratches or pushes the wrong way with a finger and starts a bleed. This is much easier to do when the air is very dry, or with dry skin inside the nose. If it is very dry, nose bleeds really can start for almost no reason (no fingers in there at all). High heat can also cause nose bleeds or make them run faster.

 

The right thing to do us to pinch (which slows the flow and makes a clot) until the clot is good and solid (don't keep checking and re-starting the flow). Then, there's first a clot (which should be treated gently -- no blowing) and then it turns to a scab (which can be hard for a nose picker to resist).

 

I know you said "a lot of blood" that soaked kleenexesv-- but blood is a very upsetting thing that soaks through easily. Thinking in actual liquid volume, not including the clots, do you think he bled "one cup" (250mL)? Do you think he bled 4 of them? More? Or was it just scary that it was flowing quickly and you didn't know if/when it would stop?

[Melissa in Australia]

I have only had one nose bleed in my whole life. It was about 4 weeks after having sinus surgery. I Bleed for around 20 hours. After 12 hours I went to the local hospital. Apparently I should have gone there after 20 minutes. I almost bled out, and according to the dr was on the verge of going into shock ( pulse over 130).

So the dr and then the nose specialist said After 20 minutes of heavy nose bleed you should go straight to the hospital

[I.Dup.]

This happens because of the dry air. 2 of my children are more prone to this, esp. at night. The central heat in our house doesn't help. Is it dry where you live?

[Michelle My Bell]

Having a nose bleed generally isnt painful, unless an injury (which was painful) caused it. It feels like any other kind of 'running nose'

 

In children, the most common cause is "digital trauma" -- nose picking. A child feels as if they are just cleaning their nose, but scratches or pushes the wrong way with a finger and starts a bleed. This is much easier to do when the air is very dry, or with dry skin inside the nose. If it is very dry, nose bleeds really can start for almost no reason (no fingers in there at all). High heat can also cause nose bleeds or make them run faster.

 

The right thing to do us to pinch (which slows the flow and makes a clot) until the clot is good and solid (don't keep checking and re-starting the flow). Then, there's first a clot (which should be treated gently -- no blowing) and then it turns to a scab (which can be hard for a nose picker to resist).

 

I know you said "a lot of blood" that soaked kleenexesv-- but blood is a very upsetting thing that soaks through easily. Thinking in actual liquid volume, not including the clots, do you think he bled "one cup" (250mL)? Do you think he bled 4 of them? More? Or was it just scary that it was flowing quickly and you didn't know if/when it would stop?

 

 

Sounds like I did the right thing, I just allowed the blood clot to come out. I don't think he bleed that much, maybe close to 1 cup, but not quite. He seems to be doing well now. Thanks for the advice.

[Michelle My Bell]

I have only had one nose bleed in my whole life. It was about 4 weeks after having sinus surgery. I Bleed for around 20 hours. After 12 hours I went to the local hospital. Apparently I should have gone there after 20 minutes. I almost bled out, and according to the dr was on the verge of going into shock ( pulse over 130).

So the dr and then the nose specialist said After 20 minutes of heavy nose bleed you should go straight to the hospital

 

 

Yikes! I don't think I would have waited that long. I am glad you are OK!

[OrganicAnn]

My mother has always has had nose bleeds. She would always put her head back and/or lie down on the floor (in case she fainted).

 

She has very dry skin and always tries to keep moisture in the air especially in the winter. It really helps her avoid the nose bleeds.

[nmoira]

My youngest was a gusher... sometimes it was liking living in an old Sam Raimi movie. But she grew out of it by about 7.

[DianeW88]

Not a big deal in little kids. Caused most often by nose picking Happens more in the winter with dry air. Can also be caused by allergies. A whole lot less blood comes out than most people think. A tablespoon of blood can look like a pitcher full when it's coming out of your nose. A quick way to stop it is to soak a tissue with Afrin and have the child hold it in their nose. It shrinks the veins and should stem the bleeding very quickly. If it continues for more than 20 minutes with no let up...call your peds office. Sometimes the offending vein needs to be cauterized (an in office procedure). If your child has had one nosebleed, he is very likely to have another within the next ten days, since the area where the bleed happened is going to be raw for awhile. Getting a nasal ointment (like Ayr) and swabbing it in the offending nostril will help prevent nosebleeds by moisturizing the inside of the nose. Chronic nosebleeds generally slow down by age 9 or so, when the nose picking does. In VERY rare circumstances, chronic nosebleeds can signify a bleeding disorder, but other signs and symptoms would also be present. If your child is otherwise healthy, with good color, gaining weight, eating well, and not in ill health....they're just a rite of passage.

[Joshin]

Oldest DS is a nose bleeder. When we lived in the desert it was an almost daily occurrence. Now that we live in the frozen northwest, it's only a winter occurrence. Youngest only gets nose bleeds when he sticks a finger up there. Keep in mind, it always looks like a lot more blood than it is. When the nose starts bleeding the sinuses usually get going too, so there's quite a bit of watery mucous mixed in.

[CupOCoffee]

We are currently going through this with our 16 year old. He had 2 in one day last week so we took him to the docs as a precaution. Doc said that is was probably a combination of dryness (from the heat) and perhaps a side effect of the nasal spray he uses for allergies. Her recommendation: use humidifier, use a saline spray or something similar to moisturize the nose, and she changed his script. I have been having him put a bit of this stuff called Ayr Saline Gel in his nose at night. His bleeds would come at random times so I can't really say that these steps have helped or not, but he had been having about 2-3 per month. So we shall see where we are in a few months.

[Mergath]

Is he on fish oil? That (and some other supplements) are blood thinners and can make it much easier to get a nose bleed in certain people.

[mumto2]

I have been told that they are more common with boys. Purely mom talk so no idea if true. Ds gets them frequently. He gets a tissue and keeps going. One of my brothers said he got them frequently when he was ds's age so I haven't worried. From this thread I might conclude that boys have some bad habits! LOL

[Candid]

My youngest had them all the time for a long time. He is now 13 and hasn't had a bunch in a while. I think it was mostly from nose picking, but I did talk to the doctor about it and since there were no other symptoms we ignored it.

 

I found pinching the outside of the nose was more effective than stuff stuff up in the nose.

[VinNY]

Lots of nosebleeds here and allergy sufferers. One son was especially worrisome with the long bouts of bleeds and clots. We took him to an ENT and he noticed his right nostril had a blood vessel very close to the surface so he cauterized it. Worked great, no more gushers. ENT also recommended to keep the nostrils moisturized with some A&D type ointments. Tip to slow down a bleeder...stick a rolled up cardboard (like the size from a matchbook cover) under the upper lip. Also a bag of frozen peas on the nose.

[Audrey]

Aside from picking his nose and starting it that way, nosebleeds also happen when the humidity is quite low. The delicate nasal tissues get dry and thin and you can easily make it bleed then. This happens to me and to ds when in the winter sometimes. I may just sniff a little too hard and the next thing I know, blood is pouring down my face. Or, you go to blow your nose and there goes a gusher.

 

I don't worry about it unless it doesn't stop in a reasonable amount of time. Don't be too alarmed by how many tissues you go through. Noses bleed a LOT it seems, but it's not usually a dire situation.

[mommymilkies]

My youngest brother has had chronic nosebleeds since he was little. Not from picking his nose. We'd be talking and all the sudden it looked like he had a broken nose and blood was everywhere. The docs have no idea why.

[bolt.]

A q-tip with cooking oil can effectively (gently) moisturizer the inside of nostrils.

[DaffodilDreams]

Not a big deal in little kids. Caused most often by nose picking Happens more in the winter with dry air. Can also be caused by allergies. A whole lot less blood comes out than most people think. A tablespoon of blood can look like a pitcher full when it's coming out of your nose. A quick way to stop it is to soak a tissue with Afrin and have the child hold it in their nose. It shrinks the veins and should stem the bleeding very quickly. If it continues for more than 20 minutes with no let up...call your peds office. Sometimes the offending vein needs to be cauterized (an in office procedure). If your child has had one nosebleed, he is very likely to have another within the next ten days, since the area where the bleed happened is going to be raw for awhile. Getting a nasal ointment (like Ayr) and swabbing it in the offending nostril will help prevent nosebleeds by moisturizing the inside of the nose. Chronic nosebleeds generally slow down by age 9 or so, when the nose picking does. In VERY rare circumstances, chronic nosebleeds can signify a bleeding disorder, but other signs and symptoms would also be present. If your child is otherwise healthy, with good color, gaining weight, eating well, and not in ill health....they're just a rite of passage.

 

 

Dd's was one such rare case. Our allergist actually caught it because she is married to a hematologist. Her other symptoms included easy, frequent, lumpy bruising and abrasions and difficulty clotting even for simple wounds. She now has a med to help her clot.

[BigMamaBird]

My 4 y/o son had a bad one today, he gets them often. I never did and neither do any of my other kids, but my brother got them all the time.

[dbmamaz]

my youngest had some scary ones, too. we used a humidifier in his room, which helped slightly. when we changed diet and got rid of allergy foods, that helped more. he had one yesterday, first in a long time, but he's really sick and, yes, was picking his nose lol

[redsquirrel]

My dad had nosebleeds, I have them and my younger son gets them. They get much worse in the dry weather, but can show up other times as well. They are nothing to worry about, really. It is more important that he learn how to handle them on his own as he gets older. Don't make a big deal about it and just teach him to pinch hard. I can't tell you how many times I have had a nosebleed in situations where I couldn't really do anything about it, like during the SATs for example. You just have to pinch and keep going.

 

My son gets them in his sleep. You have not lived until you wake up in a dark room with your son standing over you dripping blood. In his sleep it ran back and dripped into his ears, hair, down is neck etc. It looked like a scene from the worst horror movie you can imagine. He was only 5 and had no idea what do to so he was just bleeding all over everything. Good thing it was me that he woke because I knew right away what was happening and was able to help him quickly and quietly. If he woke his dad I am pretty sure there would have been screaming.

 

My nose has probably bled three or four times today. I don't even think about it anymore.

[Lizzie in Ma]

I'd rule anything out at some point, but I wouldn't worry.

I was prone to them always, my sister and niece and our youngest as well.

Worse in winter and start for no rhyme or reason. Can be really bad or just a little, one never knows. Messy but generally harmless.

You did well, teach him to handle them on his own.

[UnionJack]

I was getting nosebleeds a few years ago--really heavy and fairly frequent (always out of nowhere). Or naturopath told me to eat a cup of blueberries a day and that they would strengthen the capillaries in my nose and help me stop getting them. (It worked!)

[Cosmos]

Anyone know what the downside to "blowing" is?

 

My ds and dh are both prone to nosebleeds. My dh follows the normal advice to pinch, hold still, etc. My ds, on the other hand, likes to blow his nose very hard to get it all out. We have strongly advised him against doing this, but he insists it works best for him. And to be honest, one time when we made him sit and pinch, it kept bleeding for a long time. But when he does his blowing thing it always stops fairly quickly. Is there a danger to blowing your nose hard with a nosebleed?

[sbgrace]

My allergy child gets nose bleeds. For him they happen more frequently at night and he doesn't always tell me. Then he wakes and his sheets, and sometimes his own self, look extremely alarming!