Calling Dr. Hive....What could this be?

[Tree House Academy]

This is a weird question, but I can't figure it out.

 

My 6 year old has started, over the last week, "sniffing" his nose - you know, like you would do if you had a cold and were trying to get the mucous to stay up there. The only problem is...HE DOESN'T HAVE A COLD. He is not sick, has no mucous at all. I tried having him blow his nose and there was nothing to blow. I ask him why he is doing it and he says he just "needs" to. But WHY?

 

I was thinking maybe "allergies" but thought I would ask here and see if anyone else had any ideas. Thanks!

[johnandtinagilbert]

I'd say allergies or a perhaps a cut in the nose, maybe singed nose hairs?

[Tree House Academy]

I'd say allergies or a perhaps a cut in the nose, maybe singed nose hairs?

 

How would one get "singed nose hairs?"

[athena1277]

I'm going to say allergies also. There may be some stuff going on up in his head, even if he can't blow it out. Try him on an antihistamine, like benadryl, and see if he stops.

[*********]

Rebecca, this may not be it at all, but I thought I'd throw it out there...

 

Zee sometimes develops 'tics'. Like habits, basically, that make no sense, and he does for no reason. For example, last year, he developed a tic of rubbing his toes together. He did it so much he got sores where he rubbed them. He had a tic of sniffing his nose before, too. When I ask him why he does his tic, he just says 'I don't know, I have to'. He's had other tics, but they come and go. When he starts one, I just gently remind him every.single.time I see him doing it to stop. 'Zee, stop rubbing your toes together, you're hurting them', said just very matter of factly. I bring attention to the fact that he's doing it, ask him to stop, he stops, we move on. Eventually, he quits doing it all together. Honestly, it drives me CRAZY sometimes, but that's my issue, not his. :D

 

I've spoken with his ped. about it, and it is technically a 'disorder'. However, he will likely outgrow it, and it's not something that's even noticable to other people. In fact, he has no 'tics' right now.

 

Just an idea. Maybe your son has had 'habits' before that he does for no reason?

Edited October 15, 2009 by bethanyniez
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[Only me]

I agree that it could possibly be a tic. My ds went through that last year. It went from that to doing this weird thing with his eye. His cousin also went through something similar. They both grew out of it.

 

If your son doesn't seem to have a cold or allergies and nothing is stuck in his nose then I think this is a good possibility.

[adams101]

I agree with the tic also. I went to school with a guy who would twitch his nose all the time. It looked like it itched, but it was just a habbit. He did it from elementary through high school. He looked like a rabbit.:)

[*********]

I agree with the tic also. I went to school with a guy who would twitch his nose all the time. It looked like it itched, but it was just a habbit. He did it from elementary through high school. He looked like a rabbit.:)

 

Oh dear goodness, I REALLY hope Zee doesn't do that one. :tongue_smilie:

[johnandtinagilbert]

singed nose hairs...too close to fire or heat while cooking...really :)

[cougarmom4]

My ds7 did this about a year ago...started with sniffing his nose all the time. Soon that stopped and he started turning his head like he was trying to stretch out a muscle in his neck or something. A little while later he would crack his knuckles. Oh, somewhere in that he would blink his eyes--like squeeze them shut--a lot. He seemed to do one of these for a few weeks and then move on to something else.

 

All of this drove me crazy. One night after we first started noticing it, I looked on the internet and found all this stuff and was convinced he had a tic. And that he'd be weird for the rest of his life. Seriously, I was picturing him as this grown man who did all of the above at the same time every few minutes and nobody could stand to be around him.

 

Ah...it all went away. I don't even remember when. I must have had something else to worry about.

 

I'd recommend NOT doing a google search on tics. :lol:

[Tree House Academy]

The tic idea had crossed my mind. He has done some things in the past that made his dad and I wonder what he was doing - I remeber specifically a noise he would make. You are right, "I just have to" is what he usually says. He has a touch of OCD too...so once he starts something, he has a hard time stopping.

 

I called a nurse earlier and asked her what she thought and she told me that it could also be allergies. He said that his nose didn't feel like it could breathe good. LOL I asked if he could breathe good through his mouth and he said, "yes." The nurse told me to use Flonase on him and an allergy med like claritin or zyrtec for a few days and see if it goes away. He is sneezing some too, but nothing is coming out. Of course, I live with allergies daily and sneezing/a nose I can't breathe through due to swelling are all common place. I never thought of how weird it could feel to a kid.

 

Thanks for the suggestions. It seems, now that I think of it, like he might have done something similar to this last year around this time. I remember it driving me nutty then too.

[Cedarmom]

another thought..could he have stuck something up his nose? My niece was doing this for q couple of weeks, then she sneezed really big and popped out a popcorn kernel. I'd ask him if he remembers sticking anythin up his nose.

[4kiddies]

My guess is sinus infection. When my son starts doing this I know he has a sinus infection even withou any other symptoms.