Nasal Work
July 22nd 2008 07:13
I've suffered from bleeding noses all my life (as my mother did) and usually I can get them under control fairly easily. However, last Monday I had the mother of all nose bleeds (or at least the worst I'd had in a long while), and it took quite a bit of sorting to get it under control.
Got up the next morning, and things were stable but feeling very blocked up. On the way to work I foolishly had had enough of trying to read through all the blockage, so gave my nose a gentle blow. Not a good idea. I arrived at work with blood all over my face - relatively speaking.
Got that sort of sorted out, and then at lunch time, off it went again. Left the work washroom spotted with blood (as I was told afterwards - it proved that the cleaners actually did do their job). I decided to go home, because I just couldn't concentrate, and, after having had a bit of a rest, managed to do some work from home.
And thus the next five days went: each day some sort of pouring of the blood. Mostly it was copable with, but by yesterday, I'd had enough and decided to go to the doctor as there seemed to be no sign of the thing improving.
The doctor cheerfully decided I needed to have the nose cauterised, something that I haven't had done since I was a kid. I remembered it being pretty unpleasant, because they used to do it with some electrical tool that seared the inside of the nose so that the skin became firmer over the blood vessels that are just near the surface. I think I had it done at least twice. Twice too many times.
So yesterday the Doctor put some adrenalin inside the nose, to tighten up the blood vessels, and then applied silver nitrate. She said it would 'tickle' but obviously she's never had it done to her; tickle it did not. It made my eyes water with the pain.
After that delightful experience, I went back to work, but couldn't concentrate and finally went home. The pain was very unpleasant, but at least I could assume that the thing was 'fixed.'
This morning, after a reasonable night with no problems, I got up and blow me down, my nose started to bleed. I felt quite ill.
Decided to go back to the doctor's, and see what might be done - if anything. Got an earlyish appointment, courtesy of knowing the receptionist very well (my wife), and after an inspection of the famous nose, she sent me down to the Ear, Nose and Throat Department, where I had a joyful three-hour wait. Acute doesn't mean acute, when you get to a hospital.
In the end, after having been sent off for lunch because there were lots of other patients, I came back finally to a room devoid of other patients, and, as soon as the doctor had dealt with another poor bloke who sounded as though he had exactly the same problem, I was taken into the doctor's office.
And guess what the solution was: more cauterisation. At least this time, I knew the possibility of how painful it would be - in fact, it didn't seem quite as bad because I think they used some kind of anaesthetic (put into the nose on a ball of cotton wool). Still all very unpleasant, but hopefully this time we have success!
Got up the next morning, and things were stable but feeling very blocked up. On the way to work I foolishly had had enough of trying to read through all the blockage, so gave my nose a gentle blow. Not a good idea. I arrived at work with blood all over my face - relatively speaking.
Got that sort of sorted out, and then at lunch time, off it went again. Left the work washroom spotted with blood (as I was told afterwards - it proved that the cleaners actually did do their job). I decided to go home, because I just couldn't concentrate, and, after having had a bit of a rest, managed to do some work from home.
And thus the next five days went: each day some sort of pouring of the blood. Mostly it was copable with, but by yesterday, I'd had enough and decided to go to the doctor as there seemed to be no sign of the thing improving.
The doctor cheerfully decided I needed to have the nose cauterised, something that I haven't had done since I was a kid. I remembered it being pretty unpleasant, because they used to do it with some electrical tool that seared the inside of the nose so that the skin became firmer over the blood vessels that are just near the surface. I think I had it done at least twice. Twice too many times.
So yesterday the Doctor put some adrenalin inside the nose, to tighten up the blood vessels, and then applied silver nitrate. She said it would 'tickle' but obviously she's never had it done to her; tickle it did not. It made my eyes water with the pain.
After that delightful experience, I went back to work, but couldn't concentrate and finally went home. The pain was very unpleasant, but at least I could assume that the thing was 'fixed.'
This morning, after a reasonable night with no problems, I got up and blow me down, my nose started to bleed. I felt quite ill.
Decided to go back to the doctor's, and see what might be done - if anything. Got an earlyish appointment, courtesy of knowing the receptionist very well (my wife), and after an inspection of the famous nose, she sent me down to the Ear, Nose and Throat Department, where I had a joyful three-hour wait. Acute doesn't mean acute, when you get to a hospital.
In the end, after having been sent off for lunch because there were lots of other patients, I came back finally to a room devoid of other patients, and, as soon as the doctor had dealt with another poor bloke who sounded as though he had exactly the same problem, I was taken into the doctor's office.
And guess what the solution was: more cauterisation. At least this time, I knew the possibility of how painful it would be - in fact, it didn't seem quite as bad because I think they used some kind of anaesthetic (put into the nose on a ball of cotton wool). Still all very unpleasant, but hopefully this time we have success!
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Comment by TimmyH
Tech News
Can you HACK it?
Genyration
anyway, since then Ive had my nose broken at rugby 3 times and it has barely bled at all...ask your ENT about it because I have no idea what it's called...But I was under a General Anaesthetic at the time so it didn't hurt at all...THAT I would reccommend lol.
Comment by Mike Crowl
Webitz
Work Report
I played rugby when I was a child, but my nose always bled in the scrums, so it wasn't much fun (and I didn't like the game anyway!)