Bad nose bleed high bp and blood thinner

[Holiday12345]

sorry a pretty minor thing but freaked me out. Severe nose bleed with very high bp and on blood thinners. How do folk cope with this it’s only happened once before couple of months ago eventually stopped after hour and half. This time I was on my own the familiar rush of warm stuff pouring out nose seems to be same place as before way at the back of the nose explains why pinching it doesn’t stop it. Ended up having to go to a&e they put spray up it to see if that would constrict blood vessels enough to stop it or else they were going to put the inflatable plug up at apply pressure inside for 24 hrs. Luckily it eventually stopped after 3 hours. I’m not good with heavy bleeding after a hemmorage last year. And am now terrified of it happening again as my husband is away for work during week. If it happens again I’ve to go straight to a&e to get the plug in. Not sure how I’ll get there as probably not a good idea to drive myself. Apart from getting my bp back down any tips how to prevent it happetagain or stop bleeding as I’ll need to go back on blood thinners today and very nervous.

[Hidden]

Hello

Is your Doctor not helping you to try and get your BP down with medications ?

It is important so if they are not monitoring you regarding your BP you need to make an appointment

I know how you feel regarding the nosebleeds and when it happens it is frightening I remember turning up at A&E covered in blood looking like I had been in an accident !

While I was taking blood thinners the strong ones I had to have my nose cauterised three times it would stop it for so long till it started again and then I would have to go and get it done again it did make me anxious as well as get me down but I knew I had to take the blood thinners for my heart and I had to put that first it is most important and would suggest no one should stop them without asking the Doctor if they can

Have they not mentioned cauterizing your nose as an option other than the other procedure ?

How long have you got to take blood thinners for usually it can be a year but I know some are on them longer I was on them longer but I did get a date when I would be able to stop them and so every time it happened I kept telling myself this is not forever but at the moment my heart needs them and when it is safe I will be of them and as bad as it is I just kept going through it but then I got the thumbs up I could stop them and everything so far seems ok so maybe if it is the same you can come of them eventually try and think this is not forever

Again though have a word with your Doctor but please think seriously before keep stopping and starting any medications without talking to them first

I hope this resolves soon and you can get some peace of mind

Let us know how you get on x

[Holiday12345 in reply to Hidden]

hi thank you for your reply, I’m on the thinners for good as they’re for stroke rather than heart. A&e wanted me off for 48 hrs although it’s been 3 days now. My cardio will go ballistic. I’m very difficult to medicate as I react very badly to them and some at highest dose have no effect on bp at all but affect my heart so been through 11 so far. Only on tiny dose trying to build u slowly. My cardio saw me just a week prior and he thought my bp was better still 168/88 but that is better than the 200s/135 it had been at new year. I feel stuck as I know what I need to do to get well but as I say I react so badly to meds I’ve ended up in hospital several times last year just because of the meds and I’m usually quite stoic and just get on with it but I’m really beginning to struggle with it all. My GPs have been no help as it’s too complicated they just keep saying to contact cardiologist.. that’s not easy to do. I’m not sure why bp spiked this week but I could feel it had gone up as I had a eye bleed and pulsating in eye and said to my husband the night before I hope I don’t get another nose bleed… 🤦‍♀️. It’s right over the back of my nose so they can’t cauterise it they can only do that with front nose bleeds. Back nose bloods generally tend to be because of high bp. Thanks for replying

[Hidden in reply to Holiday12345]

Hello

Sorry I should have read your Bio as I did not realise you had a stroke

However this must be so hard to deal with and I would not imagine they think or maybe they do that you can carry on like this for the foreseeable you do neet some quality of life to and this sounds like it is really getting on the way of that happening at the moment

We are not all text book which I think they can struggle to get their heads around and some Doctors when we are not seem to just push us away which is no help and sorry they seem to be doing this as now is when you need their support more than ever

Have you thought about emailing your Consultants Secretary writing everything down how it is making you feel and so on and ask her if she could pass it on to your Consultant ( not sure when you next appointment is if it is soon this might not help but if it is a while yet it could ) so if it is the latter tell them you would be most grateful if you cannot have a face to face appointment any earlier but maybe they would have time to gove you a phone call

Anything is always worth trying

Let us know how you get on x

[Holiday12345 in reply to Hidden]

I have managed to get a private appt with him for Tuesday explained I ended up in a&e and they’ve fitted me in. It’s the mental aspect that is affecting me badly now , confidence and as you say quality of life being able to function. Husband unfortunately doesn’t understand so ignores it till i get better. 🤦‍♀️

[Hidden in reply to Holiday12345]

Hello

That is good news I am glad you have managed to get an appointment and if needs me write everything down as I know when I go to appointments I always forget to ask or say something I really wanted to and then feel annoyed with myself after

I am sorry your Husband is not been very supportive you certainly are not having it good I can understand that they don't understand and it may not be something they can as they are not going through it but he has seen you ill and sees how you are suffering now and all we want and can make a huge difference is to feel loved and supported and I hope he starts to show you that maybe a talk with him about you understand he does not know what you are going through but you really do need his support as you are not coping unless you have already had this kind of talk with him before

Try and I know it is not easy but to stay as positive as you can you have this appointment make the best of it and hopefully they can come up with something so you can get that quality of life back you deserve x

[jeanjeannie50]

Hi there. I know just how you feel because I've had the same thing a severe nosebleed a few years ago. They're absolutely terrifying aren't they!

My neighbour came over and immediately rang for an ambulance, by this time it had been gushing blood for over an hour. Paramedics tried all sorts and then took me straight into hospital. Was put in a back ward and a doctor tried to cauterise my nose, these days they try to do it with a liquid not a burn. He asked how long my nose had been bleeding like that and when I told him he said I'd probably lost half a litre of blood. My nose continued bleeding and I was filling cardboard kidney dishes one after the other. I started to feel very odd and was put on a drip

After about an hour or two I had the balloon thing up my nose and inflated. My goodness that was uncomfortable. I was then transferred to a ward. Next morning a consultant came to see me and the side of my face with the bung was very swollen - I looked like Quasimodo. He deflated the bung slightly as he could see I was in pain with it. Was transferred to another ward and there I sat and for the first time in my life I cried in public, just couldn't stop, it was the most traumatic time I've ever had in my life and I would rather shoot myself than go through that again. I gave birth to 2 children without a murmur. When I spoke to a nurse she said they'd had grown men with it crying. I feel so sorry for you. I put a post on Health Unlocked about it and will go and see if I can find you the link.

I bought some gauze things to push up my nose should it ever happen again. Searched the internet they are called Coalgan and made by Brother, a French product. Fortunately. I've never had to use them.

Jean

[jeanjeannie50]

Here's my report about it 2-3 years ago. Covid must have been around as no visitors were allowed:

healthunlocked.com/afassoci...

The replies I had may help you.

Jean

[jeanjeannie50]

Here for you if you need to PM me and talk about it. I know how awful the experience is. It makes you feel not in control of your life.

[jeanjeannie50]

I can't explain just how horrific the whole thing was. I am not joking when I say I would rather shoot myself than go through that again. You feel totally at the mercy of whoever is treating you and know you cant just walk away from it. Just awful, awful, awful. Have had quite a few ops and admissions to hospital with my heart, but none stressed me like that awful nose bleed did.

[Holiday12345 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Was your bleed at the back of the nose hence they couldn’t cauterise it… was the inflatable tube thing the only option? Does that just put pressure on it to stop the bleeding it doesn’t do anything to prevent it happening again does it, like cauterising does? Is there anything they can do for a fragile vessel at back of nose? Sorry for all the questions. I still feel a lot of pressure top of nose between my eyes and I don’t relish the thought of this hanging over me for good.

You haven’t had nose bleed since? It sounds truly horrific what you went through.

Thanks for your reply xx

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Holiday12345]

I asked the consultant whether it could happen again and he said it usually doesn't. He couldn't tell my why that is though. I've had nosebleeds from my right nostril all my life and they have soon stopped and I could cope with them but the dreadful one was from the right. I'd started a few months before getting bleeds from there that were hard to stop. Yes, my major bleed was from high in my nostril. I think inflating the bung up the nose is the only cure. Because we stress when our noses bleed our BP goes high and makes matters worse. Thinking about it now, at the first sign of a nosebleed I think I would take a beta blocker to bring my BP rate down.

My bleed started when I bent to pick up a comb, but my nose had bled earlier that day when I washed my face. Now I'm very cautious when I blow my nose and do my best not to. I'm more gentle when I wash my face too. That side of my nose hasn't bled since, I don't think the other side has either.

Jean