Bloody nose

Up until fall, I was running my humidifier on level 2 (80%) and my temp. setting at 1. My nose was very happy and all was good. Now that the furnace is running (gas forced air) I have the humidity set at level 3 (90%) and the temp. at level 3. I'm having a bloody nose everyday. Not gushing blood, just bloody when I blow my nose after I get up in the morning. Crusty, bloody mucus by afternoon. I do a nasal rinse morning and evening, use XClear xylitol nasal spray, and just started Ayr Saline nasal gel. It's a little better, but still bloody. My humidifier tank is empty by morning. No sinus symptoms, no congestion, just irritated nasal mucosa. I'm otherwise sleeping great and my AHI is good. I hate to up the temp. on my machine because I generally hate warm/hot air in my nose. But maybe I need to go warmer? Any ideas folks???

raftergirl wrote:just bloody when I blow my nose after I get up in the morning.

1. What was your nose like last winter before you started using CPAP?

2. Is a heat vent blowing onto or near your CPAP machine? This is a no-no.

3. Do you drink enough water (three times per day at mealtime) to keep your body well hydrated?

what's the humidity like in your house? get a hygrometer and check it out.

if you don't have makeup air for the furnace, then it pulls in cold dry outside air into the house, which lowers the humidity drastically.

I would also go with ChicagoGranny on the hydration issue. I am someone who was notoriously bad about hydration and it causes all sorts of issues when I am not properly hydrated, like irritation in the nose. After a recent trip to Colorado for a week I suddenly needed to pick up the hydration (ie. water) because it is so dry there. I have kept it up to drink water at least 4-5 glasses a day and this has made a BIG difference! Thanksgiving day I did not drink enough water, because honestly there were things like mulled wine and champagne around! and my poor nose suffered for the next two nights. Definitely check all the other things mentioned but hydration is really important if you are not already doing so.

You can also go to the pharmacy and purchase a saline nasal "Gel". Apply to a "Q-tip" and swab the inside of the nostrils for moisture. This will last alot longer than a saline nasal spray.

DreamDragonZzZ wrote:You can also go to the pharmacy and purchase a saline nasal "Gel".

She is already using a good one.

raftergirl wrote:just started Ayr Saline nasal gel.

The Xlear Nasal Spray is all natural and contains xylitol, purified water, salt, and grapefruit seed extract. Our Xylitol and saline solution is hyper-osmotic, which draws moisture and keeps the nasal passages and sinuses more moist and clean than saline alone. Xylitol is the ingredient that sets our nasal spray apart from all of the other nasal sprays!

I am not familiar with this product. Anyone know if it does what it says?

You might try discontinuing it and using Ayr Gel in its stead.

To answer some questions....
1. I've never had the bloody nasal mucosa thing in the winter before now.
2. I've had two kidney stones in the past year, so I've upped my fluid intake a lot. I'm well hydrated.
3. I forgot to mention that I use Nasacort 24 nasal spray once a day in the morning. It's an OTC steroid spray to help with allergies. I thought that maybe it was part of the problem, so I stopped it for a week. Bloody nose didn't change, but my allergies got worse and I got congested.
4. I live in Utah, which has baseline dry air. My furnace is gas forced air. No vents near my cpap machine. Vent is partially open and on the other side of the room. I REALLY hate room humidifiers, so I'd like to avoid that if I can. I've used them before and they were a PITA.
5. My humidifier tank is almost empty each morning, so I'm guessing that I'm getting good moisture to my nose while I sleep. I could up the temp one more notch and see what happens. I've been comfortable on a low temp setting since I started cpap in August.
6. The saline nasal gel seems to be helping, but not totally. I'll keep using it.
7. I'm hoping that this is something that will adjust over time. I was so hoping that someone would response with......"I had that for a little while and it finally went away."

raftergirl wrote:7. I'm hoping that this is something that will adjust over time. I was so hoping that someone would response with......"I had that for a little while and it finally went away."

I can't even say it finally went away...My nose was acting like yours the entire time I lived in Las Vegas and that was for 5 years and pre cpap therapy. My nose never got used to the dry air. Not summer or winter.
I am going back for a Christmas visit in 3 weeks and I know I will go through the same thing again and that's even with using the cpap now with humidifier set to maximum moisture delivery and that's with having something like Simply saline in my pocket all day and using it frequently.

Not what you wanted to hear I am sure. It will get better though....come spring and warmer weather.
All I know to tell you to do is keep using something like Simply saline and hydrate the heck out of the nasal mucosa all during the day and especially near bedtime.

I don't know if your nasal mucosa will adjust or not. Mine didn't even with 5 years in that climate and no cpap drying things out more. The nasal mucosa are funny little dudes and keeping them happy can be quite a challenge for some of us.

Oh...I don't know how you feel about hot steamy showers but taking one before bedtime (if you are so inclined) might also help with pre hydrating the nasal mucosa somewhat...or if you have one of those facial steamers that might help. Anything you can to to help hydrate the mucosa would be worth at least trying.

raftergirl wrote: I'm hoping that this is something that will adjust over time.

If problems continue, next step should be to see a trusted ENT for a consultation and examination.

I don't want to jinx it, but it has been better for the past two days. After reading Pugsy's reply, I started using the Simply Saline and the XClear more often throughout the day, along with the Ayr saline nasal gel in the morning and at bedtime. I did go up to level 4 on my humidifier temp. and so far I'm tolerating that ok.

To Chicago Granny.....the XClear was recommended by my sleep doc when I first started cpap and was experiencing congestion. My sleep doc is actually a Nurse Practitioner who also has OA and uses cpap, so she has good insight into what works. If my bloody nose continues, I'll check in her.

raftergirl wrote:My sleep doc is actually a Nurse Practitioner who also has OA and uses CPAP

Likely better than a real doctor.