Help Please ? Nose Bleed and Nasal Pillows !

Today I expeirenced a Severe nose bleed that I could not stop. After two Hours of trying to stop the bleeding I called an ambulance. Paremedics arrived and Managed to stop the Bleeding with direct Pressure. Paremedics told me that the emergency room would only do what they did here and send me Home so I did not go. I explained to them ( Paremedics ) that I use nasal pillows with cpap and they advised me not to use the Nasal pillows for one night to allow the Nose to Heal. I hate to skip a night of Cpap use but I don't want the nose to start Bleeding again. I use the swift II Nasal Pillows and I have a Mirage Liberty as a back up mask but both have nasal pillows. I am afraid that the pressure ( 13 ) up my Nares will cause the bleeding again. Even if I use the Liberty and Breathe through my Mouth the air pressure will still be blowing in my Nose. I have been running the HH on a setting of 1 but might need to increase it to moisten the Nasal Passages. I hate to miss a night of therapy. I am unsure what to do. Any Suggestions ? Thank You

I'm not qualified to make a diagnosis, but increasing the humidity would be the first place I would start. Consulting with your doctor or going to an ENT may not be a bad idea either.

Hi Danny,

I can appreciate how scared you must have been when your nose wouldn't stop bleeding. I've had that before. Now you know how to hold pressure on it. I had horrible nosebleeds several years ago (from an infected maxillary cyst in my sinus) and I thought for sure I would exsanguinate! But my ENT assured me that no one has ever died from a nosebleed! That's good to know.
Also.......and this really seems crazy, but it works: If you get another nosebleed, blow your nose. That's really hard to do, but it actually works! Apparently, when our noses first start to bleed, the blood has an anticoagulant in it. If you blow that out and get rid of that, the next blood has more clotting to it.
Absolutely increase your humidity.
Also, My ENT told me to routinely at nighttime, take a q-tip with neosporin on it, and swab the insides of the nose.
So I would do that too. I'm thinking you could go ahead and use your machine tonight, just swab your nose with the neosporin and increase your humidity. You might also swab your nose in the mornings too.
If you should get another nose bleed......you know what to do. Try not to let it scare you. You will be okay.

Hi Danny

I might be getting over nose-bleeds that I have been having for months. Not sure yet.

I have found that if I can stop the nose-bleed long enough to put my mask on (full face) then the pressure will prevent further bleeding. Be very carefull if you swab, as I have to do with the ointment. as swabbing can disturb the lining of the nose sufficiently to draw blood, and possibly start a nose-bleed.

I got a lot of help from Forum members in trying to deal with this, see this link

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=43355&p=384145#p384145

I now am having fewer nosebleeds ( about one every two days), and have been using otocomb*otic ointment, also known as triamcin/neom/gr/nyst ear ointment (yes, ear ointment). Prescribed by an ENT Professor, who thinks the ointment might work, and does not want to do cauterisation as a first step.

My own thoughts are, purely subjective, are that cold air going into the nose will likely harden nasal mucus, and prevent bleeding, even when you take the mask off, but this is not a cure. Warmer air will soften the nasal mucus, which will be more comfortable, and as long as pressure is maintained, will probably prevent bleeding. But any disturbance of the hardened mucus is likely to start the bleeding again.

So to say again, even if I have a bad nose bleed just as I am about to put the mask on, if I blow my nose to clear the blood for a few seconds, put the mask on quickly and start the pressure, the bleeding stops. I have not had blood in the mask.
However, this is just my experience, and nothing else.

Good luck

Mars

PS for nose-bleeds during the day when I am out I carry small squares of thin cloth to push up my nostril and block it, should bleeding start. This has always worked, and after a while I can remove the cloth and get rid of it. However, the very first thing I do is to tip my head backwards, and let gravity help stop the blood pouring out.

How did it go last night Danny?

I get nosebleeds too. Have for years, way before I started CPAP. Several things that help me...
Humidity- I use at least a setting of 3 or more.
Ointment- used to use Neosporin, but my ENT dr suggested that Bacitracin works better for some reason. A dab from on the pinkie (or a qtip) and gently rub the outside of nostrils in a circular motion to spread it.
Salt water rinse- started out sniffing warm salt water from a cupped palm. But the Nasa-flo bottle works so much easier and has very little mess. Plus the premixed packet is buffered so there's no stinging from the salt. (you could use a pinch of baking soda added to the salt and do the same thing.)

Once in a great while I get a bleed at night, but not nearly as much as before CPAP, and the pillows on my Liberty mask haven't been a problem at all.

Good luck with the beak!

This is Night two since the severe Nose Bleed and only Had a little bleeding today when I blew my Nose too Hard. I have about come to the conclusion that the cause was from Taking too many Nsaids for the Knee Pain. I have since stopped taking them altogether But still have congestion even with using the HH. I have previously been doing the Nasal Irrigation before bed but I am concerned that if I do the Nasal Irrigation now it will cause the bleeding to start again b/c it is not healed yet. Any comments on whether it will hurt to Nasal Irrigate the Nose so soon after the Bleeding ? Thank you

If you do it gently it should only help to irrigate. Will clean out the passages and the salt will help heal and toughen the tissues. But do try to put a little Bacitracin in your nose a couple times a day, when it's not bleeding. That will help heal and protect the sores from dry air and irritation.

Mine got worse when I started the daily aspirin, and are usually worse in winter with the air so much more dry. But with a little care I keep them to a minimum. Rinses, ointment and humidifier on the machine can really help.

Good luck! And don't sacrifice your knees!

Some of my very worst nosebleeds were always a day after I'd taken NSAIDS. So I'm sure they can thin your blood.