Signs of a Serious Nosebleed: When to Go to The Doctor

If you've ever experienced a nosebleed, you know it can come on suddenly and produce quite a bit of blood. However, it usually resolves with home care within a few minutes.

Sometimes, nosebleeds continue and cause severe symptoms if they don't resolve. Knowing how much bleeding is too much with a nosebleed is crucial.

At Calvary Urgent Care, our team specializes in injuries and other conditions that require fast and efficient care. Dr. Joseph Goin is our urgent and primary care specialist, offering minor office procedures for severe nosebleeds.

Causes of nosebleeds

A nosebleed is a common problem among children, teens, and adults. It can happen for many reasons and sometimes come on suddenly without explanation. Some causes are obvious, while others could indicate something else happening in the body.

The most common cause of a nosebleed is dry air that causes the tiny blood vessels to break in the nose. Other common reasons for a nosebleed include:

• Nose or face injuries
• Foreign objects in the nose
• Frequent use of nasal sprays
• Inflammation of the nasal lining
• Blood thinning medications
• Frequent nose blowing

People who suffer from allergies or use nasal antihistamines are at an increased risk for recurrent nosebleeds. Those medications dry out the nasal passage and make it susceptible to spontaneous bleeding.

Signs of a severe nosebleed

Most nosebleeds look worse than they are because of a lot of blood, but they usually resolve with home care and compression.

However, there are some signs and symptoms that indicate a severe nosebleed. The first is a nosebleed that doesn't stop with compression after twenty minutes, or you've lost significant blood.

A severe nosebleed also causes blood to drip down the back of the throat, leading to gagging, vomiting, or trouble breathing. Other dangerous symptoms include dizziness or a headache during the nosebleed.

Any head injury that causes a nosebleed is cause for concern. You should always be evaluated after a head injury to ensure there are no issues other than the nosebleed itself.

When to see a doctor

Nosebleeds are scary, but they're not always a cause for concern. However, it's crucial to know when to seek treatment for one if it's out of control. Some of the reasons to seek treatment for a nosebleed include the following:

• They occur with an injury or car accident
• Interfere with how you breathe
• It involves a severe amount of blood
• Last longer than 30 minutes
• Occur in children less than two

Coming in for an appointment is also crucial if you have a nosebleed with a known bleeding disorder. If you're concerned about a nosebleed, seeking treatment to avoid uncomfortable symptoms is essential.

Nosebleed treatments

When you come into our urgent care, we evaluate the nosebleed and provide several treatments to stop the bleeding. We offer in-office minor procedures for nosebleeds that include the following:

Nasal packing

When a nosebleed continues, nasal packing is the first line of treatment. We insert gauze, foam, or special sponges inside the nose to pressure the bleeding site. The packing may need to stay in place for up to 48 hours to prevent it from recurring.

Cauterization

For more severe nosebleeds, we offer in-office cauterization of the bleeding vessel. We utilize silver nitrate or a cauterizing tool to seal off the problematic blood vessels and stop your nose from bleeding.

Foreign body removal

Sometimes, a foreign body in the nose, especially in children, causes a nosebleed. We offer foreign body removal and either of the treatments listed above to stop a nosebleed from a foreign body.

Call Calvary Urgent Care in Humble, Texas, to schedule a nosebleed appointment or walk into our urgent care. You may also request a consultation on our website.