Is this your symptom?
- Bleeding from 1 or both nostrils
- Not caused by an injury
- If the bleeding is caused by an injury, see the Nose Injury care guide.
Causes of Nosebleeds
Nosebleeds happen often because of the rich blood supply of the nose. Common causes include:
- Spontaneous Nosebleed. Most nosebleeds start with no known cause.
- Rubbing or Picking the nose is the most common known causes. It's hard to not touch or rub the nose.
- Blowing the nose too hard can cause a nosebleed.
- Sinus Infections. The main symptoms are lots of dry snot and a blocked nose. This leads to extra nose blowing and picking. The sinus infection is more often viral than bacterial.
- Nose Allergies. The main symptom is a very itchy nose. This leads to extra rubbing and blowing.
- Dry Air. Dryness of the nasal lining makes it more likely to bleed. In the winter, forced air heating can dry out the nose.
- Allergy Medicines help the nasal symptoms, but also dry out the nose. It may cause a nosebleed.
- Ibuprofen and Aspirin. These medicines increase the bleeding tendency.
- Cocaine Use. Frequent use of cocaine can lead to nosebleeds. Long-term use can cause a hole in the septum of the nose.
- Bleeding Disorder (serious). This means the blood platelets or clotting factors are missing or not working right. A bleeding disorder should be suspected if the nosebleed can't be stopped. Lots of bleeding from the gums or with minor cuts is also a clue. Bleeding disorders are a rare cause of frequent nosebleeds. Taking blood thinners has the same effect.
When to Call for Nosebleed
Call 911 Now
Go to ER Now
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
|
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
|
Self Care at Home
|
Call 911 Now
- Passed out (fainted) or too weak to stand
- You think you have a life-threatening emergency
Go to ER Now
- Bleeding a lot after 10 minutes of squeezing the nose correctly
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
- Large amount of blood has been lost
- New skin bruises or bleeding gums not caused by an injury
- You take a blood thinner
- High-risk patient, such as with low platelets or other bleeding disorder
- You think you need to be seen, and the problem is urgent
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
- You think you need to be seen, but the problem is not urgent
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
- New onset nosebleeds happen 3 or more times in a week
- Hard-to-stop nosebleeds happen often
- Easy bleeding is present in other family members
- You have other questions or concerns
Self Care at Home
- Mild nosebleed
Care Advice for Stomach Pain
What You Should Know About Stomach Pain:
- Mild stomach pain can be caused by something simple. It could be from gas pains or eating too much.
- Sometimes, stomach pain signals the start of a viral infection. This will lead to vomiting or loose stools.
- Watching your child for 2 hours will help tell you the cause.
- Here is some care advice that should help.
Lie Down:
- Have your child lie down and rest until feeling better.
Clear Fluids:
- Offer clear fluids only (such as water, flat soft drinks or half-strength Gatorade).
- For mild pain, offer a regular diet.
Prepare for Vomiting:
- Keep a vomiting pan handy.
- Younger children often talk about stomach pain when they have nausea. Nausea is the sick stomach feeling that comes before they throw up.
Pass a Stool:
- Have your child sit on the toilet and try to pass a stool.
- This may help if the pain is from constipation or diarrhea.
- Note: for constipation, moving a warm wet cotton ball on the anus may help.
Do Not Give Medicines:
- Any drug (like ibuprofen) could upset the stomach and make the pain worse.
- Do not give any pain medicines or laxatives for stomach cramps.
- For fever higher than 102° F (39° C), acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) can be given.
What to Expect:
- With harmless causes, the pain is most often better or gone in 2 hours.
- With stomach flu, belly cramps may happen before each bout of vomiting or diarrhea. These cramps may come and go for a few days.
- With serious causes (such as appendicitis), the pain worsens and becomes constant.
Call Your Doctor If:
- Pain becomes severe
- Constant pain lasts more than 2 hours
- Mild pain that comes and goes lasts more than 24 hours
- You think your child needs to be seen
- Your child becomes worse
Extra Help - Worried Stomach:
- Help your child talk about events that trigger the stomach pain. Talk to your child about how to cope with these the next time around.
- Help your child worry less about things she can't control.
- To treat the pain, help your child get very relaxed. Lying down in a quiet place and taking slow deep breaths may help. Make the belly go up and down with each breath. Then try to relax all the muscles in the body. Think about something pleasant. Listening to audios that teach how to relax might also help.
- Make sure your child gets enough sleep.
- Make sure that your child doesn't miss any school because of stomach pains. Stressed children tend to want to stay home when the going gets rough.
- Caution: your child should see her doctor for an exam. Do this before concluding frequent stomach pains are from worrying too much.
