Nosebleed during a cold/flu?

Question:

I've got a viral infection that started exactly a week ago now. It started with an extremely sore throat for a couple of days, followed by a runny nose, followed by a really clogged up nose. The only time i had a temperature was for the first 2/3 days. Even then it was only mild (didn't go above 99.2). This morning at 3am i had a nosebleed, after which i decided it was time to sleep so after putting cold water on my face i went to sleep. Then again today at 5pm the nose suddenly started bleeding. Again, i used cold water on my face, had a cold drink, and it stopped. Then at night in the middle of a party around 9.30 i had another nosebleed. This one is not going away as easily as the others. It stops for a little while but i can feel the blood dripping on my throat, and sometimes the blood starts trickling out of my nose again but not fast and not in a huge amount (i'm guessing dried up blood in the nose is stopping it somewhat). I'm guessing its a result of dryness from the cold/flu?

Answers:
Yes your nose gets very dry and then you go and sneeze or blow your nose or it starts to drip and then the clot breaks loose. This is normal. As long as you aren't gushing blood or major amounts you are fine. Just keeping your nose moistened at night helps. You can even put some vaseline on a qtip and put it in your nose. Also having a humidifer in your room helps to keep the air moist. Do not pick your nose or rub it too much. leave it alone as much as possible.

It could be the dryness from the cold or flu but it also could be any medication you are on. Sudaphed can cause nosebleeds. Most decongestants shrink the capillaries in the nose and then couple that with the dryness the just burst. Try using a saline nose spray to keep those membranes moist and it will also keep the congestion down.

i had a same problem when i had a cold earlier this year. i guess it is just because your nose is all dry from blowing it all the time and its all conjested.

99.2 is a normal temperature so I'll discount that. You never had a fever. The capillaries in the nasal membrane are fragile. Runny noses and stopped up noses with noseblowing can irritate nasal membranes and rupture capillaries causing epistaxis (nosebleeds). If it happens again, apply firm presssure between your eyes by pinching the bridge of the nose and keep your head level - never tilted backward. Use an OTC saline spray as often as you like to keep nasal membranes from drying out and cracking (thus bleeding). Finally, report a recurrance to your doctor.

It doesn't matter that it was only the left nostril. This is an insignificant detail.

Nosebleed during a cold/flu?

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