A bit about noses

By Andrea

I am fairly certain that everyone went to school with a bleeder, that is, a kid whose nose bled regularly. This is the kid for whom the soccer game had to stop, the kid for whom the lesson had to be interrupted, the kid who was always seen cupping his nose, the kid who we all looked at and thought the same thing: "ah, he's bleeding AGAIN."

Every class must have had one, just like every class had to have a smart kid, a dumb kid, a tall kid, a kid with glasses etc.

In my class (I'm talking grade two or three here) the kid's name was Neil, a.k.a "Neil, Neil the banana peel." (Note to parents: when you're choosing your child's name, make sure it doesn't rhyme with ANYTHING.)

Neil also picked his nose. Perhaps this was the reason behind his frequent nosebleeds.

I can't remember whether his nosebleeds were the reason he became an easy target, or if the children didn't get along with him for some other reasons. Perhaps it's my personal bias stemming from my experience with Neil, but I have a feeling that other children perceive the class bleeder as some kind of inferior subspecies.

Perhaps it's the regular display of body fluids that makes one kid appear weaker than the rest of the pack. I've never been a bleeder myself so I can't exactly relate. In all my years, I've only had one or two nosebleeds, and that's why I'm anxious about Sarah. I think she might be a bleeder.

Where does she get this? Her nose bled 3 or 4 times last week, and almost always in the middle of the night. (Not that I mind, but this created a disproportionate amount of laundry. Her comforter has now been washed more frequently than any single item in the entire house.)

I am mildly worried that if she continues with this sporadic gushing of blood from her nasal cavities that she will befall the same fate as poor Neil. Granted, Neil probably has a successful career as a pediatric eye, ear, nose and throat specialist – but I bet his memories of elementary school aren't pretty ones ... and are clouded with images of him missing countless recesses, sitting in the corner with rolled up Kleenexes stuffed up each nostril.

Will this be Sarah? I am really only half-worried. Even the word "worry" might be too strong a word to use here. Let's just say that it crossed my mind while I was scrubbing the stains out of her pillow the second or third time in a row. I hope little Sarah's adorable nose is just going through some kind of internal readjustment or is having its own separate little growth spurt.

I just want her to be a normal kid, with a normally functioning nose, a kid who doesn't get picked on by the others, ever.

Comments

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Interestingly, it is amazing but this quality is a reality for every child. thanks for sharing the theme.

[ear nose throat]

I experienced that when i am in high school.

-Kaylee

[tory]

I have a nosebleed right now

[Elise]

Oh my god! I was that kid! I can't tell you how many times I had to run to the nurse's office with a nose bleed. By the time I hit sixth grade I didn't even bother with the nurse anymore. I would just go to girls' room and get a roll of toilet paper to carry around with me. It happened so often the other kids didn't tease me about it because it wasn't unusual or weird. Just a normal day for Elise. There is something you can do: take her to an ear-nose-throat doctor and see if her nostrils can be cauterized. This will get rid of the tiny blood vessels close to the skin and the bleeding will stop. Normally this is a procedure that can be quickly done in the doctor's office with a bit of discomfort but no big deal. My vessels were so bad I had to have it done in the short surgery unit at the hospital, under general anaesthesia. I am happy to report that from age 16 (when I had this procedure done) until age 22, I was nosebleed free. I did have a few more nosebleeds in my early twenties and then a few when I was pregnant, but for the most part I have been free of this affliction for a long time. Sorry for the long post but I had to share. I don't know anyone who has had as many nosebleeds as I have! It always caused fireworks at home too. At school I would act nonchalant but if my nose bled at home I would freak out. I think it was just my way of trying to get attention. You know, second kid needing to call attention to herself. Anyway, based on my experience I highly recommend you see if cauterization would be right for her. Good luck! And try not to worry too much -- if anything, it will make her a lot more comfortable with the sight of her own blood!

[jenny]

I have no words of wisdom, but this has been very helpful for me. My son is a "moderate bleeder". I have worried about it, but reading some of the other comments have been helpful:)

[Joye]

I'm with Peggasus. Get a Q-Tip and swab that cute little nose. It's probably just dried out a little and cracked.

And for the record, my daughter's name is Madison. Try rhyming that one!

[sarah]

I, like your Sarah, got fairly frequent nosebleeds as a kid. I saw a doctor and found that I had a very small unnecessary blood vessel very near the surface in my nose. This little vessel was just way too easily irritated into bleeding. This was cauterized in a matter of seconds. After which I only got nosebleeds the same as anyone else - during a nasty cold or when hit in the nose by a softball.

[Christine]

My best friend was a bleeder in elementary school. She's long since grown out of it, but I believe the saline nose drops did help her immensely. :)

[Laura C.]

I had nosebleeds while I slept as a kid but never really at school. I think girls don't get branded bleeders the same way that boys do, it's not considered as weak for a girl as for a boy.

Sometimes too when I was sick with a cold or whatever, I would wake up with my eyelids crusted shut and have to yell for my mom with a warm washcloth to wipe away the goo. Our bodies are wonderlands aren't they?

[Peggasus]

My son had quite a few at that age, too, 5 or 6 a month, for years. He's twelve now, and has had only one in the past 2 years, so maybe they outgrow it. Anyway, someone once told me it was caused by excessively dry nostrils, and to swab some vaseline in there. It seemed to help, from what I recall.

I still have sheets and pillowcases with blood spots on them!

[mvh]

I would keep an eye on her, and this is the only reason I say it >> My brother in law still, to this day, gets nosebleeds at night a fair amount. He has some ear/nose/throat problems that he refuses to address. I know that when he was a little boy he had a lot of very bad ear infections. The reason I say this is b/c if he would just GO TO THE DAMN DOCTOR ALREADY it could probably be fixed very easily. And then he could end his reign as the family bleeder. So many ENT 'problems' (if this turns out to be that) can be fixed pretty easily - no need to have a scarred childhood. Good luck!

[robin]

My favorite line in the entire post...

(Note to parents: when you’re choosing your child’s name, make sure it doesn’t rhyme with ANYTHING)

So classic. :)

When I was in elementary school, there was a Russian kid named Anatolie. Oh, poor, poor kid. He got stuck with "Anatolie Rollie Pollie."

[Goldberry]

I used to think that by brother's constant nose bleeds were a boy's version of our periods because they came regularly. But that was a long time ago.

[Martha]

I swear, the ONLY thing that I remember about my preschool was the fact that a kid named Felipe ALWAYS had a bloody nose.

[Jo]

Oh goodness, your post had me smiling. Ah yes, how I remember the bleeder of my grade school class. Forgot his name, but remember - vaguely - the experience. I only had a few nose bleeds as a kid, and I hated em' (of course, who wouldn't?) I hope your dear Sarah isn't indeed the bleeder...but if she is, at least she has a very simple, beautiful non-rhyming name :o).