Ridiculous anxiety about my nose - I know it's stupid but it's ruining my health

[Stuffynose]

I've suffered with general anxiety most of my life. I have recently become obsessed with the thought that I will have a massive nosebleed that will put me in hospital. I get a stuffy nose quite often. I regularly get spotting (every couple of weeks) which I'm pretty sure is when I dislodge crusts (sorry!) when I blow my nose. Sometimes the inside of my nose gets a bit dry and will bleed slightly. But I haven't had a proper nosebleed for a couple of years.

I'm getting myself completely stressed about it. I daren't have a drink in case it thins my blood, I daren't take a bath in case the heat causes my nose to bleed, I dont exercise because I think that getting hot increases the risk of a bleed, I spend my day dabbing at my nose with a hankie to check if it's bleeding. It really is ruining my life and making me really stressed.

Is it normal for your nose to spot blood occasionally and how can I get myself to stop panicking?

[CMOTDibbler]

Are you getting help with your anxiety at the moment ? If not, then a trip to your GP to talk about this health anxiety would be a good move

[Stuffynose]

I think I'd be too embarrassed to go to the doctor with this.

[RubyrooUK]

Stuffy, this is anxiety. It is not really about your nose. So don't be embarrassed about that.

Plus, doctors will have heard a million and one odd things. I once went to the doctor about a slightly mad addiction I was desperate to shake. He was brilliant and took it seriously even though he must have wanted to laugh. So don't be embarrassed at all.

[winnybella]

You won't end up in hospital because of a nosebleed, unless you have some sort of clotting disorder, which you don't, because as you say, your nose spots a bit but you don't get heavy, unstoppable bleeding, right? In fact, even 20 minutes of bleeding from the nose wouldn't put you in danger, so if you do have that sort of nosebleed (which is still fairly common), you'll still be ok.

And yes, you need to address the anxiety issue. Doctor won't laugh at you, he'll be aware that the nosebleed obsession is just one of the manifestations of the disorder, rather than some silly worry iyswim.

[TheDogsRolex]

Nosebleeds are common, I used to get them a lot, especially after I had my tonsils out when I was 13. No warning, my nose would piss out blood for no reason and it did for years. It's still not quite right now and i'm 34.

Do see your gp, anxiety can rule your life, they wont laugh, it's a geniune illness.

[Stuffynose]

Thank you. Half of my head knows it's a stupid thing to worry about and the other half is panicking!

[TheDogsRolex]

Don't panic, you're fine. You're not being "stupid" either. Is there someone you can call who will chat about mundane stuff? That always helped me when I was in a state.

[Stuffynose]

I would be far too embarrassed to talk to anyone in RL about this. When I get it bad I just want to go to bed and shut the world out. I get very agitated if I'm with anyone when it happens.

[amillionyears]

You need to see the GP.
This isnt about your nose bleeding, but it is about your anxiety.
He should be able to understand, and to do something about it.

[Stuffynose]

But is it normal for your nose to spot blood on a regular basis. I know it's a bit TMI but I've forgotten what normal is.

[amillionyears]

Maybe not, but I dont think it is that unusual either.

[winnybella]

Yes, it's normal if you have some weak blood vessels in them, nothing to worry about.

But it is about your anxiety, nothing with your nose, therefore you need to tackle that. Even if you'll stop obsessing about this problem, you'll soon find another one to worry about.