When does a nosebleed become cause for concern?

[Sparrowlegs248]

Nhs website suggests a & E after 10to15 minutes. I often have them that long, but this one is pushing 40 minutes now. It's forming large clots but still running out after them.

Are you holding your nose? No need to squish hard, but hold it to stop air going up. Tilt you head slightly forward. Give it 10 minutes like that, then consider your must convenient medical facility.

I'm not holding it, but obviously one side blocked with me tryi g to mop up. Am leaning forward as I can't bloody stand the trickle of blood down my throat. We only have a & E which seems excessive.

As a child I had regular nosebleeds. The rule was always go to a&e after half an hour. Mine never quite made it.
Do you have a cold? That would explain clots. If so, try blowing your nose (against the normal advice) but it might be pressing on the membranes at the top of your nose causing it to bleed. Usually stops it for me.

I have them regularly but this is going on a bit. The clotting is usual, it's how it starts to stop usually but isn't atm.

You need to pinch it closed on the soft part so you have to mouth breathe. Don't release for at least 10 mins, then sloooowly release. Don't sniff, don't blow your nose, be really cautious. If it continues, I used to pinch again and use cold pack on nose too.
Had too many of these as a DC myself.
I would expect it to keep pumping if you were not pinching, as the clot will just drop out.

Weirdly in my experience of many years of nose bleeds (once had 15 in a 3 week period)sometimes the only way I could get them to stop was by pulling the clot out. Which makes me gag even thinking about it but when they had got to the stage of large clots that was how I stopped the bleeding.

After 6 hours according to the St John's person I was chatting to the other day. One of his kids suffers from extreme ones.

My son has loads of these and we don't go in as we know it will stop a sometimes 30-40mins, normally within the hour.

Sit with your head forward and pinch the squishy bit of your nose and stay there for a good 10-15 mins before you let go - you need to give the clot time to stick and stop the bleed. If it's clotting and falling it out then it's not formed enough yet to stick so you need to hold it longer.

Also, cold compress on back of the neck helps as does sitting in colder area for my son.

The a&e thing is because of blood loss and if it hasn't stopped it will need packing/cauterising/investigating further (depending on cause). If you are pinching for 15-20 mins and still not slowing you should be thinking about getting help tbh (we start getting shoes on at this point but have never needed to go in yet .....

Thanks all. It stopped after about an hour and 40 minutes. I couldn't pinch as it was just backing up and making me gag. When the clots were pulling out there was a big gush of blood after where it had carried on bleeding and pooled. Sorry. So gross. I'm pretty used to heavy nosebleeds but third was quite extreme!

If I'd waited six hours before seeking medical help for my nosebleed, I'd have been dead.