Need advice quickly please. To go to A&E? Waiting for a call back from 111 - beginning to really panic *MNHQ content warning for blood*

[TheKhakiBee]

Hi, my daughter has been having a nosebleed for the past 20 minutes or so. Have tried everything to stop it, head forward, pinching the soft part of the nose continously. There is ALOT of blood. Waiting for 111 to call back. AIBU to A&E for this? I don't drive, don't know if a taxi would take us. Photo shows some of the blood.

Sorry just to make it clearer she needs to squeeze her fist not you

I'm not in the UK. My neighbour recently called an ambulance for a bleeding nose which wouldn't stop. They came and sorted it out, no issue - and we live a ten minute walk from the hospital. How has the (supposedly envy of the world!!!) NHS got so bad?

I hope you've gone to the hospital and that your DD is okay.

They usually say a nose bleed that lasts longer than 10 minutes then you need to go to the hospital.

My DS used to get them really bad when he was younger,he ended up having to have 2 operations and thankfully they worked.

Poor lass. I used to have horrific nosebleeds as a child and teen. I actually had an operation in my early 20s that cauterized my nose and I haven’t had one since. I used to have really long nose bleeds but I was always fine, saying that if your child seems different in herself I’d take her just to be safe. Get in a taxi with a few towels. I’d also recommend sticking paper in her nose as opposed to holding it in front of her face.

I know it sounds terrible, but maybe if you have some tampons I would try and put them in her nose, hold a tissue underneath and get her to hospital asap.

Going by your username, are you in Australia? I’m in Australia and it’s ok to call an ambulance for a child who has had a nosebleed for over 20 minutes that isn’t stopping after first aid.

Also, the dispatchers here are trained to ask the right questions to determine the level of emergency. So, they are not going to prioritise a nosebleed over someone who isn’t breathing etc. People in critical conditions are not going to miss out on an ambulance because people are calling an ambulance for less critical situations.

DD was about that age when she had her first, terrified both of us. Now when she has one she sorts herself out and I find out about it afterwards. Had one at school today, spent half an hour in the bogs and then went back to lessons. She is 13.

It is frightening but usually its just one of those things. DD tends to get them more during the height of summer or during the change of weather during late autumn or early spring when the heating is on but then there is one of those warm days. Definitely seems connected to her being very warm.

DD's go on for about half an hour and then eventually ease off. I would go to be checked out just in case (as I did when DD had her first), but I wouldnt worry too much about it. Some people just are more prone to them than others, I have never had one!

Hope you got to A&E or (better still) the nosebleed subsided at home OP. Nothing worse than little ones being poorly xxx

We were always told if it doesn't stop by about 20 minutes then you have to go to A&E. We actually were told to call an ambulance but I'm in the USA so our procedures might not match yours. As it was explained to me, sometimes they have to basically put a little balloon up there (in her nose) and inflate it to stop the bleeding. That's not something you can do at home.

My son suffered really badly with nosebleeds when he was younger. I was actually told that if a nosebleed lasted longer than 15 mins with no signs of easing, that I should call an ambulance immediately

Hope you are ok OP.
If still there, you may be pinching too low , should be immediately below the hard part of the nose cartilage. Pinch continuously for 15 mins and don’t interrupt it to check if it is stopping. She should sit with head slightly downwards. Then once it has stopped , drink a glass of cold water.

There always looks much more blood than there is.

I had a ton of nose bleeds as a child until I was 16.

It always looks like way more blood than it is. Ice definitely and the arm above the head in a fist helps. Keep her calm. If she is upset she'll bleed heavier.

I think she'll be fine, I imagine as a first nose bleed this has rattled you both. Huge hug. 💖

My mom once wrapped up a blood clot from my nose and took it to the doctor. Granted it was huge but I swear she thought a piece of my brain had fallen out. Which I suppose was a fair guess. Lol

Hope she's okay.

Another vote for A&E. I had a non stop nosebleed a few years ago. I couldn’t plug it or pinch my nose because I would start choking on the blood.
DH took me to hospital and I passed out from blood loss. I came round and vomited up a load of blood. I had this inflatable thing inserted in to my nose and kept in overnight. I’m an adult so I definitely wouldn’t take chances with a child.

Hope your dd is ok
Was she sleeping when it started?

I went to A&E with this recently. They will try to cauterise it ( totally painless). Then they’ll pack with nasal tampon which inflates. They kept me in overnight but got it sorted eventually.Good luck

My dad scratched the side of his nose during the night once, not quite the same thing but we did call paramedics in the end as it wouldn’t stop bleeding. Turns out he’d scratched a vein and the blood was pumping out at the same rate his heart was beating. In the end it was a simple fix, but they did debate taking him in - and didn’t think we were being ridiculous to call them.

When I had my nose cauterised recently it absolutely was not 'totally painless' 😆 glad it was for you though!
OP hope you've gone to hospital and everything is ok.

Hope she’s ok OP! I once had a nosebleed that lasted 2 hours before my mum took me toA&E/OOH and obviously by the time we got there it had stopped 😅 she was told she should have brought me after 15 mins, so a lot of horrified people here are wrong. This must have been 25 years ago so that guideline has been in place for ages.

Evetually got my nose cauterised which was fine and effective.

No idea who they based the 'few tablespoons' period on but I use a cup so I know how much I bleed and its a hell of a lot more than a few tablespoons!

No, NZ. Same here, they aren't going to prioritise a nosebleed over an emergency.

I experienced this as a child. It was an haemorrhage. I hope you have been seen at A&E now.

I hope you are in A and E and I hope it has stopped

How is your daughter?