J
John Cochran
Since my valve replacement 9 months ago, I've been fortunate to have dodged any "bumps in the road." This weekend, though, I ended up in the emergency room for a nose bleed that wouldn't stop. This sounds trivial, but after 6 hours and quite a bit of blood lost, I noticed I was getting light-headed and lethargic. I've had a bug (cold/flu) with a lot of coughing and nose blowing. Apparently, some capillaries ruptured, which is not uncommon from what they told me in the ER. I'm not on Coumadin, but am on aspirin therapy. As far as stopping/slowing blood clotting, I guess it works--maybe a little too well in some circumstances.
The "cure" for a nose bleed that won't stop with all the conventional approaches is no fun at all. They insert a 6-inch long packing that has an internal balloon in it. Once inserted, they pump the balloon up with water so that it totally seals the nasal passage. Then they tell you it has to stay in for two days. This sucks mightily.
What I learned from this is that, even with just aspirin, getting prompt attention for bleeding that won't stop is important. I also found out that, after going through surgery, a trip to the ER sends your blood pressure soaring! They weren't too concerned, and checked it again before I left, and it had come back to near normal.
My sympathy level for those of you who have had significant bumps in the road after surgery has grown. Going to the ER is no fun at all!
--John
The "cure" for a nose bleed that won't stop with all the conventional approaches is no fun at all. They insert a 6-inch long packing that has an internal balloon in it. Once inserted, they pump the balloon up with water so that it totally seals the nasal passage. Then they tell you it has to stay in for two days. This sucks mightily.
What I learned from this is that, even with just aspirin, getting prompt attention for bleeding that won't stop is important. I also found out that, after going through surgery, a trip to the ER sends your blood pressure soaring! They weren't too concerned, and checked it again before I left, and it had come back to near normal.
My sympathy level for those of you who have had significant bumps in the road after surgery has grown. Going to the ER is no fun at all!
--John