Think Twice Before Cauterizing Your Kid's Nose

I had a lot of nosebleeds when I was a kid. For kids, this can happen for various reasons - dry weather, an injury, nose-picking, allergies. My nose would start bleeding out of no where - at school, during a soccer game, while watching television. There are different ways to deal with this - You can sit down and lean forward, so the blood comes out instead of down your throat. You can squeeze the ridge of your nose until it stops. You can also try putting a cold compress across the bridge of your nose. Nosebleeds can be inconvenient, for the child and the parent. They can also be quite embarrassing. I dealt with them pretty well though. I just happened to be prone to them. I figured over time it may slow down.

My parents didn't want to wait though. Multiple times I was taken to the doctor to have my nose cauterized. This is when the blood vessels inside your nose are burned , to either stop a current nosebleed, or to prevent later ones. In very small moderation, this can be a helpful treatment. But overuse can cause more harm than good.

If you decide to go this route for your child, do not do it more than once. Also, it is a good idea to just have one side (nostril) of the nose done at a time. Multiple times, as well as having both sides done at the same time, can cause problems. I am living proof of that. I am 25 and still having frequent nosebleeds. I also have a hole on the inside of my nose, where multiple cauterizations were done and burned thru to each side. So, not only do I still get the lovely bleeds, I also have a hole that doesn't stop infections as well as a normal nose could.

Recently I had a sinus infection. My doctor looked up my nose and was basically in shock. Now, I've always known that my nose was messed up but never paid much attention to the extent. I get a lot of colds and nosebleeds but have accommodated for them. She made an appointment for me to see a nose specialist, and that's where I found out the charming truth. First, the doctor asked me if I have ever snorted drugs - point blank. I was like "No, never!" Then she asked me if my nose had ever been cauterized. I told her yes, multiple times. She sighed and started talking about how that treatment was over-done and can cause a lot of damage. That's where I found out about the hole inside my nose. She gave me a mirror and shined a light up one nostril and said "See that?" I wasn't sure what I was looking for. She told me to look at the back, and also how the light shined well up one side...and down out the other. She said that wasn't normal - there wasn't supposed to be a hole like that. Ding ding - That explains some of my issues! The specialist went on to tell me that I had permanent damage - there wasn't any real way to fix such a hole in there. Some of my internal nose protection was now gone - I could be prone to colds, sinus infections, the works (which was already true). Basically, all I could do at this point was squirt nose drops or gel daily up my nose to try and help the situation.

Nosebleeds can be a hassle, but they normally can't cause lasting damage. Think twice before taking your kid to have their nose cauterized - it can cause them a lifetime of issues. I try to make light of it, telling people I have an extra hole in my head, but it actually is quite annoying and unsettling that I have this problem that I didn't do anything to cause. I can get sick easier, I have to buy a lot of drops for it, and I also breathe funny - not as well as I should, and sometimes my nose makes noises - charming!