Bloody Nose Woes

Growing up, my brother was the one with the bloody noses.  I never had a bloody nose.  That was until yesterday.  Being on chemo, it is common to have some blood in your nasal discharge.  It's sort of a strange thing.  You lose your nasal hair and have drainage all the time, sometimes a little blood tinged.  Your eyes tear a lot as well so you basically look like a toddler who just had a big cry.  But I have managed to deal with these side effects until yesterday.  After blowing my nose in the morning when I woke up, I noticed that my nose was continuing to ooze blood and wasn't really stopping.  It wasn't pouring out but it required constant attention.

So, before I went out the door to go to work, I called my oncologist office and of course they told me to go to the ER.  I knew they were going to say that and part of me wishes I never called.  So, I drove to the ER with a tissue up my nose.  By the time I got to the ER, the oozing had calmed down a bit but I proceeded to get care.  I had my labs drawn and it was no surprise that my platelets were low (26).  The doctor attempted to cauterize my nose but that was unsuccessful (and painful!).  So they decided to pack my nose.  To say the least, it is not a pleasant experience and it's  not pleasant to have my nose packed for the next couple of days.

Luckily I have been able to work from home today so no one had to see this packing hanging out of my nose.  When I go out this weekend, I will be sure to cover it better than it is now so I don't have snot dripping out of my nose in public.  That would be a sight to see!  On Monday afternoon I got to the ENT to have the packing removed and hopefully that will be the end of this.

With my platelets being so low, my last chemo will probably be delayed a week.  They told me to go and have my labs done and see what happens.  I don't have high hopes that I will finish on May 2 but instead May 9.  I can see the finish line but I just can't get to it.  Tripped up right before getting there.  People say almost done but there is still a lot to get through.  I just keep plugging along and one day, it will all be done.  Oh, I can't wait for that day!