Oh, My God, the Nosebleeds!

Your mucus membranes are toast and your hair has all fallen out, including the ones in your nose. So, you get nosebleeds. Especially if you are undergoing treatment in the winter in the Midwest. If you’re managing everything else well, hopefully your nosebleeds will stop quickly, but they are annoying and if you let the inside of your nose scab up they will get worse.

I didn’t see a particular rhyme or reason about when they happened. Inconvenience seemed to be the common theme. I made sure to keep a tissue pack in my pocket and if I was going to be sitting anyplace on the regular, I kept a packet of baby wipes on hand. This was especially valuable in the car, since I couldn’t get to a sink to clean up quickly. And, while this seems obvious, it took several months for me to realize that this would be a good idea. Ah, chemo fog.

Nasal Lavage

For this next part, check with your doctor first. It’s not medical advice, but this could touch treatment-y things. I did a nasal lavage at least twice a day to keep those scabs from tearing. I used a Nasopure. I preferred this to a traditional neti pot, because it does all the work for you and you can put it in the dishwasher to sterilize it as often as you need. In the driest times of year, I gave up on good taste and actually put vaseline in my nose.

I tried both the Target and the Nasopure salts and found the Nasopure salts felt a bit more gentle and easier to get into the container. I have super clean water where I live, so I mostly used tap water. Depending on your water, you might want to use distilled water rather than the tap. The water you buy for a CPAP is super inexpensive at the grocery store.