Helpful product for nosebleeds

[kathy]

Hi everyone,  I mentioned this before but it's good to mention again....I am not sure where every member is from but in Australia I have come across a product called "KALTOSTAT".  It is a calcium-sodium alginate wound dressing derived from seaweed, in simple terms clots the blood at the site of bleeding.  It is made by Convatec in the UK.  I have purchased a box of 5 x 2g sterile dressings in the shape of 'rope'.  Tear of a piece, fold in half then insert into the nasal passage.  I have tried this frequently and have much more success than plain cotton wool balls.  The product description mentions it for the use of nosebleeds.  There are other brands (just search the words CALCIUM SODIUM ALGINATE on the net) Another one is "SORBSAN".  It needs to be in the 'rope' shape to insert.   9/10 times the bleeding stops and it can remain there for approx. 48 hrs.  When removing, it is recommended to squirt some saline solution (or sterile salt water) into the nostril and remove slowly to avoid re-traumatising the site. It is extremely expensive to buy in Australia but perhaps your haemotologist can arrange to receive this product, perhaps as an outpatient in a public hospital.  They normally reserve its use within hospitals but I would rather treat it at home effectively than go to hospital and have them poke around in my nose!



[EDITED topic title so that it wasn't all in caps - Matt]

[Matt]

To be honest, I think I'd probably still be too wary of putting something up my nose (other than tissue) that I haven't tried before - admittedly that can be applied to many other situations too, but then again I guess it could be worth asking the specialist about when I go for my next op.

I would have thought that squirting a liquid up the nose would just start bleeds off though?

[kathy]

Hi Matt.....no,no,no, tissues are BAD news.  Sticking tissue up your nose and then pulling it out re-traumatises the soft tissue area in the nose.....then it bleeds AGAIN and AGAIN!!!
Kaltostat is an "anti-haemetic" agent (yes, anti bleeding) dressing for wounds and nose bleeds.  IT WORKS !!!!!!!!!!  There are no risks and no side effects.  After inserting the 'wool' it stops the bleeding and the wool becomes hard.  Squirting saline  will not set off a nose bleed as the syringe is directed at just the entry to the nostril to dampen the now-hardened Kaltostat.  It hardens because the blood reacts with the ingredients in the 'wool'.  This gently softens the Kaltostat and it can be safely removed. Just search this on GOOGLE everyone then you may all believe me that it works.  It is not a gimmick or a crazy idea involving nasal surgery.

[Matt]

I was going to ask if that would mean that your nose is effectively blocked, making it harder to breath, but thinking about it, with blood from nosebleeds drying there usually, I guess it wouldn't be much of a change

[kathy]

I GIVE UP.....PEOPLE ON THIS SITE ARE SO NARROW MINDED....IT FRUSTRATES THE **** OUT OF ME

[Matt]

I guess I was probably a bit over-dramatic when I said I shoved tissue up my nose, what I actually do it just hold it up to my nostril(s).

[Angibelle]

HI, this product sounds great!!! Will try to get some. Have 3 people in my household with HHT and am happy to try ANYTHING!!!

[kathy]

YAY Finally a positive reply !    Despite my dear mother's FREQUENT visits to an Ear Nose Throat Specialist....(I refuse to see one)....HE NEVER ONCE offered her this or a similar product to stop her horrendous bleeding.  It looks like the *******s enjoy getting richer from the suffering of others.   If this product was offered by a doctor or specialist or even a pharmacist worth his salt he would know that a wound dressing designed for nosebleeds existed for years and make the appropriate arrangements for self-help home treatment.  I am still distressed by the images of my mother bleeding in every room of the house and not being able to stop it.  If I had not discovered this product by accident, I dread to think how we would cope with the disabling nosebleeds we still suffer with....They are far easier to deal with now.  Good luck everybody...you have nothing to lose but more blood.

[David Matzdorf]

I dug this topic out of the dim and distant past because I also use Kaltostat (I get it on prescription from the NHS). Its haemostatic action definitely works and it's a lot better than using a plug of tissue, because it forms a moist, lubricated surface that makes it easy to remove from the nose without traumatising the telangiectasis that was bleeding.

When I have a moderate nosebleed, it's ideal. A mild bleed can be staunched with tissue (Kaltostat seems too expensive to waste, even if I'm not paying for it myself) and a severe bleed will soak through the Kaltostat in minutes. I get a lot of nuisance-nosebleeds, not involving significant blood-loss, but long enough and severe enough to force me to stop whatever work or play I had been engaged in. Kaltostat works for those, as it does for night bleeds.

Its other small advantage is that you can actually breathe through it a bit, unlike tissue.

Good stuff. Ask your doctor to give you a recurring prescription. Whenever I get close to running out, I drop off the form at the medical centre and collect the renewed prescription the next day.

Finding a pharmacy who will stock it is a different problem. Because it's expensive and it has a limited shelf-life, they don't want to buy a large box for one patient. It took me about 4 pharmacies before I found one who would stock the stuff.