In this first week back at school, Juliette uttered those fateful words at the school gate on Friday that have all parents quaking in their boots : "The teacher wants a word with you, Mum" ! It turns out she wasn't in trouble and hadn't been bullied or failed some important test, she'd had a nosebleed.
Nothing major but it had me inwardly groaning because it probably means she's following in the family tradition. When I was a kid, up until about puberty, I would have several absolute gushers of a nosebleed (we're talking getting through whole packets of tissues and having huge clots come out) several times a week or even a day, if it was particularly hot. My dad had this too and Sophie also has them.
Sophie's school (which is now Juliette's school) used to absolutely freak about the quantity of blood and phone me to come and get her or to send the childminder to pick her up. In the last week of term, she was sent home on three separate afternoons which had me fuming because, once she's stopped bleeding - usually about half an hour - she's right as rain and could easily carry on in lessons, especially when I'm at work.
Just to be on the safe side (and to get the school off my back), I have consulted our GP a few times. He smiled and said "it appears to run in families - in our house, it's my son, my wife and my mother-in-law". He said the only "cure" is cauterising the nose - a word that strikes fear into Sophie, even if apparently they now do it with a laser ? - so we've left things as they are, especially as I remember from when I was a kid, I often had a headache and felt hot and the nosebleed seemed to act as some kind of pressure valve because I generally felt better afterwards. I'm crossing my fingers that Sophie will soon grow out of them (although it looks like Juliette will be following hot on her heels).
I was therefore over the moon when I was sent a press release about a new product called Nozohaem (couldn't they have come up with something more pronounceable ?!) that promises to stop nosebleeds instantly. The first reassuring fact that I learned is that recurring nosebleeds are suffered by about 4% of the total population and that 1 in 10 children experience frequent nosebleeds.
The manufacturers explain : "Traditionally, treatment of nosebleeds has either been to clamp the wings of the nose or insert a wad of cotton wool into the nostrils." (Both of which the school does with Sophie, as well as tipping the head back, all of which is a bad idea. Clamping the nose doesn't do anything except make it sore, especially if there's a wad of cotton wool up there, although pressing the bridge of the nose sometimes works because there's apparently a vein there that you can compress. Never ever tip your head back - you'll swallow all the blood which is disgusting, trust me on this one !) They continue : "Nozohaem is a unique gel treatment, combining a mix of glycine and calcium, both well known to have a positive impact on blood functionality. It is safe, simple and quick to administer and stops the bleeding in moments. Once the bleeding has stopped, the gel can be left in the nostril to clear it away naturally or it may be gently blown out into a tissue.
Nozohaem is suitable for children aged 7 years and above.
How to use Nozohaem
- Blow your nose well to remove any blood
- Blow your nose well to remove any blood
- Insert the tip of the Nozohaem tube into one nostril, about 1-1.5 cm, and start pressing the gel out of the tube. At the same time, hold the thumb and index finger on your other hand over the wing of your nose to fix the pipette in place
- Continue pressing the tube so that all the gel enters your nostril. If your nosebleed is not heavy, one tube is sufficient. If the nosebleed is heavy, one or two tubes may be needed
- Continue to apply the gel until the bleeding stops. Stop when the gel starts running down into your throat. Wipe off any gel that runs onto your upper lip
- The gel should be left in your nose for 30 minutes. Afterwards, you can blow it out carefully, if you so wish. If you do not blow out the gel, it will be transported backwards by the nasal cilia and you will then swallow it after a few hours
- If the bleeding does not stop after 30 minutes, you should consult a doctor
This should be in every first aid kit as an effective alternative to tissues and clamping your nose."
Now, I have had this in my bag all over the summer but, strangely, even in the severe heat of Tunisia, Sophie didn't have a single nosebleed (it's usually the heat that brings hers on, I think, which was also the case for me). I even took it out with us yesterday on our trip to Dennlys Park theme park but again, despite the excitement, nobody had a nosebleed, so I haven't had a chance to try it out.
I don't like the sound of the gel going down your throat because it will be mixed in with blood and I can remember how disgusting it was to be spitting up blood for hours after having a nosebleed, but if it works - and if it stops the kids being sent home from school ! - I'm definitely up for giving it a go. Sophie sometimes ends up with a really sore nose with grazes all over it from all the rubbing with tissues that are painful and unsightly (she's at that age where that really bothers her) so this should prevent that too.
Nozohaem is available at http://www.victoriahealth.com/ and http://www.oneclickpharmacy.co.uk/ with a RRP of £7.99
Disclosure : I received a box of Nozohaem in order to write an honest review ... but haven't had an opportunity to try it out yet so I'll share the information with you from the press release !
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