From sudden nosebleed after injury to persisting cough – Dr Jeff answers your health questions
DR JEFF FOSTER is The Sun on Sunday’s new resident doctor and is here to help YOU.
Dr Jeff, 43, splits his time between working as a GP in Leamington Spa, Warks, and running his clinic, H3 Health, which is the first of its kind in the UK to look at hormonal issues for both men and women.
See h3health.co.uk and email at drjeff@the-sun.co.uk.
Q: I CLASHED heads playing football four weeks ago.
His head hit my nose which immediately bled but doesn’t look broken.
My nose keeps suddenly bleeding. If I blow it, it bleeds and feels blocked
Will this heal by itself or do I need to see my doctor?
Liam Smith, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
A: Nasal injuries are very painful due to the location of the nose and because of the way it’s structured.
Initially it can be difficult to tell if a nose is broken as you can’t X-ray cartilage, so nasal fractures need to be diagnosed clinically.
The nose is very vascular so often bleeds when hit but I advise going to A&E if you suffer nasal trauma and it causes significant bleeding that does not stop, causes an open or penetrating injury, has significant deformity, or you can’t breathe properly.
This last point is important as, rarely, trauma to the nose can cause a nasal septal haematoma.
This is a swelling that occurs in one nostril due to disruption of the blood vessel that lines the septum and damages the blood flow to the cartilage or tip of your nose causing long-term complications.
Most fractures heal by six weeks, if you still have some blood now and it feels blocked, ask your doctor to check it.
Q: I’M 43 and have had a cough for four weeks, it started with a cold but hasn’t gone.
At night I’m coughing in bed and in the morning I’m coughing up mucus and blowing my nose.
I eat well, I’m active and take vitamins. Any suggestions on anything else I can do please?
Jayne Varrier, Oxford
A: At 43, if you have a chesty cough but are otherwise well, with no significant past medical history or underlying lung condition, and you do not smoke, then four weeks to clear up a viral infection is not unreasonable.
There is an idea that if a cough lasts more than two weeks we have to get it checked, but it’s more about the other symptoms you have that could be stopping your cough from improving.
In your case it’s the mucus production in the nose that is causing your cough.
Each night when you lie down the mucus trickles down your throat and goes into your upper airways, you then spend the first few hours of the day coughing it up again.
Focus on trying to stop the nose producing mucus, by rest, eating well, avoiding stress and allowing your body to heal and recover.
Visit a pharmacist to see which medicines can help.
If your cough persists despite your cold clearing up, then see your doctor.