Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Blood diseases an apnea anyone?

This is my first post and I'm already getting shivers down my spine! I too have broken my nose as a child...and a couple of times as an adult LOL. I too have had my now ex-fiance wake me up in the middle of the night saying "BREATH!!!!!" I went to a sleep clinic and they tried to sell me on this expensive breathing machine. I figured since I spend a lot of my time travelling and camping out in remote areas I'd better not let myself get used to this thing. Maybe there is one out there that runs on batteries.

The broken nose thing intrigues me and I wonder if anyone has been plagued with chronic bleeding noses. I gave up going to the hospital because repeated cotterizing doesn't help and I have to let it run it's course -sometimes several days at a time. I also wonder if AS has anything to do with making it easy to break your nose?

It is amazing how many similarities are associated with AS and it's nice to know that I'm not the only one going through this.

Ingy

Hi Ingy,

The CPAP machine that I just got is capable of running off 12 volt power too. We spend time in the summer camping as well as exhibiting in art shows around the state and needed something that would accomdate these events. So they do make them.

I just started using the machine and it has been a tough road until last night. I got a heated humidifier for it and it made a world of difference. They asked me if I had a history of nose bleeds, which I do not, but the reasoning for asking is if this is the case then the heated humidifier is better to use than not.

Bob

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Behold the beauty of Orca Art

Hi Ingy

Welcome to KickAS,

While we sometimes like to blame almost everything on our AS, breaking our noses seems to stretch credibility a bit. I broke my nose the first time when I was 4 years old and fell down two stairs. Broke my nose the second time at the age of 14 while boxing with a cousin who was 27. A year later, I experienced my first AS pains. I doubt that there is any connection.

Re the nose bleeds, I also had this problem at least once a day during my elementary school days and sometimes twice a day. The Doctor gave my mother a bunch of the silver nitrate swabs so Mom could cauterize it at home.

As the Doctor explained my bleeding, my blood vessels were to close to the surface and when I was too active, playing too rough or whenever the interior of my nose got too dry, the skin would crack and bleeding usually followed. So my Mom got the idea that it would be wise to keep the inside of my nose lubricated and every morning, I would get a layer of Vaseline spread inside my nose. It worked but only for about 4 or 5 hours so I started taking a small jar of Vaseline to school with me. Kids would tease me about opening a jar and stuffing the contents up my nose.

The nose bleeds dropped from 1 a day to about 1 every couple of weeks. At age of 18, the bleeding stopped completely.

George

Breb Assyl

Thanks for the reply George
My nosebleed stories are similar and one doctor in Toronto suggested I put Peroxide in my nose with a q-tip and it soved the problem but I would forget and pay for it. I don't have to apply it as often now I'm older but if I get hit on the nose it still bleeds pretty quick!
The connection may be Anemia, when I was about 12 or so my eyesite got really bad, I was wearing bifocals and sick almost every day. I would pass out for no apparent reason and I would always be off somewhere in my own world. They did all these tests and stuff thinking the problem was mental. They diagnosed me with ADD and sent me to a program at the local hospital in the afternoons. Nothing seemed to help though until 2 years later some smart Doctor decided to do a blood test, turns out I was extremely anemic and they gave me huge doses of Iron and ALL the problems went away, I haven't needed glasses to this day!

Well, I'm still off in my own little world mind you!

Ingy