Nose still leaking blood a week after my sinus surgery. Is this normal?

Question

I had my surgery a week ago and my right nostril is still leaking blood. It’s not pouring out it’s just constantly leaking lie I have a drip that won’t turn off. Is this normal? I do my rinses everyday and blood mucus comes out everytime

Matthew Bridges, MD, FACS · Answer

Depending on what your of surgery you had, it can be normal to have bloody drainage for a while after the procedure.  You should check with your doctor though.

Jack Zoumaras, MBBS, FRACS (Plast) · Answer

Epistaxis or nose bleeds after surgery can be common. It sounds like you have a slow discharge mixed with blood and mucus. If you had sinus and turbinate surgery this can be expected. The best thing to do is ask your surgeon,. As as surgeon you have intricate detail of operative anatomy and he/she may have a simple explanation.

Lesley A. Rabach, MD · Answer

Although it is normal to have drainage after this procedure, it is always best to return to your doctor who performed your surgery for the best answer. Your doctor knows your specific case and will determine if this is normal or abnormal.

Pedram Imani, FRACS, MS, MBBS (Hons) · Answer

Its quite normal to have this problem for up to 10-14 days after sinus, nose, and rhinoplasty surgery.  Try spraying decongestants in the nose (read the bottle for instructions and check with the operative surgeon), try warm salt water rinses and resting.  Also do not take anti-inflammatory pain medications as they cause constant oozing of blood post nose surgery.  Hope this is helpful.

Eric T. Carniol, MD · Answer

Dear Michelle, Congratulations on your surgery. Drainage from the nose during the first 2 weeks is to be expected. Just as a drop of food coloring will turn a whole cake red for example, you should expect that your nasal mucous will have a red tinge for even several weeks. Tinge, not frank bleeding. Keeping up with the nasal care is very important to allow for healthy healing. In follow up with your surgeon, he may wish to do a "debridement" in which some of the crusts inside the nose can be removed, improving the healing process.Sincerely, Eric T. Carniol, MD, @drericcarniol

Jesse E. Smith, MD, FACS · Answer

A small amount of bleeding off and on following sinus surgery is expected for 2-3 weeks. Continued use of nasal rinses to prevent accumulation of clots and drying out of the mucosa is important in your post operative recovery. If bleeding increases or becomes bright red in color, this warrants following up with your surgeon to make sure nothing more significant is going on.

Asaf Yalif, MD, FACS · Answer

It is not uncommon to have some bleeding on/off for about a week or two after sinus surgery. That being said a continuous leak should be addressed by your surgeon to make sure that is ok. Please contact them and see if they want to evaluate you in person. Best of luck!

Michael Elam, MD (retired) · Answer

I would suggest that you see your surgeon for a follow up examination so a proper diagnosis can be made. Best regards, Michael V. Elam, M.D.

Nose still leaking blood a week after my sinus surgery. Is this normal?

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