zenmama

What started as an idyllic family getaway to historic Malacca quickly turned into a medical emergency I never anticipated. Our planned two-night holiday with my parents, siblings, and my own little family was cut short when I experienced four severe nosebleeds in less than twelve hours. The fourth episode left us with no choice but to seek medical help in an unfamiliar country. With my extended family exploring Jonkers Street and my husband unwilling to let me go alone, our toddler accompanied us to what we thought would be a brief doctor’s visit. Instead, we found ourselves in the emergency department of Pantai Hospital, with a frightened child witnessing his mother in distress. This is the story of how a post-surgical complication turned our family vacation into an unexpected nightmare—and revealed the strength of family bonds when we needed them most.

A minor surgery one month before the holiday

I underwent a minor surgery to reduce the size of my turbinates, which were very swollen and obstructed the air flow in my nose. According to Google, turbinates are bony structures inside the nasal cavity, covered with soft tissue, and play a crucial role in warming, humidifying, and filtering air as it passes through the nose. Swollen turbinates can be caused by colds, allergies, hormonal changes, or environmental irritants like smoke or pollutants. Animal fur can also cause turbinates to swell. 

The surgery went well, and recovery was smooth. I was given the green light to travel with my family. Having the surgery done after many years of blocked nose was literally a breath of fresh air! I felt so relieved, and my nose felt so clear. I loved the change and I was glad that I did the surgery.

Happy holiday—or not?

We made the 6-hour drive from Singapore to Malacca with my parents, siblings, husband, and child. We had hired a driver to transport us to Malacca, back to Singapore, and around the city during our stay. The holiday started on a positive note with a smooth drive and a delectable meal at Baba Ang, which served Peranakan cuisine. However, as night fell, I noticed some blood when wiping my nose, but didn’t think too much about it, and slept soundly at 11pm.

I awoke abruptly at around 5am with warm liquid trickling down my nose. It was blood, and it was all over my hands, pillow, and bedsheet. I let out a squeak. I woke my husband, and he rushed to grab fistfulls of tissue paper for me. I panicked since I’ve never had a nosebleed in my life, let alone blood just oozing uncontrollably from my nose!

We knew the general idea of stopping a nosebleed was to sit up straight, and pinch my nose, which I did. The bleeding slowed forty minutes later, by then I felt really tired from being abruptly awoken and laid down to rest on my pillow. 

What followed as soon as my head hit the pillow was another round of blood heavily oozing from my nose! I startled my husband awake from his slumber once again with another squeak, which forced my kid to stir in his baby crib beside me. 

The last thing I wanted was to have my kid see my bloodied face and clothes, so I ran to the washroom to hide my distress and bloodied form from him. I was worried about traumatising him, and I wanted to shield him from anything that would taint his young mind. Thankfully, the bleeding stopped finally at 8am, where I decided I would wash up and meet my extended family for breakfast at the hotel’s lounge. Unfortunately, the moment I began brushing my teeth, another rush of blood gushed out of my nose!

It couldn’t wait. I had to call in reinforcements. We first called my parents in to help watch my child while my husband called the hotel’s front office to request for an in-house doctor, which they didn’t have. So we did a tele-consult with Dr. Anywhere, who recommended visiting an ER if the bleeding continued. I also made a call to the nose specialist, who did my surgery back at home, and suggested gurgling with ice cold water and pinching my nose to stop the bleeding—which it eventually did.

On a side note, after the staff at the hotel learnt of my nosebleed, they brought security alongside housekeeping to our room to deliver the bucket of ice. Through my discomfort, I was tickled by the fact that they were concerned my nose bled over a domestic fight or something. Dear staff at Marriott, thanks for the concern though!

A day in the hotel 

We finally made it down for breakfast with family just before the buffet closed. Collectively, the family and I decided that my husband, child, and I would stay in the hotel to rest after a trying morning, and join them for dinner and a walk through Jonkers Street. I was looking forward to visiting Jonkers Street!

The afternoon in the hotel was pretty fun and relaxing with my child spending an afternoon at the hotel’s pool which had a children’s water gym and pool! My child had so much fun running under the tiny fountains that to date, he requests to be taken swimming. As parents, we enjoyed watching him enjoy himself and giggling as he played with water. 

After the adventure at the swimming pool, we got ready and were changed to visit Jonkers Street when my nose bled, again.

This was where it got traumatic

Since my nose bled uncontrollably for the fourth time in under twelve hours, we decided that our visit to Jonkers Street had to wait, and a visit to the ER was more crucial. The initial plan was that my husband and child would remain in the hotel, while my little one had his dinner and I visited the ER alone. We didn’t want to disrupt my parents and siblings’ plans as they were exploring Jonkers Street already. But, my husband didn’t feel good about having me visit the ER alone, and had hoped that the visit wouldn’t take too long, so we decided to all go together. What we thought would be a quick visit to the doctor turned into hours of agony.

Upon arrival at the ER, my nose was still bleeding uncontrollably. The nurses gave me drips to clot my blood, but it wouldn’t stop. By then, I was bleeding both blood and blood clots and feeling light-headed. In the beginning, I tried to be brave for my child, and did my best to be calm around him. Then the specialist came in and without explanation, inserted a large plastic medical device called an Epistaxis Balloon Catheter into my nose. While it stopped the bleeding, the pain I felt in my nose was indescribable! I was so scared! It felt like my nose was breaking over and over again, and when I swallowed, a plastic thing was scraping my throat. Even after two rounds of painkillers, I still wouldn’t stop crying from the discomfort and pain. The nurses couldn’t discharge me.

My composure broke. My child, who witnessed my growing discomfort, cried alongside me protesting, “nose! Nose!” My husband was highly stressed and at his wit’s end—consoling both his wife and child in discomfort.

Thankfully, my parents and siblings arrived at the hospital. My siblings whisked my child away, where he finally calmed down, and fed. My husband could finally call the specialist back at home, where he suggested a Merocel nose pack instead, which was basically a nose tampon. Just before they changed out the catheter to the nose pack, the nurses gave me a third dose of painkillers and a round of relaxants, which helped. But the discomfort and pain from the bulky catheter was still present. After changing to the nose pack, I was finally free from the discomfort and pain, and discharged from the hospital.

My parents were worried for my health. That night, the whole family checked out from the hotel and our designated driver drove us back to Singapore, so that I could get checked by my specialist back at home in the morning. 

Aftermath and healing

You might be wondering, how is my child after the whole ordeal? Well, I don’t think he remembered exactly what happened, but he might have remembered that mummy had something unpleasant up her nose. He occasionally points at my nose, exclaiming, “nose, mummy nose.” I would respond, “yes, mummy’s nose. Where is your nose?”, and he’d happily point at his nose. So I suppose he has been generally okay. He has had no nightmares since my unfortunate visit to the ER and in decently happy spirits—eating and sleeping well.

According to the specialist, my case of post-surgery nosebleed is rare, with his last patient being nine years ago. The cause of the nosebleed was uncertain, but might have been caused by infection, probably from a flu bug that my child contracted from his preschool, and later passed to me. Plus, the air-conditioning in our room in the hotel might’ve caused the skin on the inside of my nose to dry and crack.

Two weeks after the trip to Malacca, I travelled once again with just my husband and child to Bangkok, where I made sure to place cups of water all around our room in the hotel to dehumidify our hotel room. My nose and skin didn’t feel as dry. So I guess it worked.

True superheroes in my story

Honestly, my extended family members didn’t have to check out from the hotel along with us. They could have stayed and explored the sights and sounds of Malacca more. But I was also grateful that they did. They wanted to know if their baby was well. Being a parent myself, I understand fully, albeit annoying, a child will always be a baby in their parent’s eyes. That’s how they see us since we were born. It’s how their love grew. And I’m eternally grateful that they are my parents even though we’ve had our troubles and differences growing up.

I was also really grateful to my siblings who cared for my little one while I was getting checked over by the nurses. If it weren’t for them, my little one could have been more traumatised by the experience.

We’re also grateful to our designated driver who really cared and ensured that we were safe at the hospital, and being a native, he looked after us, and translated our worries to the staff at the hospital. He also waited patiently at the hospital for us, and at some point, picked my extended family up from Jonkers Street and sent them to the hospital.

Lastly, I’m eternally grateful for the love and support of my significant other for holding the fort and fighting to go with me to the ER. If it weren’t for him, I would have been sent home with that painful catheter stuck up my nose, and probably in a worse state than I would have been.

It could have been a lot worse without them all. This experience has deepened my appreciation for travelling with extended family. What could have been a devastating ordeal became a story of support and resilience because we weren’t alone. While I still plan family vacations with the same excitement, I now understand that the true value of these trips isn’t just about the sights we see or the food we taste, it’s in the bonds that are tested and strengthened when things don’t go according to plan. Sometimes, it takes a nightmare to remind you of what truly matters: the people who refuse to leave your side when everything falls apart. 

* This is my personal experience on my unexpected visit to the ER while travelling *