Possible Nose fracture

Dear Ask The Doctor: I tripped and fell face-first into the arm of my couch the other night. My nose swelled up and started bleeding profusely for about ten minutes. It also felt "crunchy". I put ice on it and by then it had stopped bleeding, so I put off going to the ER and saw a general practitioner the next morning. They did an X-ray and didn't find anything but thought it may or may not still be broken (or the cartilage could be damaged) because of the swelling and severe pain. They told me to put ice on it and take pain medications for a few days until the pain goes away. Do I need to follow up with a specialist (like an ENT) in a few days? How long will it take to heal?

Dear Beth: Fractures of the nose often dont require any further treatment than that which your doctor has recommended. Rarely do they require surgery unless there is some deformity or nasal obstruction. I suggest continuing with the ice therapy and painkillers for now.