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What should I do (if anything)?


Janie Grace
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I just hit my head very hard. I was leaning down to get a cutting board out of a cabinet and then stood up and turned quickly to grab a plate of raw chicken. The microwave door (stainless steel) was open and I whacked the side of my head into it. I squarely hit my temple. I immediately sat down, I was reeling. The pain was extraordinary; I couldn't open my eyes... just sort of crouched on the floor for a few minutes... got up, stumbled to freezer for ice pack... applied ice...

 

It has been about 20 minutes. Took some Advil and have put ice pack back on because it hurts so badly. I can't really function... I should lie down, maybe? Can you get a concussion from hitting your head this way? Anything to worry about or just take it easy? I feel like a baby but dang does my head hurt... there is a lump emerging on my brow bone and I almost feel like I can't see straight. Thoughts?

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Call your doctor and ask.

 

If it had only hurt for a few minutes, I wouldn't be at all concerned, but I have done similar things and have never had that level of pain after 20 minutes, so I'm worried about you. I'm sure it's nothing serious, but I think you should definitely let your doctor know what happened, just to be safe. I know it really hurts to get whacked in the temple, so I'm hoping that this is nothing more than that. Are you dizzy or disoriented? Is your vision OK?

 

Is there anyone at home with you to help you if you need it? If you are alone, call 911 right away. Always err on the safe side. Don't lie down and rest and hope it gets better. You need to remain alert -- and if you're not alert... 911. NOW.

 

:grouphug:

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I agree. The not feeling like you can function or totally see straight concerns me.

 

Same here. I keep thinking about this, and I know I have whacked my head on cabinets (OK, and other stuff, too) and have never still felt like I couldn't function 20 minutes afterward. And if I couldn't see straight, it was only for a matter of seconds.

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Any more updates?

 

Personally, I'm hoping your next update will be that you went to the ER, they ran the appropriate tests and found absolutely nothing wrong, and you're back at home feeling much better.

 

I'm with Jean, Heather, and Tibbie -- that nurse sounds like an idiot. You're showing symptoms of a concussion and she's telling you to wait it out??? That's horrible advice!!!!!!! You need to be at the hospital!!!

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Even if she does have a concussion, what is going to the er going to do for her? She will be sent home and told to take it easy. By the way, not sleeping due to a concussion is old school. You are supposed to sleep now so your brain can heal.

 

I'm sorry, but I disagree.

 

If she has a serious concussion, she would be admitted to the hospital. In our area, she would be admitted for a minor concussion. I hope this is nothing serious, but she might need medication or she could even need emergency surgery. People can DIE from head injuries.

 

This can be serious stuff -- remember Natasha Richardson?

 

I would never be as casual as you are being about a head injury that is causing dizziness and other symptoms.

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I hit my head a few weeks ago very hard by standing up under woodwork. I tried to wait it out and was still in pain dizzy and nauseated the next day. I went into the ER for a scan and had a small bleed. They scolded me for not coming in during the first few hours. Do not mess around with head injuries. It's worth the ER copay if you have concussion symptoms.

 

I was nauseated for a good week and a half after that.

 

Please go get checked out.

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She could have a CT scan. She could have an actual doctor look at her eyes and evaluate her symptoms. People with concussions act screwy sometimes, even if they sound somewhat sensible, and a doctor would be able to interpret that.

 

They don't just guess at head injuries down at the hospital. They have diagnostic tools and educated, experienced physicians.

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I hit my head a few weeks ago very hard by standing up under woodwork. I tried to wait it out and was still in pain dizzy and nauseated the next day. I went into the ER for a scan and had a small bleed. They scolded me for not coming in during the first few hours. Do not mess around with head injuries. It's worth the ER copay if you have concussion symptoms.

 

I was nauseated for a good week and a half after that.

 

Please go get checked out.

 

I'm glad you're finally feeling better, but it must have been so scary to hear that you had the small bleed. Because they can say it's small or tiny or even that it's miniscule, but when the words "bleed" and "brain" are used in the same sentence, it's hard not to panic! :grouphug:

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She could have a CT scan. She could have an actual doctor look at her eyes and evaluate her symptoms. People with concussions act screwy sometimes, even if they sound somewhat sensible, and a doctor would be able to interpret that.

 

They don't just guess at head injuries down at the hospital. They have diagnostic tools and educated, experienced physicians.

 

:iagree:

 

There's certainly no harm in getting checked out even if it turns out to be nothing, but there is potentially huge harm in not getting checked out.

 

 

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Your hospital sure treats concussions differently than mine. We are pretty familar with concussions due to sports and have been in the er and been through mri's. Even some boys with pretty severe concussions where they were out of school for months were never admitted to the hospital.

 

Wow -- I think I like my hospitals better than I like yours! ;)

 

Head injuries scare me. I'm pretty brave about a lot of things, but not concussions!

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I hit my head a few weeks ago very hard by standing up under woodwork. I tried to wait it out and was still in pain dizzy and nauseated the next day. I went into the ER for a scan and had a small bleed. They scolded me for not coming in during the first few hours. Do not mess around with head injuries. It's worth the ER copay if you have concussion symptoms.

 

I was nauseated for a good week and a half after that.

 

Please go get checked out.

 

 

Now I really don't know what to do. The nurse acted like I was silly to have even called. She said, "It's not a big deal, Honey" in the midst of the instructions (which drives me crazy; being called Honey like I'm 6 years old). She had talked to the doctor directly and this was HIS feedback. So I feel pretty stupid asking dh to take me to the ER. I'm still in bed with a wicked headache. Eating cheese and crackers and keeping them down so far.

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Now I really don't know what to do. The nurse acted like I was silly to have even called. She said, "It's not a big deal, Honey" in the midst of the instructions (which drives me crazy; being called Honey like I'm 6 years old). She had talked to the doctor directly and this was HIS feedback. So I feel pretty stupid asking dh to take me to the ER. I'm still in bed with a wicked headache. Eating cheese and crackers and keeping them down so far.

 

 

When she ended the call did she forget to tell you that if you are worried, to go to the ER?

 

 

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We get sent home for concussions here, too, with good instructions. But at least it's customary to be diagnosed first in case it's something more.

 

Janie Grace, this will be my last post because now I am officially bossing you around and I don't even know you. I apologize for saying it one more time, but then I'll shut up:

 

A blow squarely to the temple resulting in 20 minutes of extreme pain, disorientation, nausea, and visual disturbances, unable to function, followed by HOURS of continued pain and confusion.That's what happened to you.You are coming up on nighttime and you are going to want to sleep. Your DH will be back to work in the morning and you are responsible for children. Go to the ER.

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Now I really don't know what to do. The nurse acted like I was silly to have even called. She said, "It's not a big deal, Honey" in the midst of the instructions (which drives me crazy; being called Honey like I'm 6 years old). She had talked to the doctor directly and this was HIS feedback. So I feel pretty stupid asking dh to take me to the ER. I'm still in bed with a wicked headache. Eating cheese and crackers and keeping them down so far.

 

 

If you're in bed with nausea and a bad headache this long after hitting your head, you need to go to the ER.

 

NOW!!!!!!!!!

 

You're exhibiting classic concussion symptoms, and you need a scan to find out if there is any swelling or bleeding in your brain. PLEASE don't wait any longer to go -- things can turn very scary within minutes if something goes wrong, and it can all be prevented if you just go to the hospital now.

 

I don't meant to scare you, but I'm getting more and more worried about you.

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Now I really don't know what to do. The nurse acted like I was silly to have even called. She said, "It's not a big deal, Honey" in the midst of the instructions (which drives me crazy; being called Honey like I'm 6 years old). She had talked to the doctor directly and this was HIS feedback. So I feel pretty stupid asking dh to take me to the ER. I'm still in bed with a wicked headache. Eating cheese and crackers and keeping them down so far.

 

 

The problem is that you (and they) don't know. It could be a concussion where the only recommendation is to do what you are doing. I've had a concussion before and it does give you a wicked headache :grouphug: It could also be something more and that is what the ER would assess. BTW - my dh is an RN and he would take me in.

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If is still hurts, go in and ask for a cat scan. Take your dh and have him be your advocate. Potential head injuries should not be taken lightly. Even if it's a mild concussion, you really do need to be sure it's nothing more.

 

Dh had a concussion, cleared cat scan, but had issues for days afterward. To clear up any confusion you really need to make sure you don't have any internal issues. They didn't admit him.

 

Also we were told not to give dh Advil, but he could take Tylenol.

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OK, the consensus is clear.

 

We have all chimed in on this, and the decision is made. You don't even have to think about it. Just do what we say. The hive rules.

 

Conclusion #1: The nurse was a complete moron.

 

Conclusion #2: Stop reading this immediately; go straight to the emergency room, and get a CT scan.

 

Hint: If your emergency room is generally very busy, call 911 and let the ambulance take you to the hospital. They will see you immediately and you won't need to wait in a waiting room

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If it's truly just a concussion, there isn't much you can do except to rest until you feel better. The thing is, with a head injury, you don't KNOW if it's just a concussion or if you were banged so hard that it caused a bleed, which can cause actual damage to the brain. Most likely it is just a concussion, and the pain from that can last for quite awhile.

 

The reason they tell you not to sleep is because until you know exactly what it is, then sleep will mask the symptoms. Sure, if it's a concussion, then sleep is helpful -- it rests your brain so it can heal. But if it's more than that, it won't be obvious once you're sleeping.

 

Again, it's probably a concussion, but I don't take any chances any more with head injuries. My husband slept right through his stroke, so we never even knew about it until he woke up the next morning. My daughter had a concussion last year which caused her vision to be blurry for about two days, but she was fine. (I did take her into the ER.)

 

If your pain is still intense and you are now nauseated, I think that warrants a visit to the ER just to be cautious! Just tell them we told you to do it!

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I recommend going to the ER as well. My 4yr ds old fell out of his stroller right before Christmas and we took him to the hospital. The Ed doctor said that usually they would just send him home but because of his other health issues they did a cat scan (mainly to show me that he was fine). An hour later the doctor came in and said they were transferring ds to Duke and he was going to be admitted to the PICU because he had a 10mm brain bleed. Ds spent 3 days in the hospital and we have been going back every 2 weeks for them to scan and make sure the bleed is resolving. Had it grown between the first scan and the second one 6hrs later he would have had to do surgery immediatly. Luck for us it didn't change size. We have a scan coming up this week to decide if they need to do surgery to help resolve the problem.

 

Moral of my story is that sometimes with head injuries its better to be safe than sorry.

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See a doctor. If that necessitates ER or Urgent Care, do it. You may end up with nothing more than a lump and an all-clear, but the symptoms you have described are serious stuff with a blow to the head.

 

Concussions are more than just a bump. They are a brain injury. I work really hard to stay away from ERs, but if you were here, I would have you in the car already.

 

Please take care, and be well.

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I hope Janie Grace is OK -- hopefully she's at the hospital finding out that she is fine and that we were all paranoid lunatics (because I would rather be wrong than right in this situation, and I'm praying this is nothing serious.)

 

If anyone hears anything from her, please post! I'm worried.

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This is a very scary thread. I also hope that Janie Grace is ok and went to the ER. When my son was around 2 he hit his head quite hard on the concrete. He was dizzy (walking like a drunk sailor) and crying very weakly. I took him inside and I sat on the floor to hold him. The minute he changed from standing to sitting he started screaming inconsolably and then he projectile vomited. I took him to the ER and by that time he was happy again but they did NOTHING. I was so upset. When we returned home he began throwing up again but the doc just said to wake him every few hours. Now it seems that things in our area have changed and other children I know who have had a concussion are treated completely differently. They are given very specific instructions on how to heal the brain. One child I know was actually hospitalized for several days. It seems that some hospitals/areas are more progressive in their treatment of concussions than others. That is unnerving.

 

Hope to hear an update soon!

 

God Bless,

 

Elise in NC

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Sorry, friends -- I'm here. Thanks for all the care and concern. I talked to my doctor last night (after hours) plus a friend who is an ER doc. They both said the same thing. Based on the kind of trauma and the fact that I'm otherwise healthy, no need for an ER trip (unless things took a dramatic turn). My headache slowly improved and I was able to sleep fine. Dh woke me up (as per the doctor) in the middle of the night to check on me. I have an "egg" and it is very tender to the touch, but I feel normal today. Thanks again for all of your input and concern. You guys are the best! :grouphug:

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