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Calling Dr. Hive Concussion


Murmer
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UPDATED: Saw the ped they agree she has a concussion.  Total brain rest for a couple days then add in things as tolerated.

 

Last night we suspect my child fell down a snowbank...her daddy was with her but didn't see her fall.  When he turned she was unconscious...but she came to when he shook her (he didn't know what happened).  As they walked to the house she didn't remember falling (thus why we are not certain that she fell because no one saw and she doesn't remember) or what had happened in the last 2ish hours.  As soon as they got home she said she was dizzy, and her eyes became really unfocused and started spinning.  My husband grabbed her and off they went to ER.  By the time they arrived at the ER she was not talking to anyone and barely acknowledging my husband.  They rushed her back and things got crazy...they did CT scan and X-rays...she couldn't remember who daddy was or her brother's name.  But 2 hours later when the neurologist came she was bouncing back, starting to interact and able to answer the questions they asked.  They discharged her as perfectly normal and with no problems...no restrictions and no acknowledgement that she may have had a concussion or a seizure which they suspected due to memory loss.  So everything I read on the internet says dd should rest and other things including sports...but the Drs. didn't say she had a concussion and said she could do whatever she wanted like normal.  Should I call her regular Dr tomorrow and ????  Do I just treat her like she did have a concussion?  How do I explain to her sports that she can't participate due to concussion with  no concussion diagnosis (and no note from the Dr.)  Any thoughts from BTDT?

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I would be going to my regular dr.  Essentially, the ER said  "Well, she's better now so she can go home but we have no idea why"  No one saw her fall, she doesn't remember falling,  why is anyone assuming the unconsciousness/delirium was caused by a fall?  Was there a bruise on her head?

 

When ds had a concussion (and he knew what it was from), it continued to worsen for 24 hours or so, then took several weeks to fully recover.  There was no miraculous recovery after 2 hours.  

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I would be going to my regular dr. Essentially, the ER said "Well, she's better now so she can go home but we have no idea why" No one saw her fall, she doesn't remember falling, why is anyone assuming the unconsciousness/delirium was caused by a fall? Was there a bruise on her head?

 

When ds had a concussion (and he knew what it was from), it continued to worsen for 24 hours or so, then took several weeks to fully recover. There was no miraculous recovery after 2 hours.

I agree. When my son had a concussion, he, too, grew worse over time and took a week or so to completely recover. There was also no miraculous 2 hour later recovery.

 

And no one asked to see a note from the doctor. We told his soccer coach, the school, and no one questioned us at all. He missed a week of school.

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It does sound more like a seizure to me, but I would explain exactly what happened to her sports directors. "She's been having episodes of dizziness and unconsciousness and memory loss. We're trying to find out what's going on, and until we get some answers, we're having her rest and watching her carefully." If that's not good enough for a coach or sports director, then I don't want my kid on that team anyway. If I read your sig correctly, your DD is 7? At that age, there's no sports participation that's so important I would consider sending her before I had some resolution to this.

 

And yes, I would call your regular doctor immediately in the morning and start chasing down answers. This is a potentially serious thing that's happening here. 

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 No one saw her fall, she doesn't remember falling,  why is anyone assuming the unconsciousness/delirium was caused by a fall?  Was there a bruise on her head?

 

She said her shoulder hurt and there is a bump/scratch just behind her ear...she ended up on the opposite side of the snow bank from where dh was gathering all the winter play gear which is why he didn't see it.  But that is why the Drs. also thought there could have been a seizure which can cause memory loss...but they didn't say it was that either...basically they said she's fine.  What should I look out for today, since I can't call her Dr. until tomorrow.

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I think she should have complete brain rest today -- no running around, no screen time, no serious thinking -- until you can get her to a doctor and see what is going on. Watch her very closely for any kind of concussion symptoms even if they seem mild.

 

Is there a better hospital near you that would order a CT scan? I am shocked that they didn't do one when you were at the ER.

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She said her shoulder hurt and there is a bump/scratch just behind her ear...she ended up on the opposite side of the snow bank from where dh was gathering all the winter play gear which is why he didn't see it.  But that is why the Drs. also thought there could have been a seizure which can cause memory loss...but they didn't say it was that either...basically they said she's fine.  What should I look out for today, since I can't call her Dr. until tomorrow.

 

I would call your ped's office, leave a message with their service, and when they call you back, ask them that question. This way they also know to expect you tomorrow. 

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I think she should have complete brain rest today -- no running around, no screen time, no serious thinking -- until you can get her to a doctor and see what is going on. Watch her very closely for any kind of concussion symptoms even if they seem mild.

 

Is there a better hospital near you that would order a CT scan? I am shocked that they didn't do one when you were at the ER.

 

She did say they did a CT and x-rays.

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There was also no miraculous 2 hour later recovery.

 

She still had confusion and still couldn't remember the 2ish hours and fall, 2 hours later but she was perkier and actually talking which was way way better than when she showed up and not responding to anything people where saying to her.  Although over the course of today she is clearing up more and isn't still complaining of a headache.  Perhaps it is not as bad as the symptoms appeared when it first happened with the confusion/unresponsiveness/spinning eyes.

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Is there a better hospital near you that would order a CT scan? I am shocked that they didn't do one when you were at the ER.

 

Yes they did do a CT scan and it came back normal according to my husband...they also did a bunch of blood stuff and supposedly that was normal...I guess the Dr didn't really say a lot to my husband about what could be and gave him no discharge paperwork :( (this part is probably what bothers me the most because trusting another human to relay all the dr.'s info without it written down is really hard, things get forgotten or seem less important)

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Sounds exactly like my dd who did have a concussion.  She was in a sitting position and fell back onto grass.  Suddenly lost memory of where we were, how we got there, etc.  Within an hour or so she seemed fine.  Just based on that doc said it was a concussion, they did a baseline test, and she was off all activities, reading, screens for a minimum of two weeks.  Sounds like a concussion but could be something else.  Either way, I'd restrict activities just to be safe until you can see her regular doc.  Hope everything is okay.

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This is odd.  Call the ER and chase down the paperwork.  You may need it for insurance, at the very least, and all the test results for her ped.

 

Didn't dh have to sign a release?

 

All dd's Dr are attached to the hospital...I believe everything it attached in their system so I don't think releases had to be signed...but no discharge paperwork may mean nothing in the computer from this trip either :(....I have checked her online records for test results ect...and there is NOTHING there either other than it says she saw the ER doc last night...I don't think they have paperwork :(  Again by the time she left they said she was fine, nothing was wrong with her.

 

I have already made her stay home from church today because I didn't feel like it was  good for a kid who had been in the ER last night to go out in public the very next day...I will keep her home from everything tomorrow and call her ped at 8 am.

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Yes they did do a CT scan and it came back normal according to my husband...they also did a bunch of blood stuff and supposedly that was normal...I guess the Dr didn't really say a lot to my husband about what could be and gave him no discharge paperwork :( (this part is probably what bothers me the most because trusting another human to relay all the dr.'s info without it written down is really hard, things get forgotten or seem less important)

Thanks -- I'm sorry I missed that in your original post! :blush:

 

It seems so odd that based on your dd's symptoms, the doctor didn't recommend that she rest until you can see your regular doctor and figure out what is going on. It would seem to be such a sensible precaution to take.

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It could definitely be a seizure. She could have seized and fell, injuring herself as she fell.

 

Not knowing who people (even parents and siblings) are, acting spacey, memory loss, etc...all typical post-seizure (post-ictal) behavior.

 

I'd want a follow-up with your pediatrician and an EEG.

 

No baths or showers alone until she's cleared. I'd also avoid situations that would be dangerous if she had a seizure while doing it (trampoline, rock or ropes climbing, etc)

 

:grouphug:

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I would lean more towards the seizure thing, esp. the not knowing and slowly recovering, esp, if she doesn't have a headache, etc.

 

Either way, I would have her rest and call the doctor in the morning.  I am surprised they didnt' do an EEG or at least refer to a neurologist.

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My son recently had a concussion, and he did not recover quickly as your child did.  In your shoes, I would make an appointment with the pediatrician tomorrow and get a follow up with a peds neurologist.  I would want an EEG.  The CT scan really just rules out serious head injury like skull fractures.  It is a crude elimination tool but not too helpful with the diagnostic piece otherwise.  My son with a concussion had a clear CT scan.  The ER was completely unhelpful with his aftercare, as well.  I had to do my own research and follow up with his primary doctor.

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My son did not remember the fall or post fall after his concussion. He also lost consciousness. But he had other symptoms--headache, vomiting, eyesight issues, balance and speech changes, etc. that fit a concussion. He did perk up later in the evening the day of his injury, though he was still clearly post-concussion and with a headache. He never forgot who people were, but was extremely confused and mentally "slowed down" throughout.

 

I don't see failure to remember a fall after losing consciousness as inconsistent with concussion, but I do find it odd she never had a headache. I would want to see a doctor tomorrow.

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All dd's Dr are attached to the hospital...I believe everything it attached in their system so I don't think releases had to be signed...but no discharge paperwork may mean nothing in the computer from this trip either :(....I have checked her online records for test results ect...and there is NOTHING there either other than it says she saw the ER doc last night...I don't think they have paperwork :(  Again by the time she left they said she was fine, nothing was wrong with her.

 

I have already made her stay home from church today because I didn't feel like it was  good for a kid who had been in the ER last night to go out in public the very next day...I will keep her home from everything tomorrow and call her ped at 8 am.

 

I've never left an appointment at a walk-in clinic or ER without discharge paperwork, so that is definitely odd. You might check and see if there's an appointment summary online.

 

My experience has been that test results don't usually show up the same day on the patient online access, but that doesn't mean the doctors can't see it. At the hospital where we've had significant appointments, test results usually don't appear until at least after midnight Friday of the week the appointment occurred. Sometimes it takes longer for results, or for the test to be read, and in that case a mention of the fact the test was ordered/sample received is listed.

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A very similar thing happened to my ds earlier this year. He was at a bounce house place and I found him sleeping on the floor. I was able to rouse him and he remembered nothing and didn't know why he was on the floor. He later started throwing up. He was diagnosed with a concussion at the ER but in hindsight I don't know that he had one. He did complain of a headache but he seemed to bounce back pretty quickly and there was only a small bump on his head. I don't know what happened and I havent yet followed up with his dr. He seems fine now. It was pretty scary and I wish I knew what happened.

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SHe can have a concussion that seems to be better in  a few hours.  MIne did for a bit though I knew I was off somehow.  I couldn't quite get myself understood.  ALso about 20% of concussions do not have a headache as part of the problem.  I didn;t have that nor nausea but I had lots of the other symptoms including confusion, amnesia, visual problems, hearing problems, etc, etc.

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Update:

I have an appt with her ped for this afternoon to determine if it was a concussion...also have a call into the neurologist but they usually take 24 hours to get back to us (Neuro is also the autism guy)...she does have high functioning autism so she does have some unique pain issues (sometimes she over reacts to pain sometimes she under reacts)...One odd thing is that since she was 4 she has exclusively worn boy clothes...today she put on a skirt and a sweater that says princess...its odd not sure if it is related (personality change) or just an odd coincidence.  Thanks for the help!  

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UPDATE:

Ped agrees it was a concussion.  We have dr note for rec sports (so we can get our money back for missing the rest of the classes).  She is now asleep and we are on brain rest for a few days then add things as tolerated with lots of sleep.  Thanks for the help!!  We are also following up with Neuro just to make sure there was not also seizure activity too but he is not in until tomorrow and we may not get in to see him until next week.

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