If your 13 year old fell off his bike, while apparently going really fast,

[Changenow]

and got a one inch knot on his head, scraped the side of his face, and was banged up everywhere, would you take him to the ER? Suppose he says he was just "really hyper" after the accident, but not knocked out, and he has mellowed considerably in the hour since and seems more coherent than usual? So coherent in fact, that he swears that he will wear a helmet every time he bikes from now on!?!

[Gryffindor_Bookworm]

1. Not sure if you're kidding about "more coherent"

than usual. If you mean he seems markedly different from his usual self, then yeah, I would take him in.

Actually, and this is terribly sad, but it's the truth -- if I had insurance, I would take him in either way. If I didn't, I would take him in if I suspected a concussion but probably not otherwise.

What a sad country we live in that such a thing is even a consideration. But it is. :-(

[asjr]

2. Have him lie down for a while. If you are concerned

call the doctor. Chances are he will be okay. But he may have a concussion. Don't want to alarm you but be on the safe side. Thirteen year-olds will always try to do more than the speed limit. I did the same thing at thirteen and fell on a dirt and gravel road. I was scraped pretty badly and it hurt, but I was more embarrassed and I knew neighbors were looking.

[yardwork]

3. I'm not a clinician, just a parent, so take it with a grain of salt

but I would probably just watch him carefully and skip the ER. If he is bleeding from his ears, starts to seem drowsy or spacy, or if his pupils look odd - definitely take him right away!

The hyperactivity could be a result of adrenaline from the crash.

On the other hand, there is nothing like a trip to the ER to reinforce the idea that he should absolutely wear his helmet everytime he rides his bike, skates, scooter, or anything else on wheels.

[flamingyouth]

4. I would

But I am overly paranoid about such things, especially involving kids. Good luck!:hi:

[kikiek]

5. I would watch him for signs of a concussion.

http://mdmd.essortment.com/concussionwhat_rsym.htm

[k in IA]

6. Does his Dr have a number to call after hours where you can tell them the

details and they will tell you what to look for and whether or not to go see a Dr?

Sometimes, you just call the regular Dr phone number and they tell you the number to call or they take a message and call you back.

[Changenow]

10. Calling the doctor would inevitably lead to instructions to

take him to the ER, in fact they could just save themselves the time of actually answering the calls with that instruction.

Thanks anyway.

[jukes]

7. Changenow

ck his eyes; if the pupils are not the same size, he's concussed. get him to ER. o'wise, no worries.

[MuseRider]

8. Call the ER

and get the signs you should watch for. If I can remember from my old ER days they would be

nausea
confusion
headache
not being able to wake him up

We always recommended that parents try to wake their kids every two hours the night after the accident to make certain they were able to wake.

[1monster]

9. Have him close his eyes for about thirty seconds and then open them

toward the source of light in the room. Watch his pupils carefully. If one pupil is noticibly larger than the other, or if they don't react to the light, take him to the emergency room STAT! If he starts to vomit, do the same.

Otherwise, have him relax, and if he wants, sleep. You should wake him every hour or so and ask him who he is, what day it is, who is the pResident, etc. If he is coherent, don't worry, but to continue to be viligent. If he seems confused or can't answer, you should take him to the ER.

[Changenow]

11. Funny, I asked him who the president was and his answer was it depends,

do you mean who won the election? He is still here in that respect.

Thanks.

[yardwork]

12. He sounds fine to me!

LOL

[Changenow]

13. He passed the 30 second test.

I'll wake him every few hours and ask him a question which has a clear answer.

He is supposed to leave for camp at 6:30am, I have no idea what to do about that.

Parenting is hard.

[mikehiggins]

14. take him to the hospital

You should at least get his head x-rayed.

You don't want to find out he's hurt when it's already too late.

[Cuban_Liberal]

15. That 'goose egg' is worrisome.

I'd probably take him to the ER, if he were my kid...

[Crunchy Frog]

16. With a 1 inch knot on his head

I think I would play it safe and get it looked at. He's probably OK, but it is possible that he has a more serious head injury.

Hope you will go ahead and take him in, and hopefully he is OK.

[TrogL]

17. Have him follow a finger with his eyes

Don't get closer than 12 inches.

If they don't track properly or wander off, take him in.

Hell, I'd say take him in anyway.