I just fell and hit my head pretty hard while I was walking.......

[tibbir]

Of course it was right in front of a lot of people, but they were very nice helping me out, even giving me a ride back to my house and calling my son at work so I wouldn't be by myself. I take back ally th cynical thoughts I've had about the human race lately.

I came down on my elbow but the forward motion caused my head to bounce pretty badly on the concrete. I got a goose-egg right at my eyebrow and another little cut over that (besides skinning up my elbow and knee).

Several of the people told me that I should go to the emergency room and get checked for a concussion. I didn't lose consciousness at all so I don't know what to do. I've talked to a close friend whose opinion is very valuable to me. She said she wouldn't go to the dr. unless I got symptoms of a concussion.

Can someone who has experience in this let me know what you think I should do? I don't want to ignore this if I should seek treatment but ont the other hand I don't want to sit in the emergency room all night for nothing.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

[flamingyouth]

1. Is anyone with you tonight?

I had a concussion as a kid and my parents were told to keep waking me up every so often during the night to make sure I still knew my name, address, etc.

If you're at all in doubt, or especially if you're alone, you really should see a doctor. Head injuries are nothing to mess around with. Take care of yourself; keep us posted. :hug:

[tibbir]

6. One of the people who stopped called my son at work

and his manager encouraged him to leave work early. Right now I'm basically staying in one place and I plan to stay up until the wee hours (as usual) tonight.

[Guy Fawkes]

2. Well, if you start liking bush, you've gone brain dead. anyway...

If you feel dizzy, are throwing up, etc (signs of a concussion). you should go to the hospital. Just, don't drive yourself. Get someone else to take you.

[mwdem]

3. Make sure you're not alone tonight.

Don't take these things lightly.

[proud patriot]

4. I've had a concussion before

You should go to the emergency room or your Doctor.
if it is a concussion you will need to be watched
for a few days either by family or friends .

The danger is your equilibrium gets all out of whack
and you could fall again .

[Sperk]

5. do you have a doctor you can call? Better safe than sorry...although

my son banged his head pretty badly when he was two and the doctor said that if he DIDN'T lose consciousness then to watch him but I didn't need to bring him in.

[TexasBushwhacker]

7. Go to the ER

When it comes to head injuries, better safe than sorry. They'll probably do an x-ray to makesure you don't have any little hairline fractures and they'll give you instructions on any symptoms to look out for.

If you have insurance, your insurance card probably has a 1-800 number where you can talk to a nurse. They can advise you too, in fact you usually have to report any visits to the ER anyway.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

8. If you are dizzy or light headed you should go

Also make sure not to be alone..if you get drowsy..that could be dangerous also...hitting your head can cause bleeding INSIDE the skull and can be dangerous...if you hit it hard enough for it to bounce, then I really do think you should go get checked out.

[Old and In the Way]

16. Damn good advice, as usual, NSMA!

:hi:

[4morewars]

9. Ow !!!

I hope you are OK, but, head wounds can be dangerous ! I don't know how old you are or if you have any other medical concerns, two things to think about though. Is your son coming over ? Maybe the two fo you can figure out the best course of action. An ice pack to the goose egg is a good start. Don't take any pain killers yet, they can mask the symtoms. Good luck !

[LisaM]

10. Dizzy, headache, dilated pupils, eyes wandering from each other,

nausea, sleepiness. (I had a concussion recently.) The main worry is a bleed - but you should be able to pull a list of symptoms pretty easily.

[tjdee]

11. I was in an accident two months ago and felt similarly.

I didn't want to go to the doctor because I didn't lose consciousness--but I called my doctor and they told me to come in anyway to make sure.

Because with your brain/head, you can't be sure. Oh, and turns out, I did have a mild concussion according to my doc.

I'd try to call your doc's answering service, or even the hospital actually, just to see what they think.

Glad others lent a hand, and I hope you take it easy. Ouch.

[Fridays Child]

12. Remaining conscious does not necessarily rule out concussion...

...or worse. If you're insured, call your doctor or have your son take you to an urgent care clinic.

[Endangered Specie]

13. Be on the safe side and at least call a doctor or talk to a nurse...

if you are feeling dizzy or in lots of pain, or other things that are out of the ordinary swing by the hospital.

You only have one head... take good care of it, we wouldnt want you to get messed up and vote for Bush ;)

Take Care

[tibbir]

15. Not to worry.......

I've already cast my vote absentee. Of course I live in Texas so it's sort of like spitting in the wind.

[VOX]

14. See a doctor. Don't fool around with a head injury.

You need to have a doc look into your eyes (this can determine possible neural damage), ears, mouth, etc.

You're probably okay, but a good knock to the head calls for a doctor. Don't fool around with this -- sometimes a head injury does not make itself known until a few hours after the incident.

That's my sincere advice -- see a doctor this evening.

Added on edit: Your skull is like a bowl, and your brain is like jello in that bowl. You can picture what happens when that bowl is quickly shoved against an unforgiving surface -- the jello all surges up against the impacted side of the bowl. It's a disgusting analogy, but you get the idea of the physics of a concussion.

Sending good thoughts your way. :thumbsup:

[tibbir]

17. I called my doctor and talked to the doctor on call.......

She asked if I was dizzy, light-headed, nauseated, had a headache. I told her none of that was going on. Then she said to have my son come in and talk to me from time to time tonight and take me in if I wasn't making sense or if any of the symptoms she described started up.

[deadmessengers]

18. Go to the ER

There are a million things that could have gone wrong when you fell - you could have a mild concussion, a skull fracture, you could have a blood clot or any number of other things. Just go, and be safe.

[welshTerrier2]

19. i believe the deal is ...

you shouldn't take any aspirin ... not sure about other pain relievers ... i probably wouldn't take anything at all ...

you should head over to the ER to get it checked out ... chances are you're fine but banging your brain around can be serious business ...

finally, why not call 1-800-Ask-a-Nurse ... not sure if they're nationwide or not ... i'm pretty sure it's a free service ...

good luck ...