Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Off To Work/Signs Of A Concussion.

I'm doing much better this morning and the second day should be a little less dramatic then the first day.

The signs of the concussion are pretty much gone. My leg and ankle are a little sore but I'll be sitting most of the day so should be fine. I've an ice pack to put on my ankle while at my desk.

The good thing about the first day is I was able to accomplish a lot. I learned quite a bit. Also they were extremely caring when I fell. Another good sign.

I honestly don't know how I fell just that I did. I don't know what I hit my head on but it was either a cement floor or a door. I worked for about an hour after I fell. Then got a headache and was a little dizzy. So I went first to an Urgency Clinic. My blood pressure was really high. 170/100. I guess when you have a concussion your blood pressure goes up and that is what causes the dizziness. Since my blood pressure is never that high the doctor at the clinic was worried about bleeding on the brain. What was a little scary after he suggested that was he started describing brain surgery. Now talk about something that causes your blood pressure to go out of sight maybe a talk like that would do it, no? He gave me transfer orders to go to the emergency room at the hospital with orders for a Cat Scan. I always thought that you had to lose consciousness before they would say you had a concussion and that isn't so. At the emergency room they again tested my blood pressure, lower but still high enough for them to be concerned, 160/90, so they did do a cat scan. Which was negative. I was diagnosed with a "minor closed head injury without loss of consciousness" and a "probable concussion without loss of consciousness". Hoping to use the blog as a teaching tool here is the orders they give you after a diagnosis of a probable concussion:

1. You are not to be alone for 24 hours.

2. Watch for certain signs and if any of those signs appear you are to get your buns back to the emergency room, those signs are:

Repeated Vomiting. Nope didn't have that.

Severe or worsening headache. Minor headache not a severe one.

Severe or worsening dizziness. Nope.

Unusual drowsiness or unable to awaken as usual. Woke up every two hours.

Confusion or change in behavoir in speech. Not any more confused than usual.

Unequal pupils. Nope.

Convulsion. Nope

Increasing scalp or face swelling. A little cut on my nose.

Redness, warm or pus from the swollen area. Clear.

So I am off to work and hope to make it a full day today. I am going to call my doctor today and have a followup with him. Hope things go well for all of you today and that nobody falls!

12 comments:

Sian said...

Oh Bill what a dramatic first day! Hope your second day is calmer! Sending you soothing healing vibes for a speedy recovering from any remaining aches and pains.

William J. said...

Thanks, Sian

They said it would take a few days to get back to 100 per cent. But I am really pretty good.

Bill

dona said...

Hi Bill and glad you are better today and back to work! Have you checked your BP today? Hoping it is down and you are totally back to normal...Whatever normal is! :)

Thanks to you and all for my well wishes too. I am fine, mostly very sore.

Mary Z said...

Glad to hear you're better today. Anything like that can make your BP soar. It's also good that that has settled down.

Tell the folks at work that you'll try to keep it less exciting from now on.

Pat said...

Bill and Dona, glad to hear you're both feeling better today.

Bill, you certainly made an entrance your first day at the new job! I'm sure you'll go on to impress them with your knowledge and efficiency rather than having to resort to another dramatic episode. [g]

Lady DR said...

Bill and Dona, so glad to hear both of you are feeling better, if a bit stiff and sore. Bill, glad the ER checked you over, especially with the high b/p. I wonder if that was a direct result of the concussion or a combination of the fall and anxiety over any harm done.Discussions of brain surgery would likely send my b/p through the roof!

Glad you madae progress before the fall and, yes, it's good to know they care about their people.

Good job, posting the things to watch for with a concussion or even possible concussion. I knew you weren't to be alone for 24 hours and I read somewhere that someone with a concussion should be awakened every couple hours and asked some standard questions, like how many fingers, what day is it, when's your birthday and so forth.

Good idea to schedule the follow-up with your own doc. Hope the day went well and was a bit less exciting.

Dona, are you sure you're okay, except for aches and pains?

William J. said...

Hi Dona

BP is down to 110/70 so that is normal.

Hope you aren't to sore, please update us on your condition tomorrow!

Bill

William J. said...

Hi Mary Z

They had kind of a cat fight between two women there today and the two women asked my opinion about what they were discussing, I said "I don't know, I'm just trying to make it through the day without falling!

Bill

William J. said...

Hi Pat

Yes an entrance that I didn't really want to make! I'm really hoping that I don't have to be dramatic to impress them anymore.

Bill

William J. said...

Hi, Dr

The high b.p. was exactly a combination of the fall and the worry. Then when they were talking about punching holes in my head that was a tad concerning.

The two hour thing isn't really true, they just don't want to you to fall into a deep sleep so they should wake you up as often as possible. They never asked me any questions about current events. They asked me to move my neck back and forth. If I was dizzy. Looked at my eyes. And my throat. Checked my heart beat.

I made it a full day today!

Now I hope I make it a full day tomorrow and that the small headache goes away.

Bill

Pat said...

Good wishes coming that you're back up to full speed tomorrow, with no headache!

William J. said...

Thanks, Pat!

Bill