Okay most of these questions...are pretty much a no brainer...take the kid to the ER. He hit his head and threw up...take him in...
Now here is my question...
My son's school called today that he and another boy "bumped heads". They were seen in the clinic...ice applied and they went back to class. (The school calls every time there is a bump to the head and sends a note home it is protocol). I have had so many of these calls...my son always seems to be bumping his head into something. THIS time once again he was already back in class when they called.
He gets home from school and is acting totally normal. I take him out to dinner with a play place...he is all over playing and having a grand time. From there we go to church...he has a evening class there and my husband and I go out to dinner.
We just get our food and the church calls that he is throwing up. We go to pick him up and find out he threw up several times and was complaining of a headache..
He has not thrown up since (an hour and a half ago), his eyes are normal, he is acting normal, no bump or bruise on his head, no dizziness, no acting strange...so could it be related to the earlier head bump...or a coincidence? (Oh, no fever).
My husband says I always over react and two little boys bumping heads could not have caused a concussion.
Wait and see?? Or trip to the ER?? What would you do? If he had thrown up right after the injury...we would have already been there...but nine hours later?/ I have googled, but no one gives a time frame for when symptoms are no longer head injury symptoms.
Please help ease my mind or prod me to action...thank you!!
I would take him to the ER. You never know what will result from this. It's better to be safe than sorry.
Apparently it is not uncommon for concussion symptoms to appear much later.
Check this out from the Mayo Clinic:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/concussion/DS00320/DSECT...
Good luck.
(I'd call the night nurse, 24 hr care line on the back of your card, etc.)
I am not prone to rush to the ER for every little single bump and scrape - in this case I would take him in if he was my kid.
Symptoms of a traumatic head injury can be delayed, and actually are more often than not.
I also don't mean to scare you but people have walked around with severe brain injury for a few days before they have any symptoms and in the most serious case have died (that is what happened to Liam Neeson's wife).
I am sure your son will be fine, but rather be safe than sorry.
If he really bumps his head more often than not, consider talking to your ped about this as well. He may have vision/balance or motor skills issues that make him more accident prone and should be addressed.
When in doubt call the 24 hour nurse line they should be able to tell you and ease your mind.
This was posted on the 8th, so I feel comfortable sharing this now and it shouldn't terrify you. My husband had a minor bump (no mark or anything) and for 2 days he went to work and drove and everything was fine. Then, instantly everything wasn't fine and I rushed him to the ER and was told he was bleeding in his brain from the bump and wouldn't live out the day. By what can only be described as several miracles occurring, he did survive but especially with a symptom even 9 hours later, please take him in. There's a reason they won't let concussion people sl;eep through the night, it's a risk for many many hours. Hope all worked out.
A person can get a concussion even if they do not bumb their head. The brain floats in fluid and can slosh and hit the inside of the skull causing a concussion.
If he has thrown up after a head injury get him to a doctor. Do not let him sleep more than 2 hours at a time or he could slip into a coma. I don't mean to scare you, coma doesn't happen often but can happen.
Please let us know.
No question.....take him to ER!!!! You should never mess around with head injuries. Listen to you mommy intuition. Your husband will understnad. Always better to be safe than sorry. Don't question yourself momma....always do what your gut says with your kids!
My daughter has done the same thing twice. Vomit several hours after the head injury. I've taken her to the ER both times and they have called it a concussion.
Call your doc and explain the situation and see what they say.
You absolutely can get a concussion from bumping heads. You've probably already done it, but I'd call the pediatrician and/or go to the ER. better to be safe than sorry, always! Good luck. hope he feels better!
I still think the potential for a concussion was there. I guess this is an old post but when my son hit his head and had a concussion, he was admitted into the hospital for over 24 hrs. He hit the back of his head on our hardwood floor. No bump developed. He did say within 5 minutes of the fall that the front of his head hurt for a few minutes (this was apparently due to the jarring of his brain; he hit the back of the head but the brain hit the front side of his skull). He acted completely normal, no eye issues, playing around, etc. This was right before bed, of course! I put him to bed and he woke up 4 hours later throwing up something awful. It was pretty violent. A year prior, he had hit his head on the floor and started throwing up 30 minutes later (after a trip to the ER and a CAT scan, it ended up being a stomach virus, coincidence). I know this because we all ended up getting sick. However, the time he actually had a concussion, the hospital had a hard time controlling the vomiting with medication (this is apparently typical of a concussion). He ended up becoming dehydrated and this is why he was admitted. So, it's possible he had a virus (even with the headache), it's also possible he had a concussion. It's even hard for the doctors to know (unless they see a brain bleed on a CAT scan, or other typical symptoms). Although, there are usually no brain bleeds with a concussion, fortunately. They still can't tell you for sure. I will say, he should be overly cautious to not bump his head again for the next 6 months. I remember those instructions well...because I felt like we had to be extra careful for an eternity. If you have a true concussion and you get another one, this is when it can be more serious.
I would call the hospital and ask to speak with a peid nurse. The nurses are there 24/7 and can answer your questions. I called all the time with my new born son. Just remember they are working too so keep your convo short and simple. No longer than a couple mins at the most.
Call your pediatrician. I would take him to the ER.
I hope you took him in by now or at least checked with the doctor. You just can't tell with head injuries without some tests. If the injury causes swelling in the brain you could have serious problems, suddenly, many hours later.
Take him to the ER. Throwing up could be a sign of a concussion. Better over reacting than under reacting.
Hope it goes well.
