# Concussion symptoms?



## RidingWithRuby (Apr 18, 2019)

I was recently (Thursday, 7/11, free slushie day.) in a car accident, and I'm wondering if I possibly got a minor concussion? I did not hit my head, but the force did fling me forward and slammed me back.

Since about Friday, I've been feeling off balance. Not exactly dizzy but like I'm about to miss a step. Some head pain, not really headaches because it's brief.

The most concerning is that I'm forgetting things. I'll be about to look something up/open a file/etc and forget. Sometimes I remember, sometimes I don't. I was watching a video on baking. It had 4 ingredients and I forgot the first one before the video was over. It was only a minute-long video.

The off-balance-ness feeling has mostly gone away, and I've had no nausea, no vomiting, no lethargy, no seizures, etc.

It's been well over 72 hours since the accident now. I know I should have gone to the ER again when I started feeling these symptoms - I could give all my reasons (insurance isn't accepted and can't afford it, no way to get there, etc) but I know it was dumb and I'm not here to ramble about why I didn't go. Before you say I should've gone immediately, I agree.

I'm going to the doctor soon, I promise. I just can't get to one until Wednesday. Thanks, healthcare system.

Anyway, basic point of this was looking for advice from other people who've been in a similar situation? Could it simply be anxiety surrounding the accident?


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Sure a person can get concussions, or something similar by just 'jostling' their brain good and hard about inside the skull. This is what happens to Football (American football) players who are tackled hard. It's not hitting the ground with their head, it's being slammed by a running man of 280 lbs of muscle!


That said, there isn't much a person can do for a concussion beyond rest.


But, if the car accident caused you any kind of injury, you would want that assessed and on record, in case there are medical costs which you would then send to the insurance to cover.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Horse hockey-pucks to each of your excuses....
_Car insurance pays...._
You went to the ER initially after the accident and you darn well should of gone there before you wrote of these things...
This is _*not*_ a mild concussion and you need to be re-checked and tests run to determine the degree of concussion you are dealing with or is it more....
Only a doctors evaluations and test ordering will uncover the truth.

Your car insurance _*will*_ pay for a return ER visit.
Your car insurance is probably written to cover your salary when out of work {probably didn't know that hidden gem}
Your car insurance will pay to reasonably clean your house, shop and do everyday chores of personal hygiene assistance if deemed needed....{probably didn't know that one either}

You probably also don't realize the longer you go *un*-diagnosed, untreated for what you think is a nothing compounds the time and possibly severity of your issues...
TBI, *tramatic brain injury* is what you have...and no, you don't need to bump your head to have it occur.
The longer you let this go, the greater the risk of lasting loss of brain function and onset of other brain function deficits..._yes, *it is that serious!!*_

What you need is to get back to that ER and tell the staff what is happening........
Let your insurance deal with the bills...it is why it is so important to carry decent insurance for things like this.

_STOP trying to do...you can't._
_Your brain is injured._
It needs to rest and not have to concentrate....get someone to drive you to the ER and get checked...
For your safety and for the best chance of recovering you brain health...
_I can't stress this enough.... _*GO To The ER NOW, today...*
:runninghorse2:_..._


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

RidingWithRuby said:


> I was recently (Thursday, 7/11, free slushie day.) in a car accident, and I'm wondering if I possibly got a minor concussion? I did not hit my head, but the force did fling me forward and slammed me back.



Yes, it is called coup countrecoup. It's when you brain basically sloshes forward and back inside your head. Your head doesn't hit anything, but the force of being thrown back and forth will still "throw" your brain back and forth. 





RidingWithRuby said:


> Since about Friday, I've been feeling off balance. Not exactly dizzy but like I'm about to miss a step. Some head pain, not really headaches because it's brief.
> 
> Before you say I should've gone immediately, I agree.
> 
> ...



No. Anxiety doesn't cause you to be off-balance. Head trauma will. 



Some people can have lasting affects from a traumatic brain injury that persist for MONTHS. Head injuries are nothing to mess around with.


I think you need to be seen TODAY and not Wednesday.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Car accident = car insurance paying for at least a portion of your medical bills as injury resulted from you being in the car at the time of the accident, whether theirs or yours or the other drivers. Not your primary health insurance. That is why you carry it. Bodily Injury on both the other driver's policy (if at fault) and the driver of the car you were in should cover depending on their liability limit, and the number of people involved. If you have PIP or MedPay (if I am correct then if your driver has this it is separate form BI and can be used as well) then your insurance will cover it. You need to be seen ASAP and not wait.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

@*horseloving* guy The OP said she did NOT go to the ER right after the accident. 



What sort of treatment is offered for concussion? The people I've known who had concussions were not given any kind of treatment at hospital. They were simply told to rest, rest, rest, and avoid any kind of bump. To not read or watch television. They were not given any medication or actual 'treatment' by medical professionals that forestalls permanent damage. Basically, it's resting the brain until it heals itself, no?


I am not saying that she need not go to the ER, or a doctor, as it's possible there is some other issue which could only be diagnosed with imaging. I'm inquiring only with regard , in general, to treatment for TBI (concussion)


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

I think from this @*tinyliny* an assumption was made. I read it as the OP had gone after the accident as well.


From the original post: "It's been well over 72 hours since the accident now.* I know I should have gone to the ER again *when I started feeling these symptoms"


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## Filou (Jan 16, 2014)

@tinyliny

This is my gripe with visiting the ER after a mild head injury. What do they do? Tell you to stay hydrated and rest but not sleep...

They may take an MRI to let you know the extent, but unless there's some serious blood stuff going on around in there they won't open you head up. Maybe you could get a blood thinner or anti clot agent to prevent something else from happening. 

I got slammed in the head by my horses hoof twice at my last bad fall, had a helmet on, went in for stitches, and also had a tear in my sinus, so they took an MRI to check my head, saw a huge pocket in my sinus and a small dent in my skull. Nothing to do but rest!


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## RidingWithRuby (Apr 18, 2019)

I did go to the ER, yes. They did not do imaging but said I showed no signs of injuries. I was told to rest, that some head and neck pain was to be expected, etc.

I am definitely going back to the doctor and getting checked, that is not debatable. I was just curious to see if it could have been something else.

I must say I've been better today. Still feeling a bit fuzzy but no headaches, no dizziness, haven't forgotten anything that I know of.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

RidingWithRuby said:


> *I did go to the ER, yes. They did not do imaging but said I showed no signs of injuries. I was told to rest, that some head and neck pain was to be expected, etc.*
> 
> I am definitely going back to the doctor and getting checked, that is not debatable. I was just curious to see if it could have been something else.
> 
> I must say I've been better today. Still feeling a bit fuzzy but no headaches, no dizziness, haven't forgotten anything that I know of.





I see. If you had said that in your original post, things would have been much clearer. I am glad you are feeling much better today. 

How about the car? was it totalled? How did the accident happen


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## RidingWithRuby (Apr 18, 2019)

"Rest" is always what I've been told after a head injury. Fell down and slammed my head into a wooden chair? Rest. Crashed into a glass coffee table? Rest. I have been resting and trying not to stress myself (although I have been reading, oops.) 

After consulting a nurse friend who sees head injuries frequently, she said pretty much the same. Get checked but rest in the meantime.


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## RidingWithRuby (Apr 18, 2019)

@tinyliny I am glad too. Although of all days it had to happen, it was free slushie day, haha. My friend joked that I got a "free crushie" instead.

Going down the road when a woman peeled out of a store's parking lot and directly in front of us, not even two car lengths away from us. She then slowed down in the road. Hit the break but there was really nothing to do, we were blocked by traffic on both sides. 

Hit her side door, her airbags deployed. Ours never did. As for our van, well.....

Think she's probably done for.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

That's quite a few head injuries. They add up. Glad you're feeling somewhat better. Keep your appointment and make sure you let them know all that you have experienced. 



I had a horse related injury as well Filou. Gave new meaning to "dancing cheek to cheek". The imaging they did concentrated just on the side of the face and cheek primarily. A year later after ignoring symptoms and putting them off as sinus related/allergy aggravating the break. I started having blinding headaches and seizures. Had they done a bit wider range on the images they'd have caught all of the other damage that came with and not just the broken cheek bone they could do noting about.


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## RidingWithRuby (Apr 18, 2019)

@QtrBel Those both happened under the age of ten, haha. Luckily I'm not such a klutz now. Usually.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

@QtrBel what kind of damage HAD happened? and what finally resulted from the docs finding it? did you get additional treatment?


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Head injuries are cumulative....
You have had several injuries, some pretty significant by your description from childhood to present.
Make sure the staff at the hospital/doctors office and staff at the facility where your images will be done know and fully understand this is _*not*_ a first time occurrence for you.

Many places do regular xrays, then CAT scans then MRI and then there is contrasting studies for all of them.
Hitting the head or not you could have pinched a nerve, a broken bone from concussive slamming and reactionary snap of the neck...do not not think any of these things are impossible.
You could have neck vertebrae issues and yes, you need no impact with a object for the body to shift inside unseen.

The human body is a amazing machine, but when it is troubled it can have far reaching effects on your future outlook on life...


Your van_* is*_ history, period.
It did its job and did protect you as the crumpling shows, yet the passenger cabin is intact.
Drivers airbag normally does *not *deploy from the steering wheel unless you hit head on...
You hit from a angle, hence no deployment...
I don't think they had curtain airbags yet in what looks like a mini-van till more recently..
You still got tossed around a lot more than you realize with that impact...yes, you need to be rechecked by evidence of your symptoms and what that van looks like.
Show them those pictures as they can also dictate the films they will ask for too.
I'm hoping someone is reading all this to you because concentrating on a computer screen is a no-no when the head hurts like yours does. :frown_color:
Just having a conversation with someone is difficult enough.._.rest means rest! :|_
:runninghorse2:...


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## lostastirrup (Jan 6, 2015)

Concussion frequent flyer here:


No TV. 
No screens. 
No reading. 
No puzzles of any kind. 
No arithmetic or higher maths. 
No bright rooms. 
No coffee or stimulants.
Nothing remotely interesting. 
No excercise. 
No riding. 
No constantly checking Horse forum on your phone. 
No checking your phone. 
No heavy music. 
Do:
Sleep 16+ hrs a day. 
Lots of Gatorade and other hydrating fluids. 
Audiobooks (maybe) 
Coloring books (kid's, not adult's)
Simple music. 

SEE Your doctor ASAP. Free clinics can be an option (been there done that with a brain whack). It's important to get a doctor's or Nurse Practitioner's diagnosis. You will need this to be excused from work/school. Send it out to all relevant bosses, advisors, professors, coworkers and friends. 


Ask for help. You will need it. 


Cheers. Enjoy recovery. You'll be bored out of your mind in a week.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

lostastirrup said:


> No TV.
> No screens.
> No reading.
> No puzzles of any kind.
> ...



*It sounds like a vacation to me.*


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## lostastirrup (Jan 6, 2015)

@Celeste it really isn't. Its necessary, but within days the boredom sets in and it's awful. I've had 4 concussions and have lost the ability to remember names or faces and my short term memory has suffered dramatically, and probably a fair amount of that had to do with the fact I went back to the grind a lot sooner than I ought to have. 
So if you're smart, and you've been whacked you settle down and do nothing for weeks on end.


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## Jolly101 (Jul 2, 2018)

OP are there any concussion clinics around you? Treatment for concussions have evolved a lot over the last few years. Some clinics will be more up to date with this knowledge than others.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

No matter what injury I came home with my mother made light of. One day I was brought home with a bad concussion, Mum frightened the pants off me as she was obviously very shocked and frightened and very sympathetic. 

Never worth risking your head even a simple hard knock should be checked.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

tinyliny said:


> @*QtrBel* what kind of damage HAD happened? and what finally resulted from the docs finding it? did you get additional treatment?


 @tinyliny the sinus cavity is a cavern of bony scaffolding with open areas for air flow. Impact caused breakage with separation in some cases and fractures along long lines of bone in others. Those pieces of bone that had been broken off were blocking openings causing infection to build and creating pockets of pressure that were causing the fractures to separate further and causing the seizures. Outer bony walls of the sinus structure were not impacted to the extent the thinner more delicate interior was. The result of the last round of seizures that brought me back to the Dr was a new set of imaging, surgery scheduled with in 24 hours and restructuring and cleaning of the entire sinus cavity. It took over 8 hours. Follow up care was a year long and involved scoping once a week after the initial healing and then got less frequent over time. 3 months liquid diet. And washing out the sinus cavity 3 times a day for months. Lots of drugs. Lots and lots for all sorts of reasons. Pain was a big one. Now things are much better. I still have after care but not frequent and the cheek is still numb to touch with intermittent aching.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

tinyliny said:


> What sort of treatment is offered for concussion?



Ultimately I think it depends on what kind of symptoms a person is experiencing and what they do over time. And hopefully the main physician will help refer that patient to whatever they may need.



But of course, a good place to start usually is with imaging to see *if* any physical damage has been done to moniter going foward. 



In my field (eyes!), I do see people from time to time that have had TBI. Light sensitivity probably is the top complaint but folks can also have (for example) problems with double vision. These types of things can be "treated" with things like tint or prism in eyeglasses, to relieve those symptoms while the patient has them, with the hopes that they will eventually subside with time (and thankfully a lot of times they do). 



But you have to "get the ball rolling" by going in to be seen!


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## RidingWithRuby (Apr 18, 2019)

Got diagnosed with whiplash. Unfortunately didn't get to have imaging done yet, but three doctors all said they didn't suspect a concussion. I'm still taking it easy though. Feeling leaps and bounds better, yay.

Got prescribed some muscle relaxers for the neck pain - whewwww. Took one last night and sure enough, pain went away. But then I had the startling feeling of feeling my heartbeat literally everywhere in my body. Then I promptly fell asleep and slept for 11 hours straight - the longest I've slept in a solid month.


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