Elbowed in head by toddler

[Chrissy]

So last night around 8pm Est, I was playing with my 3 yo nephew and he accidentally elbowed me in the temple. This caused an initial shock of pain thatbfaded after about two minutes and then subsided into a dull ache. Shortly after that my head felt like it was full of pressure and I was a bit dizzy. I called my doctor around 9pm and didn't get a call back, so I came to my dad's and asked him to keep an eye on me. It's now 9am Est and my head still has a bit of pressure feeling and I still have the dizziness. I know that the temple is quite a sensitive are and my overactive mind is worried about bleeding into my brain and it not being found until it's too late.

 

[Rinka]

Can you call your doctor again? he she might be able to give you some advice.
Ask your relatives to keep an eye on you should your situation change.

Do you have any headache, nausea, hallucinations or dizziness?

Usually the elbow of an toddler and the blow form them should not lead to brain bleeding. Should you however expiriance symptoms as above or are concerned contact your doctor or go to the ER.

 

[Chrissy]

Can you call your doctor again? he she might be able to give you some advice.
Ask your relatives to keep an eye on you should your situation change.

Do you have any headache, nausea, hallucinations or dizziness?

Usually the elbow of an toddler and the blow form them should not lead to brain bleeding. Should you however expiriance symptoms as above or are concerned contact your doctor or go to the ER.

I got a hold of my doctor this morning and explained the situation to her. She said that I could apply ice to the pained area and take ibuprophen for pain.
I have a little bit of dizziness and a little bit of pain (mainly to touch), but she didn't seem too concerned about that.
I have my husband keeping an eye on me just in case but I'm still pretty worried about it.

 

[Concernedgal]

You have a definite concussion . The fact that you have described dizziness after the injury... usually is a sign of concussion. Go to your doctor and determine the best treatment. DO NOT TAKE ASPIRIN FOR PAIN. Aspirin will only make the concussion worst.

 

[Chrissy]

You have a definite concussion . The fact that you have described dizziness after the injury... usually is a sign of concussion. Go to your doctor and determine the best treatment. DO NOT TAKE ASPIRIN FOR PAIN. Aspirin will only make the concussion worst.

My doctor told me to ice the pained area and take ibuprophen, that's as far as it went. Do you think this is something I should go to the ER for?

 

[Concernedgal]

Of symptoms persist. .. yes. Did you actually let the doctor take a look at the injury? Do you have a knot or does it just feel like a bruise? If you have a knot than generally you should be fine but, if you don't and it just feels like a bruise then those are the injuries you should be more concerned about. Keep me posted.

 

[Chrissy]

Of symptoms persist. .. yes. Did you actually let the doctor take a look at the injury? Do you have a knot or does it just feel like a bruise? If you have a knot than generally you should be fine but, if you don't and it just feels like a bruise then those are the injuries you should be more concerned about. Keep me posted.

My doctor didn't actually have me come in for any kind of exam. She told me that dizziness, headache, and such were normal experiences for having a concussion. I was told to watch for bloodshot eyes or super dark circles under my eyes among other serious sounding symptoms.
There's no bump that I can feel and the site of injury just feels bruised. I think I'm gonna have someone take me to the ER just to be sure. I don't want this to be serious and I'm sat here because my doctor doesn't think it is based on hearing things.

 

[Concernedgal]

That's a good idea . Better safe than sorry. Keep me posted.

 

[Chrissy]

That's a good idea . Better safe than sorry. Keep me posted.

Had CT of head. They said everything looked normal. 67 hours after incident and the scan was clear. Will probably be nervous about it until all symptoms subside. Any recovery tips you would recommend?

 

[Concernedgal]

Now that we know that your CT scan was normal... it shouldn't take longet than a week or so. No real damage has been done and that's important. Real significant damage would show up on a CT scan aND also would cause behavioral changes and forgetfulness. Just keep taking Tylenol (not aspirin) and stay well rested. Rest is very important for the healing process. You ever wonder why you sleep all the time when your sick? .that's why. I believe your in the clear though.

 

[Chrissy]

Now that we know that your CT scan was normal... it shouldn't take longet than a week or so. No real damage has been done and that's important. Real significant damage would show up on a CT scan aND also would cause behavioral changes and forgetfulness. Just keep taking Tylenol (not aspirin) and stay well rested. Rest is very important for the healing process. You ever wonder why you sleep all the time when your sick? .that's why. I believe your in the clear though.

Thank you so much for all of your input. I'll update the thread with any new symptoms or changes.

 

[Concernedgal]

Your welcome. Anytime.

 

[janemariesayed]

My doctor told me to ice the pained area and take ibuprophen, that's as far as it went. Do you think this is something I should go to the ER for?

As @Concernedgal has said, yes! If the symptoms persist then you should definitely go to ER. It may have only been a toddlers elbow, but the way it could wack you (with speed) in the temple could be a little dodgy. If you are still feeling dizzy then I would go and get it checked out.

 

[James York]

You're physically fine. Nothing is wrong with your head. But mentally, you really are sick and it's not your fault. You're suffering from hypochondria/ health anxiety, just like me!

 

[Chrissy]

UPDATE: I've got the feeling of pressure in my head, but it's not a pain or anything like that. Just feels like someone is stuffing cotton balls into my head. The dizziness has subsided,but this pressure is new. Any advice or reassurance would be super helpful. Thanks!

 

[janemariesayed]

UPDATE: I've got the feeling of pressure in my head, but it's not a pain or anything like that. Just feels like someone is stuffing cotton balls into my head. The dizziness has subsided,but this pressure is new. Any advice or reassurance would be super helpful. Thanks!

If you are feeling concerned but you are not sure whether to visit the hospital or doctor, you can always phone the doctor to see what they say. You did receive a bit of a knock so it may take a little while to fully recover but I think you are probably okay as the dizziness has subsided.

 

[Chrissy]

Another update! I've started having a cough and sneezing and a clear fluid draining from my nose. I want to believe that I got a head cold or something while recovering here, but my mind is jumping to a CSF leak and it's really freaking me out x.x

 

[Concernedgal]

Oh darling. You are going to be fine. A csf leak requires extreme inflammation of the brain for example... if you got into a car accident and experienced head injury from that. You probably did catch a cold. Did that child have a runny nose or anything? Your brain scan came back normal darling remember that. You going to be fine.

 

[Concernedgal]

 

[Concernedgal]

oops. Came up twice. Lol