Pulmonary Embolism Support Group
By far the most common form of pulmonary embolism is a thromboembolism, which occurs when a blood clot, generally a venous thrombus, becomes dislodged from its site of formation and embolizes to the arterial blood supply of one of the lungs. Symptoms may include difficulty breathing, pain during breathing, and more rarely circulatory instability and death.
Last night was very cold after a small heat wave on Wednesday. The result: very, very icy sidewalks.
I was going to the convenience store, and, sure enough fell and hit my head solidly. I was stunned for a while and a little confused for about 5/10 minutes: couldn't quite remember where I was going and why and, for some reason, didn't know if I was on Coumadin and had really had PEs. And I was very, very shakey.
I planned to go to the ER once I'd run my errand, but didn't want to end up spending another 14 hours to be told all was ok. So, I tried to call "Info Sant" (a kind of health line, manned by nurses), but after being on hold for 10 minutes, gave up because I was feeling better. But it was quite a scary event. And, even today, I have a recurring headache and keep secondguessing my decision not to seek medical advice.
My question is: for those of on blood thinners, should we always get checked after such a blow to the head. I mean, I really was confused and in a kind of an haze for a while. And I was afraid of going to bed, because I kept thinking concussion. When is it time to panick?
I was going to the convenience store, and, sure enough fell and hit my head solidly. I was stunned for a while and a little confused for about 5/10 minutes: couldn't quite remember where I was going and why and, for some reason, didn't know if I was on Coumadin and had really had PEs. And I was very, very shakey.
I planned to go to the ER once I'd run my errand, but didn't want to end up spending another 14 hours to be told all was ok. So, I tried to call "Info Sant" (a kind of health line, manned by nurses), but after being on hold for 10 minutes, gave up because I was feeling better. But it was quite a scary event. And, even today, I have a recurring headache and keep secondguessing my decision not to seek medical advice.
My question is: for those of on blood thinners, should we always get checked after such a blow to the head. I mean, I really was confused and in a kind of an haze for a while. And I was afraid of going to bed, because I kept thinking concussion. When is it time to panick?
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Look at what my best friend did with my picture!
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We all have 24 hours in a day. How we spend these hours is important. Watching a little bit of a video about how sitting affects us made me aware of how much sitting and laying down I do. Gonna have to work on that.Your turn. Tell me another truth.
Call your doc's office and ask what they think. Try talking to one of his nurses.
Should we always get checked out? In my opinion, for me, the answer is no, it depends on the circumstances. The only way to confirm (i believe) a cranial bleed is by a CT scan. I would not accept a CT scan unless I had symptoms of a brain bleed - worst headache of your life, slurring speech, double vision, etc. I wol dnot want to sit in a hospital ER for hours as you say to be told "come back if you have symptoms"
Many times these things don't show up until later, however, so it needs to be monitored. For me, that means having my wife wake me up every 2-3 hours to make sure I was not symptomatic and to be aware of that potential for about 36 hours or so.
I think if the blow was enough to knock me out, I would probably go. If it just made me a bit loopy, I'd monitor it.
Again, just my .02 and you will certainly hear alternative views
Chris
I've only hit my head once since being on blood thinners and I panicked (because that's what I do) and went to ER. Thankfully it didn't take ages but they did do a CT scan. I learned then that not every head bonk needs to be checked out. I don't know that I would wait for the worst headache ever but it would depend on how long the other symptoms went on and how severe they were. I'm just judging by you question here, but you seem to have straightened out the confusion. Are you still dizzy or having any vision issues? Is there any swelling where you hit?
end of day/tomorrow, yes I would have it checked out.
It all comes down to, rather be safe then sorry, but I don't want to have a permanent address at the hospital.
- The headache is not the worst ever and it's not there all the time;
- Not anymore dizzy than I usually am LOL. Seriously, I still have the occasionnal dizzy spell when I've done too much;
- The confusion only lasted for a few minutes, but it was the worst I've had. I really could not remember why I was there, though I knew where I was. And I could not remember if I really was on Coumadin or if I had dreamed it;
- And no vision trouble. I did have a little nausea, will have it with the headache, but I've had much worse.
- Contacting my doctor is not an easy feat, that's why I was trying the health line.
It's good to know that the symptoms can develop as much as 36 hours and will monitor, for sure.
"Causes
An epidural hematoma can happen to anyone, at any age. Some common causes of epidural hematoma include:
A blow to the head, such as in a motor vehicle crash, assault or bicycle accident
Falling down and striking the head
People at particular risk are those who:
Are elderly and have trouble walking or fall often
Take a blood thinner, such as Coumadin"
http://classic.muhealth.org/neuromed/epidural.shtml