Over the next 48 hours…
If you follow this advice over the next 48 hours, you should get better quicker and it may help any symptoms you have to go away:
Do
- DO have a responsible adult to stay and supervise you at home.
- DO make sure you stay within easy reach of a telephone and medical help.
- DO have plenty of rest and avoid stressful situations.
Do not
- DO NOT take any alcohol or drugs.
- DO NOT take sleeping pills, sedatives or tranquilisers unless they are given by a doctor.
Also
Do not
- DO NOT play any contact sport (for example; rugby or football) for at least 3 weeks without talking to your doctor first.
- DO NOT return to your normal school, college or work activity until you feel you have completely recovered.
- DO NOT drive a car, motorbike or bicycle or operate machinery unless you feel you have completely recovered.
You should return to a hospital Emergency Department as soon as possible if any of the following symptoms occur:
- Unconsciousness, or lack of full consciousness.
- Any confusion (not knowing where you are, getting things muddled up).
- Any drowsiness that goes on for longer than 1 hour when you would normally be wide awake.
- Any problems understanding or speaking.
- Any loss of balance or problems walking.
- Any weakness in one or more arms or legs.
- Any problems with your eyesight.
- Very painful headache that is not relieved by simple painkillers (e.g. Paracetamol).
- Any vomiting.
- Any fits (collapsing or passing out suddenly).
- Clear fluid coming out of your ear or nose.
- Bleeding from one or both ears.
- New deafness in one or both ears.
Things you shouldn’t worry about (mild concussion symptoms)
You may feel some other symptoms over the next few days which should disappear in the next 2 weeks. These include: a mild headache, feeling sick (without vomiting), dizziness, irritability or bad temper, problems concentrating or problems with your memory, tiredness, lack of appetite or problems sleeping. If you feel very concerned about any of these symptoms in the first few days after discharge, you should go and see your own doctor to talk about them.
Important
If these problems do not go away after 2 weeks, you should go and see your doctor. We would also recommend that you seek a doctor’s opinion about your ability to drive a car or motorbike.
NHS 111
You or someone on your behalf can telephone for advice if you are unsure or contact your GP.
Head Injury Rehabilitation Clinic
If you have a more serious head injury (for example; some bleeding in the brain), you may be referred to the head injury rehabilitation clinic. If this is the case (you will be told about it), you will receive a phone call within 2 – 4 weeks. You may have a face-to-face appointment arranged within 6 – 8 weeks if you have ongoing symptoms.
Long-term problems
Most patients recover quickly from their injury and experience no long-term problems; however, some patients only develop problems after a few weeks or months. If you start to feel that things are not quite right (for example; memory problems, not feeling yourself), then please contact your doctor as soon as possible so that they can check to make sure you are recovering properly.
Headway is a National brain injury association. You may find the advice provided by them useful if you have longer term symptoms. There is also information about head injury in sports available on this website.