Okay, so my character Meg just suffered a concussion. For those who care, it was when a vampire hit her in the head to get her to stop screaming. She passed out, and when she woke up she was dizzy and throwing up, but lucid. When she finally gets home, she throws up again feels groggy.
My question is this: Should she go to the hospital, and if so what sort of treatment would she receive? How long would she have to stay? What sort of symptoms would she have over the long term? It wasn't, like, incredibly serious (no cracked skull or anything,) but it wasn't a love tap either. Any help would be appreciated.
Note from moderator: edited to create [TOPIC].
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Grow old or die trying.
62,138 / 50,000
Nov 13, 2008 - 17 46
I'm not a doctor, but I think that she should go to the hospital. There, they would probably do a CT scan of her head to see if there was any sort of damage done to the brain. After all, a concussion is what happens when your brain rattles around insdie your skull. They would likely keep her overnight in a dark room and may give her something for pain and to help her sleep. If there was no brain damage, then she might have some vertigo and dizziness for a few days but no serious long term effects (except that the next concussion will require less force).
99,509 / 50,000
Nov 13, 2008 - 17 59
I've been to an ER twice for concussions, lucky me. Both times, I went to the ER, waited for an absurdly long amount of time since I was low-priority, and then was checked out by a doctor. He shined a light in my eyes, felt the bump on my head and had me lie down for about fifteen minutes before checking me again. Both times, he sent me home with instructions to not fall asleep and for someone to check on me frequently when I went to bed that night.
----------2003: Super
2004: Shell Jumping
2005: Deuces Wild
2006: Idol of the Idle
2007: Don't Be A Hero
2008: With The Greatest Of Ease
50,198 / 50,000
Nov 13, 2008 - 19 30
I've had a concussion as well. The thing I remember most is feeling stupid for a week straight. My brain just didn't work right. It was like being half awake.
122,613 / 50,000
Nov 13, 2008 - 20 14
If you're throwing up, that's a warning sign you should definitely get checked by a doctor. Whenever she gets through the emergency room, they'll shine a light in her eyes to see if your pupils are reacting equally, evaluate her balance, ask if she's got ringing in her ears/double vision, and probably give her a head CT to see if there's bleeding inside her brain. The danger is that the pressure inside her skull could be rising (Whether from bleeding or her brain swelling) and that can cause serious brain damage. The CT takes a while to evaluate, but if there's no evidence that she's in danger of brain damage (especially if it's now been several hours since the blow to the head, and it probably has been) she can go home and get some rest--though they'll send her off with scary-sounding follow-up care instructions about not taking asprin or falling asleep, and remind her to come back if her symptoms get any worse.