Recovering from a minor head injury

H

helenchat

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 June 2016
Messages
94
Visit site
So this weekend I unfortunately took a very stupid tumble - not even from a horse!!
It was a total freak accident, staying with family and turned to go down the stairs during the night to go to the bathroom and slipped on the wooden floor, fell down an entire flight and knocked myself out.
Was taken by ambulance to A&E and after some x-rays/ CT scans was very luckily given the all clear apart from lots of cuts, a huge lump on my head and a fat lip, but made to stay until the next morning (Sunday).
So - now my issue is boredom!! Consultant said to give driving/riding 24 hours before I got back on, which I have followed, partly because the lump on my head means I can't get a hat on!!

I'm also still feeling pretty odd, whenever I lie down I become really dizzy (I think probably some lingering concussion?) and this morning all the tenderness in my face I had felt revealed itself in a whopper of a black eye!
So I'm sitting at home feeling desperately bored and sorry / cross with myself with a bag of frozen peas on my face :(
Anyone have any experiences of how long it took them to start feeling normal again after a minor head injury?
I'm in no rush to get back on, pony is quirky and so don't want to put myself at risk again, and my sister is riding him in the meantime. Work part time for a very understanding lady, and as my job is fairly physical she has given me as much time off to recover as I feel I need.
But would love an idea of when I can start feeling a bit less rubbish !!
 
You most likely have a concussion as well as everything else - take it easy as concussions don't really have a 'time frame' but I'd say if you still feel really dizzy after a few days go to the doctors.

Rugby guidelines for concussion are 2/3 weeks out I think, and gently 'Returning to Play' but I couldn't find much tailored for horse riding or anything, this was the closest/best thing I'd found for riding and concussion :)

http://horse.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Concussion-policy.pdf
 
If you are still experiencing dizziness and it is more than 48 hours after the fall it would probably be worth contacting your GP or NHS Direct (although the latter will probably tell you to go back to A&E). It takes about 4 - 7 days to start to feel normal -ish. But can take up to 3 months for some of the remaining symptoms to resolve.

But after 48 hours or so every day does feel a little but better!
 
So sorry to hear you've taken such a nasty tumble.

If I were you I'd be very careful over the next few days. If you're still feeling dizzy after a couple of days I'd be off back to the Dr or nearest walk-in centre. Even a mild concussion can be quite a nasty thing, you might also need more x-rays in case there is inflammation at the base of your neck that didn't show on the original x-rays.

I had a horrible fall years ago from H and was knocked out. Stupidly, after being checked over by an off duty nurse I thought I just had a bad bump on the head and thought I could cope so I went back to work three days later (employer would only allow 3 days and no sick pay) after the headache subsided a bit. I ended up in A&E that very afternoon after being so dizzy and ill I could barely focus; x-rays showed nothing broken but inflammation around the cervical vertebrae and also quite a deep concussion. It was only because I'd gone in three days after the accident that they said I could go home again and gave me a sheet of instructions as long as your arm! The main thing on there that I remember, which might be of use to you OP is that they said not to take ibuprofen because it can mask the effects of internal bleeding. I also had to have two weeks off work (which you can imagine was stressful thinking I wasn't going to get paid - thankfully my boss stepped in for me there), so honestly OP - take extra care of yourself and don't be in any hurry to ride or work or anything remotely strenuous for a good couple of weeks at least.
 
Thank you all for your kind replies- after panicking about my swollen eye I decided to call the NHS direct line who told me to head back to A&E as a precaution. So currently in the waiting room! Hopefully it'll be nothing major and I'll be back on my feet soon :)
 
So glad to hear that's where you are as concussion can have some very nasty side effects and is probably not taken seriously
 
I got knocked over by our pony who clearly spooked at something while I was leading under our car port, and cracked my head on the concrete floor.. Remember nothing about the incident, nor the ambulance arriving even though I'd got up spoken absolute rubbish to my husband and was trying to clean all the blood up at the utility sink (and was only making things worse), and was talking gibberish for a good couple of hours - basically spouting out loud all the worries one's brain has like 'did I park the car properly in its space' and 'where's my daughter'(had forgotten I'd left her at a show to watch a friend while I took the pony home). It took a good 2 -3 weeks to feel normal afterwards.
Hope you feel better soon.
 
I had concussion after a fall from my horse. I was dizzy for a long while. The doctor checked me over regularly during the next few weeks. I was not allowed to ride for 4 weeks and I know that I couldn't have ridden safely. Television and computer time was also very restricted but if you are like me you wouldn't want to look at a screen anyway. The Jockeys Association,or whatever it is called , also has some good info.
I am glad you took advice and went to A&E. I hope you are back to normal soon.
 
Glad you have gone back in to get checked.

It can take a while to recover from concussion. Make sure you rest when you are feeling rubbish, it will gradually subside, but can take weeks to get back to normal.
 
Thank you all- extra thanks for all the links! Have bookmarked them all for reading over the next week :) I'm sorry to hear so many people have been through the same thing- but at the same time it's reassuring to know that it's just a waiting game in terms of recovery !
Was seen very promptly in A&E and was double checked for any breakages, and luckily I am fine!! It was very reassuring, they think my swollen eyes are due to the oedema from my banged head draining into my face. Nurse also said that the dizziness was still normal at this stage, and as long as it doesn't get any worse and no new symptoms emerge, it'll just be a gradual recovery !
 
I too am glad you got it checked. I did a whopper bang on the head last November, and it was about 3 weeks before I could do anything without a headache. I went straight back to work and it was weird how for a few days I could see and hear people talking, but not really have a clue what was going on.

The advice I gave myself for the future was to take it even easier than you think you have to.
 
Glad you are ok. I had a clunk to the head last year- turned pony out and as I undid her headcollar, she turned to bite a fly off her side and clobbered the back of my head. I saw stars and had a really weird headache for days afterwards.
It really wasn't that bad of a knock either but I wasn't right for a good few days.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top