Should I see a doctor?
 

I was in a bike accident 3 weeks ago, I was wearing a helmet but I hit my head, I did not lose consciousness. I felt shaken up but okay so I didn't go to the doctor, it seemed from my pupils that I had had a concussion. My balance was okay and I even was able to ride home.

The next week or so I had a lingering headache on the opposite side of my head that the impact had been on, I read a little about concussions and it seemed normal that the headache would be lingering. At the end of the week I called a clinic to see about getting checked out but they told me to go to the emergency room, which didn't seem necessary at that point.

Although my vision and hearing has been fine my headache seems to sometimes feel like it is sort of behind my eye or near my ear. My left ear has been feeling clogged up on and off and sometimes when I wake up my eye has had some crust from fluid.

The second week after the injury it felt like my headache was subsiding and I drank some alcohol over the weekend. The following week it felt like my headache was coming back more, but now it feels like it is subsiding again. My thinking seems to have been fine but I have had a little trouble with mixing up sounds, like occasionally saying a "sh" sound instead of a "s" sound.

I don't have insurance and I would rather not have to go to the emergency room, have them give me an expensive CT scan then tell me to rest more. Sorry for such a long introduction but if anyone here has any advice or similar stories I would love to hear them. Been trying to stay positive and my headache is a 1 sometimes a 2 on a 1-10 scale, just don't want to make myself worse by ignoring the problem!

Thanks,

Patrick

Patrick,

Welcome to NeuroTalk. You found a good place.

You say you know you had a concussion by looking at your pupils. What did they look like?

You made a mistake drinking alcohol. You should limit alcohol to one serving per day. Same goes for caffeine

IF your head aches are only 1's or 2's, you are in good shape. Many of us have much more intense head aches.

It sounds like you need more time of quiet rest.

Let us know how you are doing.

My best to you.

Going to the emergency room now will result in two things: a diagnosis and a bill. The question is whether you will need the diagnosis in the future, which you may. Like Mark says, the best thing is to rest. If something starts to bother you, stop that activity. Do that and see how you progress over the next 2 months. Good luck.

You are not going to make yourself worse at this point (unless you keep drinking or bonk your head again). As long as you rest and take it easy, you will most likely be doing the same thing the doctor would tell you to do.

The only thing that sounds mildly concerning to me about your case is the fluid you describe. I don't think it warrants an ER visit, but if it persists or get worse, you might want to see an urgent care or a primary care doctor to have it looked at. I would be worried that there might be some type of fluid leakage.

There is, however, the valid point that seeing a doctor can get your concussion diagnosed and documented in case you need that in the future to prove something for some reason.

Again, ER may not be necessary. Is there another walk-in clinic that may be cheaper?

Thanks for the responses! I am feeling better today than yesterday and yesterday was better than the day before. I am going to be very careful with the drinking for a while.

The point about getting a diagnosis is interesting, the bike accident was with a city bus and the driver wouldn't give me any information. He told me I could call the cops but I thought I was okay and I told him to just leave because I wanted to get off the street.

I am not a big drinker and mostly just do it in social situations, but does anyone have any advice on when I should start again? I know everyone is different and I should probably just take it real slow when I do. Should I give it a couple months? More than that?

Again, thanks so much for the thoughts, it's nice to hear from people who have had similar issues. Reading through other people's experiences here has made me realize how delicate a thing our brains are. I definitely feel fortunate to be feeling like I am recovering.

I suggest you consider not returning to any buzzed drinking much less any drinking 'til drunk. Your brain will be far less tolerant of alcohol. Nobody can suggest how long it may take for you to recover an ability to drink.

Drinking can leave you spaced out and almost feeling drunk the next day as your brain tries to clear the toxins. You may not show a blood alcohol level but your brain will still struggle to function.

It is your choice but consider it carefully.

Many of us with limited driving capability know the risks of driving when the brain is struggling.

If your hospital takes medicare patients they MUST by federal law have an indigent program. You must ASK for it UP FRONT! you cannot wait to get the bill and then say "I cant pay this!" When you walk in, say i cant afford this, can you PRE qualify me for the indigent program. If I dont meet the critera please dismiss me without charge. They will send someone from billing to speak to you before providing care. (DONT let them treat you till you hear from them that you DO qualify)

Please avoid alcohol as you heal. you really need to be quite kind to your body and rest and allow your brain to heal.