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March 19th, 2009
05:39 PM ET
Head trauma is nothing to be taken lightlyBy Val Willingham The death of actress Natasha Richardson is tragic. A beautiful, vital 45-year-old goes for a ski lesson and falls. She gets up, declines medical care and goes back to her hotel. From there, the story takes a terrible turn. She becomes ill, and is transported to one hospital, then another and then finally to a third hospital near her home, where she dies two days later from brain injuries caused by an epidural hematoma. Her family, friends and fans are shocked. How can something as innocent as a ski fall kill you? Because, neurologists say, the brain, although complex, is a delicate organ. It's very vulnerable and it needs to be taken seriously. And even a bump on the head can take its toll. Unfortunately, I know this all too well. Thirteen years ago, my husband, daughter and I were in a terrible car accident on the Florida Turnpike. On our way to Orlando, our vehicle was hit by a driver who had fallen asleep at the wheel. Although we all had our seat belts on, our car swerved and hit a bridge embankment. My husband's head went out the side window, hitting the windshield and the concrete. When EMS workers got to us, it looked as if a battle had taken place: burning cars, debris. And because my husband had a major slice to his head, blood was everywhere. I was not hurt, and my daughter had a minor cut from flying glass. They loaded us into ambulances and took us to two different hospitals, my husband headed for the local trauma unit. He stayed two days in the hospital. They stitched up his forehead and sent him home, mentioning that he may want to see his doctor once he got back to Washington, D.C. And although the whole thing was terribly traumatic, we left Florida three days later, with my husband behind the wheel of a rental car. Because he felt fine and there seemed to be no urgency to his injuries, my husband went back to work and made an appointment with his doctor to have a CT scan two months later. When he got off the table, the radiologist asked him to sit down and immediately called a neurologist. As the doctor viewed the images, his face turned pale and he asked my husband how long had it been since he was in the accident. My hubby shrugged and said, "A couple of months." The physician then told him not to move - he was going to schedule surgery immediately. It seemed my husband had developed a subdural hematoma that covered his entire brain. According to MayoClinic.com it's usually formed from head trauma that causes the brain to be shaken severely. Many children who suffer from shaken baby syndrome have these type of injuries. And unlike epidural hematomas, which bleed in the brain fairly quickly, my husband's injury developed slowly, causing a massive bruise to form. One false move could have given him a stroke, or caused permanent brain damage. Although my husband made it through brain surgery without incident, there is a lesson here. Never take a head injury for granted. When doctors looked at his scans in the ER in Florida, they obviously did not see the bruising that later formed over his brain. Because the brain is loaded with large and small blood vessels, head injuries can cause all sorts of serious problems. Studies have shown that athletes who suffer even minor concussions can develop neurological problems later in life. The brain is nothing to be messed with. Ironically, March is Brain Injury Awareness Month. And although brain injuries are not as common as, say, broken bones, they do happen and many have serious consequences. They need to be treated immediately. In this story, my husband got treated, before suffering brain damage. He was fortunate. God bless her, but Ms. Richardson was not. Have you ever faced head trauma? Know someone who has? What happened? We'd like to hear about it. Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.
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Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love. Recent Comments
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I was in a motorcycle accident 2 days ago and a car blew through a stop sign and hit us and I was thrown off the back of the bike. I hit my head very hard but didn't black out (I don't think) but I did lose the ability to move my body parts (paralysis) for 30-45 seconds. I could hear everyone and I could talk. Then everything started tingling and slowly I was able to move again...I thought I was going to be paralyzed. I have a nasty bump on the back of my head and some scratches on my hand. The hospital did a CT scan and everything came back ok...I was very lightheaded the next day, I'm just wondering why I lost the ability to move? Does anyone know? My boyfriend thinks it was shock...I don't think so...can someone shed some light? I'm having a hard time dealing with the whole ordeal:( I KNOW we both were VERY lucky!!
Over 12 lbs of steel fell on my head at the gym yesterday (the machine had had an incorrect weight put onto it). I have had the worst headache of my life and some nausea. Seen in ER last night. Physician did neuro checks but no CT SCAN. I am a 71 year old widow so per their directions I couldn't have someone wake me up q 2 hours throughout the night which I related to them.
So I had a serious brain injury in Jan of 2009...3 fractures of the skull, and bleeding of the brain. The bleeding stopped just in time that they didnt have to drill my skull to relieve the pressure. I slept about 18 hours a day after the injury for about a month, and i had to go to therapy to learn to get my balance correct because i kept falling into walls lol. Anyways, its been a year an a half, and for the past week, my head has been killing me just like it use to, in pretty much the same area. I also feel like i want to puke because of it it, and my sleeping is not going well. I sleep about 3-4 hours a day since the headaches have returned. Is it possible this is from the injury? Should i go back and get a CT scan or MRI or anything again to make sure nothing has happened since last year? Im scared as to this might not be a normal headache, but has to do with the injury.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
When I was 18, I was hit by a car while running. The car hit me from the back, and I did not see it coming. I cried out to God as soon as I realized I was being hit by a car. It was a miricle that I was up afer what seemed like seconds and walking with a limp, and one of my shoes came off. I know God proteced me when the accident happend. The way Ianded on the ground helped my. When I landed I ate the curb, and so most of the pressure of the landing was in my mouth. Of course my teeth got messed up, but I was just happy to be alive. Nothing mattered. I was in shock for a while and really did not feel anything. I remeber most of everything. Its crazy! I rember feeling really tiered while going to the hospital, and just foucousing on staying awake. They rushed me in and did all the procedurs and i was able to go home that night. But its been about 6 years since looking back after the accident I have sufferd much anxiety. I had a hard time conversating with others, and was forgetful of things, which I still am..I suffer from isnomia and other little things. I am just grareful to be alive. I have gotton married since then and have two girls, 2 and 4. Life is great, but I hope that their are not any surprises that will show up in the future. I just am thankful to God that he herd my cry to me and saved me!!!
Two years ago I fell off some step ladders cutting down some trees, the ladder went from under me and then came back
down and hit me in the side of head. I never felt such pain when they say you had ringing in your ears it was like the church bells at full pelt. I never went to have it checked and a i had a masive bruise for several weeks. Now though after
all this time it is still sore when I lie on that side of my head – Is this normal also i have been getting sharp pains behind by eye.
I am scared to go and have it checked. I feel fine otherwise.
I am 54 years old, In the 80's i was brutlally beaten up and chocked,. all i know i was in hospital for 11 days 7 days in intensive care. As the years have gone by , Reapeatley i have told doctors about my head preasure i the back of my head and my memory that has been slipping and my dizziness. They treat me like i am just depressed or think i am making up. Yes just recent i had a cat scans (circle of willis) and ultra sound on neck and brain cap test and mri . Fearing they will say there is nothing wrong when i know there is. Especially when i can not remember my childrens child hood and other past memories.This is and every day thing, And Now i also have Ringing in my ear and is about to lose my job on monday .Yesterday i called my sister and asked her a question about my abuse and she was hesitant to talk about it because they did not want to hurt me but she did say my head was full of egg bumbs(25) on my head.I was seeing purple people and purpe monsters and that was due from the chocking cause that is what i heard the man say when i woke up. I am just so scared , i feel i still have a good full life but when you still have pressure on the back of your head that has last for years and forgetfulness ,i feel my life will be over sooner, cause of lack of help.any suggestions?. Cry myself all the time cause I have 2 wonderful sons and 2 wonderful grandchildren i want to enjoy for a long time.
Sally Again, Just so someone can understand these symtoms
pressure in back of head, dizziness lightheaded, nausea, feel like some times my brain wants to shut down (actually alot of times ) so i lay down alot and try to just rest, forgetfulness, cnfusessed. Trying to remember my pass is very upsetting. cause i don't know.my eyes get exhausted and tired out .sted I also was told that i have nothing to worry about but have to small like pin hole in 2 of my heart valves but again nothing to worry about they say.
I cry cause i am scared because i believe no one is listening, or they just shove pills into me, and they don't care. ringing in the ear so bad , did tell the ENT about this . i hear my own heart beat in my ear. This has been going on for years. which i have told several doctors all of these sytems and i feel they just brushed me under the carpet. So PLease if anyone can shed some kinda light for me and give me some good ray of hope please write back with some good advice or something positivwe for me , please save me. Finally trying to reach out. Always to proud or Ashamed. Thank You !
It could be your nerves healing, don't stop getting the you need and deserve. I hope the attack did put dementia in motion. Is your bp high? Did they check if you had slight stroke?
My little boy fell yesterday while we were taking a walk he decided to go for a yard sale (so much like mommy lol) in a very crappy parking lot there were shards of metal rock sticking out everywhere he tripped and bunked his head i picked him up he cried a little bit and i thought everything was fine until i looked at him blood everywhere oozing out and a small goose egg on his head. a lady stopped her car and gave me a few wipes to wipe away the blood . all the blood came from a small cut not even bigger then my nail. I brought him home and told my hubby i wanted to take him to the hospital to which my husband said he was fine. we argued of course (me how can you say he is fine did you see all the blood!!! him is he crying/ is he unconsouse? ) but my son was running around and playing like nothing happened . i watched him through out the night and the lump is now less then the size of a quarter...but after reading this iam taking my baby to the hospital to check him out. hes 2 years old pray for him I feel so stuped for not taking him .
I hit my head on a shelf yesterday.And I'm terrified something is wrong.It hurts really bad when I lay on that side of my head.I'm so afraid I might not wake up.I've been praying that this will heal.I'm not really sure if I should get it checked out or not.
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I was pretty lucky much of my life as far as my head, but since the last 10 years, I have had head bumps, some not so bad, and some terrible. I had one bad fall in 2001. I slipped in my bedroom and hit the back of my head on a hard wood dresser. Anyway, the pain was extreme. At first I felt something warm inside my skull going over the top of my head. Then everything hurt, and I couldn't sit up for more than 20 minutes without getting dizzy. That went on for about a couple of months. I rested in bed for about two months before I started to feel better, but it took close to a year to really feel better. Then less than two years later, a roommate hit me over the head with a metal pipe. It might have been an accident, but there's no way to know. I don't think it was, but I had headaches for a good year after that even though it was not as bad as the first time. When I hit my head on the dresser, I remember having trouble walking for about a week or two. When I tried to get up to walk, my legs felt like rubber bands. I felt like I was walking on a trampoline or in thick sand. After about two months, I took a new job, but I felt too foggy to perform at my best on the job. The pain and fogginess eventually went away. I rested a whole lot when I first was hurt, and I think that helped. I fell right now in the kitchen, and hit the back of my head, and I was just trying to find out what to do other than to use an ice pack on my head. I hope this one wasn't too bad. I don't think it was, but I really hate this. I was cleaning the floor, and it was a little wet, and I slipped, but when I fell my head banged against the cabinetry. I think this is okay, but bad concussions can be really scary.
I kept passing out, I still don't know why. It might have been from stress, my mother had terminal cancer and I was her caregiver. After falling several times in two days, I finally fell so hard that I had a large gash in my scalp. I called 911 and they took me to the hospital where i was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma. The doctors operated and I was home within a week. The doctors wanted me to stay longer but my mother was alone and I had to get back to her. I still get dizzy every now and then but I now sit down right away until the dizziness subsides.
I hope your ok/
I had a slip and fall at a grocery store and hit my head and neck on the shopping cart as I was falling. I feel pressure on my right side of my brain and it aches all the time, I am scared that one day I will forget who or where I am. I've told my husband how it hurts and I don't know what else to do. I've been going to a chiropractor and some other doctors but it's like no one is listening to me. Someone please tell me what to do.
I slipped and hit my head in april of this year and havent been the same since, I go for a mri on the 13 of sept and i cant wait... I had a ct scan done 4 days after the fall and it showed i suffered a stroke....i remember a few days later trying to wake up and calling out to GoD and i think i died that morning..and GOD let me wake..It was the scariest thing ever not being able to wake up..i fell on wed and sat i had the stroke.. after finally waking i remember having a bad headache and problems talking , then i had speech problems and was walking like i was drunk..i went to the er and they confirmed i had a stroke...they say that it very unlikely that the smack to the head brought on a stroke but i think differently...its been months now and i still dizzy and suffer headaches, not to mention i feel so depressed..i cry all the time...my kids cry for there mommy back...the mommy they had before i fell...it breaks my heart...i fell the other day again because i still have bad dizzy spells and i think i fractured my collarbone and gotta go to the er today to see what the problem is...i heard some dont get better but i pray everyday i do get better,,,
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Hit my head on concrete over two weeks ago and I still get very dizzy when lying my head down or up is this normal
Does anyone reply to the post or are they just for reading others experiences, just wondering? Dizzy n confused
I tripped on back end of treadmill and was thrown back on to the back of my head on very hard cement floor of gym....this happened six days ago. Now the still large goose egg has begun to feel spngy like it contains a liquid. What is this fluid?.....Blood or wateryfluid??? The head scan showed no concussion. Is this liquid likely to result in further complications? I am 85
Does anyone know of a site where you can ask question and get feedback?
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There are two principal types of cerebral traumatic lesions: primary lesions, that result from a direct traumatic impact head trauma
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I was inpatient at a hospital in the U.S. and was hit on the right side of my head by two care takers that wer lifting me onto a CT scanner table. Immediately had pain in my neck that went straight to my head. I had severe light sensitivity. I tried to tell anyone who entered my room about the incident and they translated it into having a headache. They never made an incident report. and now I have the left inferior quadrant out of each eye and am now legally blind. This has ruined my life and I want to inform people so that it doesn't happen to them while these hospitals are cutting corners in care. I was 30 when this happened and am now told there is no fix for the optic radiations, part of the optic nerve that curves around to the back of the head. Two seconds of their negligences costs me a lifetime of vision. And they are denying imperical scientific results from neuro optomologists that have identified and assessed the damage to my brain and visual pathways.
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A girl slammed a large rock into the back of the left side of my head on Thurs. Aug. 17/12, walking with my friend on a busy st. I called the police, I declined the hospital when the ambulance came, as my head wasn't bleeding & apart from being slightly light headed, i thought that I was ok. Woke the next day, with a very stiff neck,& shoulders & sore head, my Dr checked me over & said I seemed ok, but to go to hospital if I had any problems. Today, I felt weird all day, felt as though I was going to pass out afew times when leaving work, also had numbness from my left shoulder, down my arm to my fingers & still stiffness & pain in my neck.
I went to the local hospital, got checked by a Dr. had Ct scan, said that my neck & shoulder looked swollen & my head seemed ok,but that I looked arthritic in my neck & to take Ibuprophen & put ice or heat on my neck & shoulder. I worry about the fact of getting hit in the head by the rock,& if I am going to have more problems down the road, as today, I felt at times that I was having trouble concentrating on just having a simple conversation.
Hi I slammed the top of my head with a car boot on Monday been in agony since even though taking paracetamol every 4 hours, dizzy n nauseated just wondered if this is normal and if it should settle down.
my ex husband was very viiolent and used to choke me until i blacked out and would puond my head into car windows, walls, mirror in bathrooms, and concrete on ground. It has been a couple of years now since I have left him and now I have to go see a neurologist because I am having vision problems, tingling in my arms, legs, head, and my feet feel like they are on fire sometimes. I feel kind of more like an airhead if you will. Missing little things at work more than usual. Does this have anything to do with my past trauma?
I was standing up & fainted – I fell back and hit the back of my head really hard – my boyfriend witnessed the entire thing, I was passed out by the time my head hit the sidewalk. It hit the sidewalk so hard that he heard the hit. I felt nothing until I woke up and the back of my head was so sore. I felt horrible and could not figure out what had happened – I was foggy, couldn't think straight and was nauseated & dizzy. I definitely had a concussion – later that day I developed bruised eyes on both eyes from hitting the back of my head so hard, plus my eyelids hurt to blink & were swollen. I definitely think I got out lucky on that one – the thing that scared me the most was having no control of hitting my head so hard.
I was bowling on Monday, November 5, 2012. I didn't realize that a portion of the floor was slipper, as I went to throw the ball, I started slipping backwards, couldn't hold my balance and fell backwards hitting the back of my head on the floor. Since I already have racked up medical bills, I put off going to the emergency but because my head was still bothering me, I decided to go to the emergency. However, the doctor indicated I had a contrusion and didn't need a scan. He recommended Motrin 800mg. However, my head does not feel good especially the part that slammed on the floor. I planto go to another doctor. Even after I told him I slammed my head pretty hard on the floor, he didn't feel it was serious.
Last night I was rollerskating my 2 boys and while standing i lost balance and fell backwards hitting my head... when i hit the floor it felt as if my brain shook.. today i woke up with a sore neck and shoulders.. ugh. did you experience the soreness too?
Last night I was rollerskating with my 2 boys and while standing i lost balance and fell backwards hitting my head... when i hit the floor it felt as if my brain shook.. today i woke up with a sore neck and shoulders.. ugh. did you experience the soreness too?
...O, I slammed the back of my head on the floor Monday, November 5, 2012 but didn't go to the emergency until Sunday!
I hope everyone here is doing better, so many injuries! I see this discussion has continued a long time. Yesterday I raised up under an open cupboard door really hard, and hit the top of my head. Immediately grabbed a blue ice from the freezer and put it there, in horrible pain. Looked at the ice and saw blood and got scared. Called husband home from work, as I couldn't see the injury. Pain was bad, took 800 mg motrin and took it easy all day. Weird dreams and didn't sleep much, but this morning it feels better but still very painful. Now I have to figure out how to wash blood out of my hair, although that's the least of my concerns.
My son(50) just passed away in Dec.. He fell backwards and hit his head then went home. He wouldn't go to a doctor. Apparently, he became unconscious after a couple of hours. (He was found the next morning, (the 14th) was rushed to the hospital for brain surgery but to much time has passed he was not able to recover. He was on total life support for 7 days and no respnse. He passed away Dec 20th. I am making a comment today that no matter whether the person thinks he/she needs to go to a doctor TAKE THEM or CALL AMBULANCE immediately. Had my son went to a hospital when he fell the outcome might have been very different. When we take a hard fall and hit our heads we think "oh, I'm ok I'll just lay down and rest and that is the wrong thing to do– but little do we know that our brain is possibly bleeding at that point.
Hello, I was in an accident in the beginning of December 2012. my head on the drivers side window and it shattered. But now 3 months later it still hurts. Not as bad but I know it's the same spot from the accident and hurts when I pull hair up, and other random times. I always have memory loss and forgetfulness so I can't tell what other symptoms it's causing. The accident was her fault.
Hit My head*