Head injury

[Tazz]

Was waiting for some work to be done while loading the bike in Blenheim the other day and noticed a dude checking the pulse of a guy on the ground in a yard across the street. Wandered over, thought he was dead for sure, he was unconscious right until I got to the gate (good 15-20 seconds at a guess).

Anyway, brief version but a little bit of blood splatter around, guy came to in a bit of shock and then reckoned he was right as rain and was a bit bewildered as to why I'd called an ambo. If it was up to him I'd say he would have just gone home, taken a few painkillers and more than likely never woken up the next day. He was a bit staunch about it so was trying to walk about, wouldn't take a blanket or jacket and wouldn't sit down until he started to feel a bit dizzy, which I'm glad happened otherwise the cheeky bugger might have tried to scarper

The chap doing some work for me just called to let me know he'd had an update. They had a peeve at his swede with some scans and the dude had a cracked skull, brain swelling and during the night was flown to Wellytown

Watch those scones people and get things checked out if you take a knock!

If I've learnt anything from this it would be there are easier ways to get a few months off work, to take a bit more notice of others helping too and also to take charge more readily instead of just assuming others are up to the task. Looking back the guys workmate was quietly, but absolutely, freaking the fawk out and really had no idea what to do. The other guy might have been his boss so he might not have been comfortable telling him what to do, who knows, but I really didn't pick up on it at the time.

[pritch]

Yeah if you've been knocked out it needs to be checked, it's possible that you'll just stop breathing while asleep.

Of course on the two occasions I knocked myself out we didn't know anything about that stuff. It's only recently that TPTB in Rugby have started taking concussion seriously.

[OddDuck]

Wow, that's scary.

The only one I've had to deal with was an older man (sixty-ish, maybe 70?) unconscious, facedown in a pool of blood, on the pavement. Sunday, mid-afternoon. My GF and I were the ones who found him.

She freaked out and didn't know what to do, didn't want to go close or anything, I just crouched down beside him, established that he had colour and was breathing, decided not to intervene further. At this time a woman came out of her house and saw us and the ambulance was called. Her son (paramedic) was with her and he took over from me.

The older man came to a few minutes later and almost had to be forcibly held to wait for the ambulance and proper checkup, he was wailing like a child that he just wanted to go home. We had to get a mirror to show him the condition his face was in, even then he just wanted to go home. He was panicked and the attention was making it worse.

When I found him, his glasses were by his feet, his hands by his sides. I think he'd realised that something was wrong, he'd taken his glasses off and dropped them, then he'd blacked out on his feet and just gone over like a tree falling. Straight onto the side of his forehead, on concrete.

I don't know the outcome, unfortunately, but it was a real object lesson in how patients can be unreasonable when they're in trauma.

I'd had a couple of first aid courses and already seen (and panicked a bit) at a pushbike crash resulting in a total winding and knockout, so it wasn't a huge leap to get involved with this one.

[Akzle]

yup. People suck, dont know whats good for em, and the "she'll be right" runs deep in the man-psyche.

Concussions a bitch.

Panicky people tend to get decked pretty quickly.

[JATZ]

The grey matters a delicate thing.

I've had 2 beauty knocks in the last few years. The first I could hardly move for a couple of days so just slept. Could've died from that one apparently . The second one some nice chaps came and picked me up in a helicopter and took me to hospital for a few days The heads still a bit fucked up even now
If somethings not right get it checked out, even a mild knock can have consequences

[Woodman]

Even a lot of smaller knocks like in footy can have serious long term effects. Not just head knocks either, sudden stops like in tackles, or hitting the ground hard. The studies done are not pretty reading apparently.

[Moi]

Years ago a kid at school fell and knocked himself out. Ambulance called. Sent to A&E where - told this several days later - his father, who was head of A&E, was on duty. Let others attend to his son though he did admit to keeping an eye on proceedings. When son returned to school, dad came with him and thanked us for calling an ambulance rather than just letting his son "recover in the sickbay" [which was normal practice back then]. Before anyone says "you called the ambulance because his dad was in A&E", not so... ambulance was called because we - including the school nurse - weren't in a position to make a call as to the medical condition of the lad.

Since then have insisted that any knock to the head needs to be checked by medical professionals.

[russd7]

it is amazing how many people will stand back and not get involved, if someone is so intent on getting up and leaving the best you can do is try and tail them and guide emergency services, can't physically restrain anyone.

[russd7]

Years ago a kid at school fell and knocked himself out. Ambulance called. Sent to A&E where - told this several days later - his father, who was head of A&E, was on duty. Let others attend to his son though he did admit to keeping an eye on proceedings. When son returned to school, dad came with him and thanked us for calling an ambulance rather than just letting his son "recover in the sickbay" [which was normal practice back then]. Before anyone says "you called the ambulance because his dad was in A&E", not so... ambulance was called because we - including the school nurse - weren't in a position to make a call as to the medical condition of the lad.

a few years ago another couple of kids jumped on our sons back and he fell forward on to an edge of a desk on his arms, the school could not get hold of us so made him wait in the sick bay from lunch time until end of day. no pain killers, one of the teachers was ex army and decided that there was nothing wrong with our boys arms.
first we knew about it was when he walked in after getting off the school bus, he was holding his arms up and said he had sore arms, i took one look at them and chucked him in the car and took him to A&E, both arms broken.
when i asked why the school hadn't taken him to doc or even given him some panadol their excuse was they couldn't get hold of us. piss poor really.

[Akzle]

a few years ago another couple of kids jumped on our sons back and he fell forward on to an edge of a desk on his arms, the school could not get hold of us so made him wait in the sick bay from lunch time until end of day. no pain killers, one of the teachers was ex army and decided that there was nothing wrong with our boys arms.
first we knew about it was when he walked in after getting off the school bus, he was holding his arms up and said he had sore arms, i took one look at them and chucked him in the car and took him to A&E, both arms broken.
when i asked why the school hadn't taken him to doc or even given him some panadol their excuse was they couldn't get hold of us. piss poor really.

haha. Cant top two, but did break my arm in primmer at morning smoko and the "nurse" didnt pick it. Same thing. Home. A&e. Broken. Fuck sake.

[F5 Dave]

Good on ya for helping, many walk by if there's someone, probably clueless there.

I've seen head injury try to scarper. Car crash, lots of drunk kids, like about six, in a car vs parked car. Trying to work out who was in the car, who is screaming causing trouble and who is actually worst hurt. Finally when ambo arrived we stood back a little assuming they had super powers but there was only two of them, head smack guy tried to make a disoriented run, for well somewhere, despite having been calmly sitting for several minutes.
Lesson learned.

[granstar]

These days are better than back in the 70's with the health system. Had a K.O after being binned off a bike as pillion, head into road. After coming too a few days later found I was wrapped like a mummy with extensive head injury but not one to lick wounds I felt good, strong and ready to get back on another bike again, and so went back to work, they released me on my request, hindsight -yay they call, got rid of another biker ,that action was questionable considering the confused state from that head bump.
Next 10 or so years were a bit of a shit recovering from that (memory loss, headaches, temper fits, very out of sorts affecting work and relationships. The system didn't want to know me see'n as I signed myself out so I toughed it out on my own with support from patient family and friends ( and i'm alright now ). Be wary, 30 years on, one finds a few things haunt from a well- spent youthfulness, the system doesn't assist documented or not, from old war wounds, .... milk A.C.C for what it's worth while it is still about.

At least these days some comfort that medical peeps check you out proper and have the equipment to do so.

[Akzle]

Good on ya for helping, many walk by if there's someone, probably clueless there.

I've seen head injury try to scarper. Car crash, lots of drunk kids, like about six, in a car vs parked car. Trying to work out who was in the car, who is screaming causing trouble and who is actually worst hurt. Finally when ambo arrived we stood back a little assuming they had super powers but there was only two of them, head smack guy tried to make a disoriented run, for well somewhere, despite having been calmly sitting for several minutes.
Lesson learned.

if they're screaming they're not that badly hurt.

[oldrider]

Body reaction to a head injury is not always a healthy indication that all is well.

In the sheltered world of today not so many people (especially children) are familiar with food production such as down on the farm.

As kids we often watched and assisted when it was time to knock off a few hens at cull time.

This is probably where the term headless chook originated!

It was fascinating to watch the occasional chook that escaped the grasp of the handler!

The headless chook would run all round the yard flapping it's wings squirting blood and banging in to things before it was finally caught again.

Unfortunately humans seem to behave the same way as the chooks do especially highly trained athletes when they get a head knock in the heat of their activity!

It is better to be safe than sorry IMHO.

[F5 Dave]

if they're screaming they're not that badly hurt.

Yeah, that was obvious, esp if they are an attn seeking little whore doing their best to get in your way while at least two of her friends were pretty seriously injured. I'd been taught to ignore (good old rider training courses in the 80s covered that sort of shit) but they still take up your bandwidth. Think she was the driver.