Hi all -

There are several medical folks here, and I'm gathering thoughts regarding head injuries.

My ex left on Thursday to visit her parents. DD went along. While they were at the airport, my ex fell while carrying DD. DD hit her head on pavement. DD didn't cry much and soon afterwards was running around the airport, so my ex thought she was okay.

Just before they got on the plane, DD threw up the first time. She continued throwing up on the plane, and my ex took her to the emergency room once they arrived at their destination.

At the ER, she was checked and then they did a CT scan. No fracture, no bleeding, but a bruise on the brain. I've been translating that in my own mind to "concussion," though I'm not sure it's a medically accurate term.

They said to expect the throwing up to last for several days or a weeks, that she should be very irritable and probably very tired for a while as well, and sent DD home. They said they wanted her to be seen by a doctor in 48 hours to make sure she was still all right.

Thursday night DD threw up a few more times and then slept a lot with a few wakings for water and being changed.

Yesterday (Friday), DD was limp, out of it, and mostly wanted to either sleep or cry. She threw up once early in the day. That was the last time she threw up. Towards the end of the day she perked up some and ate (jello and broth), but then drooped and developed a fever.

Throughout the last 3 or 4 days, she's been saying "booboo in the crotch!" and exhibiting signs of pain. That, combined with the fever, led to a suspicion that there was a pre-existing urinary tract infection in addition to the concussion.

This morning DD was considerably better -- my ex described it as a huge improvement over yesterday -- but then as nap time approached she developed fever again. I got to talk to DD this morning for the first time -- the day before she listened but didn't have anything to say, and the night before that she was too cranky and tired to talk. All through this I've been hearing her in the background and she sounds like herself in terms of language and clarity of speech, but clearly very cranky and tired and whiny as well.

So, after much debate (my ex resisting the idea) and after DD's nap, they finally took her over to the urgent care facility this afternoon to see what was going on. They're there now and I'm waiting to hear what the diagnosis is.

My question for everyone here is: Is there anything in particular that you would recommend we look for or at? It's been rather confusing because it doesn't seem like the concussion would account for everything that's going on.

It's also rather stressful to be several hundred miles from DD when she's this sick! My ex has been good about keeping me up to date, but man it's hard.

Oh, and last question -- any thoughts on the safety of DD flying back home in this condition?

*sigh* I love parental worry. And I know it only gets worse as they get older. *sigh*

So sorry for your little one .the only thing I can tell you is a concussion will cause throwing up and dizziness. I have had one - the fever no something else is going on. I am no medical expert by any means. Wait for the dr's report. Children do bounce back but scare the h#ll out of us parents.

Well, after much waiting and effort, DD finally peed in a bag (the indignities they have to suffer!) and the urine was tested. Negative results; she does not have a UTI. Whatever was up with the fever, they think it's not anything to worry about and DD is cleared to fly home tomorrow.

What a long and stressful few days it's been.

Ok,my opinion as nurse...and my opinion is not to be substituted for the judgement of the health care workers who are directly involved in your daughters care. Without more info I'm hesitant to tell you any more than the following:

(Am hoping Lemonman will jump in, since trauma is more his expertise than mine)

Bruising can cause swelling, swelling increases intracranial pressure, an increase in pressure or head injury can manifest in many ways. An increased pressure can be caused by quite a few things including trauma to the brain. For example signs and symptoms include, nausea, vomiting, behaviour changes, pain, lethargy, dizziness and possibly disruptions in some mechanisms of homeostasis (ie. body thermoregulating abilities), if the injury is severe enough.

It is important to assess your daughter's level of conciousness regularly. If it appears she is getting worse and not better she must be reassesed immediately by a physician (hopefully one who specializes in these types of things). Monitor her temperature regularly. Check with her physician or nurse before she is given any medications at home.

It is important that the cause of the fever be dealt with. Did she already have something "brewing" before her injury? It sounds as though this is the case. It is easy enough to send a urine speciman to the lab to see if she has a urinary tract infection. Have the physician order a urine test to check this out. With her history I doubt the physician would refuse your request. Some antibiotics will take care of that type of infection.

It's also important to remember that it cold and flu season. Is it possible that your daughter has a "tummy bug"?

It is important that your daughter be reassed after 48 hours of her initial head injury. So, don't question or wonder if you should bother taking her back to the physician's. She needs to be reassessed. Take the professional advice you are given and feel free to ask questions of your daughters health care team. There is no reason that you should have to feel stressed about your daughter's condition due to a lack of information. Most health care professionals are more than willing to answer all of your questions. Why don't you and your ex come up with some question together and your ex can ask at the 48 hour reassessment apointment!?

Hi mgm and thanks for the thoughts. DD has been re-evaluated and is said to be fine. I should also say that my ex's sister is a (brand new) pediatrician and has been spending quite a bit of time with them. The sister has also talked to her attending physician about DD, and their view is that she's okay. So that's roughly three medical opinions that say she's okay -- and a few lab tests to back it up.

Whatever's causing the fever, it seems to be relatively easy to control with Tylenol, so that's what they're doing.

Oh, and at last report, DD has gotten her appetite back and is demanding macaroni and cheese. They're not planning on doing that quite yet, but she did have a few goldfish.

The lack of information isn't because of medical professionals -- it's just that because I'm not there, I don't get first hand information and don't get to ask the questions that I would normally ask. And I can't be there to count DD's fingers and toes and hug her and cuddle her and make sure for myself that I understand what's going on. Frustrating even when I know she's in good hands.

Sounds like your DD has received appropiate care and evaluation. I still think it is important to monitor her neurological signs (looking for lethargy, etc..), but I suspect she will be fine <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/smile.gif" /> Sounds like she has a "viral illness" that is coincident with all of this. Her loss of appetite and irritability is likely due to the viral syndrome she has and nothing to do with her minor concussion. If she has further waxing and waning headaches or any significant change in mental status, then I would bite the bullet and reimage her with a CT scan to rule out a subdural hematoma although I think you have nothing to worry about here.

Cheers <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/smile.gif" />

LM

Thanks LM!

Goldfish crackers..a sure sign a recovery is in progress!! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="images/icons/wink.gif" />

heh, mgm...maybe I should buy my husband a huge box of goldfish for valentine's day?!?!?


Hope your daughter is feeling better quick, Just J!!

Absolutely! Not sure of the long term efficacy of Goldfish, but I do believe they may be a quick fix!! "The snack that smiles back...Goldfish!!" <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" />
Can you tell I have two kids that have been impacted by expert marketers?? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" />

My favorite part of the jingle: "Before you bite their heads off!"

mgm,

A site for you and your kids--Goldfish

Sorry for threadjacking, Just J!

HeHe..too cool! Again, sorry about the threadjack JustJ.

Just J, how's your daughter doing today?

Heh. All in all, I much prefer a cheerful conversation about goldfish to any of the other things that I could be reading about on MB!

I haven't talked to my ex yet this morning. I should probably call her and find out how things are going......

Well, she didn't answer her phone, so I left a message. I'll try again in a while. I suspect they're going to have a tough time with the travel today, what with all the weather delays and insanity from yesterday. What fun.

well, keep us updated, Just J. Yeah, I'm sure it won't be any fun for her to travel with weather delays when she's not feeling well.

She'll be in my thoughts!

I spoke to my ex a while ago and DD seems to be fine today. My ex is going to bring DD by tonight and she'll stay with me. Yay! I'm not scheduled to see her until tomorrow morning, but we agreed it would be better to let her have the opportunity to go to sleep and not have to wake up until she's ready to.

So much for my date being more than a short dinner tonight, but that's all right. It's only a first date anyway. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="images/icons/smile.gif" />