concussion...see doc or no?

I took a pretty hard digger at TSR yesterday. I couldn't remember anything about the day for about an hour, and was kind of confused as to where I was or how I got there. I also got slightly lost trying to drive home. Today my neck hurts and I still have a bit of a head ache. I had intentions of going to the clinic, but they don't check for concussions and said I would have to go to ER. I really don't want to go to the ER because my insurance (Blue Cross Blue Sheild) charges $100 co-pay. Should I suck it up and pay?

imo, yes. a $100 co-pay to find out you're fine is a lot better than time in intensive care after you find out you're not.

i'm thinking yea... thats pretty cheap to make sure your melon is ok. concussions are weird. I'd do it, especially if this isn't your first.

Yea, you better go get yourself checked out man!

i had a concussion last monday ridin. i was dizzy and lite headed. my site was a little blurry too. i called my local urgent care and they said they couldnt se me cause they couldnt do cat scans. i said bs and showed up any ways. they looked at me did the vitals and checked my eyes and reflexes. they said i had a minor - mild one. over a week later i still have dizy spells once a day. my intial symptoms took 5 days to wear off. it scared the hell outta me. to me the peace of mind knowing that my symptoms werent out of the ordinary for a mild concussion. they said nausia and severve headaches were serious and if that happened go to the er. i think its worth it to make sure its not super serious. imo after this experiance any concussion is serious. good luck

I would go to the doctor immediately. Your health is more important than asking that question... Sorry to be harsh but again, brain injuries are serious.

whats ur brain worth a $100? Go get it checked out. Concussions are serious stuff.

It is probably a good idea to go to SOME doctor to talk about head injuries with a medical professional. You need to know some important things about what kinds of ongoing symptoms to expect, or watch out for...and the severity of follow up injuries before you are completely healed. It is better that this advice get to you straight from a Dr rather than an internet forum.

I've had 2 knocks from riding and a third from something else. After the 3rd I had some concerns about remaining symptoms from the second so I went to the ER and had the full run down including a cat scan. The symptoms I was worried about turned out to be unrelated to the prior head injuries. It was worth the peace of mind to have the cat scan done and know that there was not significant long-term damage.

Chances are, you have nothing to worry about and just need to sit out for a while...but you really should at least have the discussion with a medical professional. I would think you could do this at your clinic aside from a full check-out.

If you have BCBS, you have the 24 hour nurse line. They'd be the best people to answer that question for you. I imagine they'll tell you to get yourself checked out.

i called the 24 hr nurse too, she read off of a computer screen to help me when i asked a question that she had to think about she would say umm well on the computer says.... i went to see a real medical professional not a robot

The nurse line isn't for real medical help. It's just a sort of human-operated flow chart. That flow chart will either end in "Seek professional help" or "If you experience X, seek professional help." It's worth the call since you're already paying for it anyways.

I had one at the end of last season. GO GET CHECKED OUT! Mine seemed like no big deal, and then a few days later, I went to get out of bed in the morning, and I couldn't even walk across the room because I was so dizzy. So better to be safe than sorry.

if you want to get "geeky" for a moment and read some new scientific lit on concussion check here. can potentially be pretty serious stuff
http://byunews.byu.edu/archive08-Mar-concussion.aspx


In the mean time i am gathering information to conduct an experiment on helmets and whether or not the increased surface area will increase chances of concussion or not (unless myth busters does it first). so far i have only found info that says "The analyses of water skiing– and wakeboarding-related injuries treated in US emergency departments in 2001 to 2003
highlight the differences in injury patterns for these 2 sports. The substantial number of head and facial injuries among wakeboarders
underscores the need for research on the potential role of helmets or other protective gear to reduce these common injuries."

I went to the Medclinic. The doc said I had a minor concussion and whip lash and to stay off the water until the weather gets better...or did he say 7 days? I can't remember...

bendow, listen to your body when you get back on. If get dizzy or a headache, stop.
Just remember it can be serious. Judge how important your brain is in relation to how important a ride is.

ya have been out already for 10 days and still dont feel quite right. I'm planning on waiting very impatintly at least another week

After about the first 4 hours after a concussion there isn't really anything the hospital can do for you. i was told that by a Dr when i went in after my really bad concussion. They said the first 4-6 hours are the most critical so if you get past that point, the hospital can't do much for the actual concussion. But keep tabs on yourself and see if you start feeling normal again or if you are still out of it. if you don't start feeling normal again, then you should go see the dr because there could be something else wrong.

I'd say if you can't remember posting this then you should go...

From rugby we are told by the team doctor that with a concussion you wait one week after having NO symptoms...any Dr who says longer is just saying so due to liability...but that does mean any symptom...so if you go for a job and feel light headed or get a headache you still have to wait a week....I always due some sort of physical activity and if I feel good its a good step towards being good to do something with contact.

thats great advice shane. i think thats what i'm going to do

I meant jog not job also lol.

Ben, what trick were you doing? Let me guess.....a raley to blind to the outside.
I'm glad to hear you went to the doctor.

Ha! very close Louis. Actually it was that blind ole 313 to the outside. I almost landed a few, but kept on butt checking...don't know if I'll be trying anymore soon...

YES...definitely get checked out. You had more than just a bump to the head. You can die from a serious concussion. Your life is worth more than the 100.00 co-pay.

Just make sure you are ready for the No Fear Tourney at TSR in June!!

(Message edited by rnopr8 on March 27, 2008)

if your are serious than youe worse off than you think and should goto the doc right away. man come on its not worth it.

if your are serious than your worse off than you think and should goto the doc right away. man come on its not worth it.

its just a concussion... not that big of a deal. did yall go to the doc. every time you got into a fight when you were younger. unless you are feeling dizzy and seeing spots or even blacking out then i would go. i have had 9 concussions over the last 6 or 7 years due to motocross and supercross. i have been to the doc a couple time because the helecopter was already taking me there and all they will do majority of the time is tell you to go home and dont go to sleep for a while. i know that they can be serious but you will notice that something is wrong. from my ems experience, the people that end up in bad shape from concussions continued to ignore the signs and symptoms. memory loss is very common and so is vomiting and pupil dialation. the first question that most of them ask is what happened and cant even remember there phone number or what day it is or ever how they got to where they are at. some times the memory comes back in time sometime it doesnt. to each his own.

Side impact concussions are more dangerous, vomiting is a bad sign, complete loss of consciousness from the event is more severe (especially if greater than 2 minutes), later loss of consciousness requires 911, concussions hardly ever require medical intervention. Just rest, no aspirin (cause it makes you bleed), no alcohol, no working out, no yelling at your kids. Have someone keep an eye on you for a day or so. Severe symptoms from significant head injuries usually occur within 24 hours and are preceded by severe headaches. Other than that, it's just a concussion. Wear a helmet because multiple concussions lead to depression later in life.

helmets will help keep you from splitting your head open but wont stop concussions. i had a helmet on everytime ive had mine, of course a hard fall from 20 feet in the air with a two hundred pound motocycle falling on top of you doesnt care if your wearing one or not. lol.. i will never ride on the water or anything else without one for sure though