View Full Version : Banged my head in a fall today and now I’m panicking
So I went ice skating this morning. I’m an experienced skater and there were only six people on the ice. I stupidly tried a move I’ve never done before and fell straight onto my back and hit the back of my head.
I wasn’t knocked out, there’s no bump or any real pain other than my neck and back feeling a bit sore. I don’t feel dizzy or sick. This happened six hours ago and I’m panicking thinking what if I develop a headache, what if I have a small bleed on the brain which will cause damage without me noticing.
If there was anything wrong I’d have more symptoms now wouldn’t I?
Anyway my GP seemed annoyed with me and said that we should now start moving away from physical symptoms and start looking at psychological methods. I got upset at this point because I had just started to feel I was being taken seriously. He’s a new GP I changed to as I wasn’t getting anywhere with my old one who just used to tell me to take up Pilates.
Taken from one of your previous posts.
Have you looked at dealing with the anxiety issues?
No. Not yet. I have no idea what to do. It’s not just anxiety for me. I suffer from post traumatic stress. I can’t afford counselling and the CBT I’ve had in the past doesn’t work for me.
---------- Post added at 15:37 ---------- Previous post was at 15:36 ----------
Ironically I was trying to distract myself by going skating. Rather than spend another day in bed feeling sorry for myself I forced myself to go. Skating is something I love to do and usually my happy place. I thought it would take my mind off things rather than give me something new to worry about.
Well, its sounds to me like you took the major brunt of the fall on your back and then neck. I would be more worried about checking that your movement there is ok, bet it aches tomorrow :ohmy: If you had no signs of concussion, and haven't to this point, then it is unlikely that they will appear now. However, they do say that you can get a delayed concussion, although unlikely.
You can check out the NHS site (head bumps/concussion), which tells you what to look for and to contact your doctor about if any of those symptoms appear.
Part of dealing with HA, is understanding that sometimes some sensible first aid and education is necessary as minor injuries or accidents can happen. What I mean is that if I was to say to you- ohhh no, don't worry about it at all, then that might not be good advice, as how do I really know how you are feeling or will feel in an hour? It doesn't mean that you are going to get the worst case scenario (a brain bleed!!!), infact it seems almost impossibly unlikely in your case, but you should monitor how you feel anyway.
If you had no signs of concussion, and haven't to this point, then it is unlikely that they will appear now. However, they do say that you can get a delayed concussion, although unlikely. y.
Please put that last part out of your head. You would know by now. Kudos to you! You should feel good about battling through and going out. As was said, you'll no doubt be a little sore. An OTC pain reliever should help you navigate that :)
Positive thoughts
Thank you all for your replies. Rational brain knows it’s unlikely, anxiety brain says my daughter’s going to find me dead in my bed tomorrow.
I’m so fed up of feeling like this on a daily basis. I just wish I knew what to do.
Well, I did say it was extraordinarily unlikely, but I do think people should know what sensible things to check for in an accident.
Thanks for your replies everyone. Rational brain knows it’s unlikely, anxiety brain says I will be found dead in bed tomorrow. I’m so sick of feeling like this every day. I just wish I knew what to do.
I too worry about hitting my head when it happens. But I remind myself that there are 6 billion people all over the world, and im sure many of them hit their heads by accident everyday. Not to mention football players, rugby, hockey players. Sure, some get some sort of damage....but it seems like most of them end up just fine. Its hard to reason when you have anxiety, we always want to think we are one of the few who get the rare problems. Though ive never taken professional CBT before, Im sure that's what CBT is about....making you re-think those things.
I too worry about hitting my head when it happens. But I remind myself that there are 6 billion people all over the world, and im sure many of them hit their heads by accident everyday. Not to mention football players, rugby, hockey players. Sure, some get some sort of damage....but it seems like most of them end up just fine. Its hard to reason when you have anxiety, we always want to think we are one of the few who get the rare problems. Though ive never taken professional CBT before, Im sure that's what CBT is about....making you re-think those things.
Exactly. Skulls are brilliant, and made to withstand a lot of grief. The movie version where the hero can give one clout to the head of a goon and they instantly fall down unconscious every time is rubbish. If it was real life half the time the goon would be just stood there going "Ow, why'd you do that, you ******!".
Exactly. Skulls are brilliant, and made to withstand a lot of grief. The movie version where the hero can give one clout to the head of a goon and they instantly fall down unconscious every time is rubbish. If it was real life half the time the goon would be just stood there going "Ow, why'd you do that, you ******!".
That made me laugh! Thank you
anxiety brain says I will be found dead in bed tomorrow
Ohhh noooooooo, that is extreme. A bit of a bang, at the most would be mild concussion and it doesn't sound like you even have that, does it now.I'm sure you'd know hours ago if there was anything to be worried about. My dog HAS given itself concussion twice by running full pelt under a table and hitting it straight on, scared the life out of me. She has blue eyes and one eye was hugely dilated and the other a pinprick...took her to the vet who was amazed, said she rarely saw obvious concussion in dogs. Dogs do GET concussion of course, but cos they have dark eyes nobody notices.
**I am not a doctor or health professional so cannot comment on your particular situation. I just wanted to pass along my experience.**
Some of the responses to this post highlight some of the issues I and others have brought up on this board. While I think it's highly likely your head is fine, I don't think it's helpful to just assume it's anxiety and dismiss your concerns.
So - I recently had a (diagnosed) mild concussion by getting up quickly and hitting my head on something. Immediately afterward I felt noticeably dazed and lightheaded. I never developed a bump but, later that day, I developed a headache and nausea. I called my doctor after I, too, started envisioning worst-case scenarios. Here's what my doc told me:
My doctor said that medical professionals get concerned about a serious concussion if one experiences any of these:
1) loss of consciousness
2) memory loss of incident
3) dazed or confused lasting longer than the first few minutes after it happened
My doctor added that:
-People should stay awake for 8 hrs after a head trauma
-Initial signs of concussion are cognitive changes (not knowing name or president etc) and feeling disoriented.
-Pupil changes are late signs of a concussion.
-Concussions are determined by symptoms, not what’s seen on scans
-She told me I could have mild concussion due to my nausea and to see her the next day if I still felt nauseous or had a headache.
-She told me to call back immediately if I developed a bad headache, throw up, or nausea gets worse.
The next day I still had a mild headache and nausea so I saw my doctor in office. She diagnosed me with a mild concussion. I actually can't remember her instructions, but I believe it was basically to take it easy for a few days, rest as much as possible, don't read or watch TV. After a few days rest, headache and nausea went away, and I was fine.
**I am not a doctor or health professional so cannot comment on your particular situation. I just wanted to pass along my experience.**
If you are concerned about your head, anxiety or not, I believe it's always worth a call to your doctor's office.
Yep, I agree with you actually, I think education is a good thing about this type of thing.....as I said earlier....
You can check out the NHS site (head bumps/concussion), which tells you what to look for and to contact your doctor about if any of those symptoms appear.
Part of dealing with HA, is understanding that sometimes some sensible first aid and education is necessary as minor injuries or accidents can happen. What I mean is that if I was to say to you- ohhh no, don't worry about it at all, then that might not be good advice, as how do I really know how you are feeling or will feel in an hour?
Hopefully the OP is feeling fine now though?
Thanks for your replies. The last couple are particularly helpful. I don’t have any of those symptoms so I’m hoping to get some sleep now. My neck and upper back have taken the brunt of it. My neck especially is extremely sore and stiff. I guess I’ll be feeling it tomorrow!
The first aid guy at the rink did say that he thought I was lucky because my hair had cushioned my head with it being tied up in a bun, it acted as padding when I fell ��
I'm always banging my head against the wall :D
Dealing with some of the people I have I deal with its a wonder I don't have some sort of injury too my head,some might think differently.:winks:
I was putting some things away, lost my balance and rammed my bald head into the wall. My head was fine sand a small lump. The wall was another story ~lol~
Positive thoughts
Mindprison
08-02-18, 00:37
My grandpa slipped on ice last week and banged his head pretty hard. He's 78 and his skull still managed to absorb the shock of it with no lasting damage. As Axolotl says, the skull is rather strong, it's there to protect one of your most vital organs after all. Don't worry about it.
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