Experiences with concussion? Update in OP

Don't give Advil if there is blurry vision. Tylenol is safer. If there is a brain bleed, Advil can decrease the clotting factor. It's a pretty small risk, so don't panic if you did give him Advil. Hopefully your guy is doing better. Most kids recover pretty quickly, but I would ask for a drs note to keep him from PE and recess for now until he is symptom free for several days.

As I said, DS (17) had a severe concussion in the spring. He was snowboarding and caught an edge and flipped onto his head. He hit the back of his head with a lateral move, which we were told was the worst place and way to be hit. He had a headache the first day, but didn't say anything other than to ask for Advil. He was on a scout trip and the chaperones were dealing with a kid who fell off the ski life and got a concussion, so they weren't paying a lot of attention to the other kids. He was really crabby when he got home the next day and I just thought something had happened with a friend and he didn't want to talk about it. The next day (Monday), the school nurse called in a panic and said that I needed to come and take DS to the ER. The principal met me at the door and escorted me to the nurse. We went straight to the ER and they did a CT scan, which showed some abnormalities, so then they scheduled an MRI. (Military health care--it takes an act of God to get an MRI here.)

DS was sent home with Fioricet and told no lights, TV, video games, monitors, computers, reading... Total brain rest. Really, DS just slept at that point, as he hadn't been sleeping well (didn't tell me.) If he read anything at all, he got a headache. We saw a concussion specialist that week, and continued more of the same. That dr added Amantadine and recommended more protein and an Omega 3 supplement. DS went back to school after 2 weeks for an hour a day. He would attend class until he had a headache and then I would take him home. He had a lot of light sensitivity and wore sunglasses inside for about a month, including at school. Mental fatigue was also a huge factor for him. His dr put him on total academic restrictions--no reading, writing, tests or quizzes, note taking or computer work. He was allowed to listen to audio books and he would do a lot of that. He and I did a lot of hanging out in his room, just listening to books or music and light talking. Once he started feeling better, it got boring fast.

DS was getting better, but very slowly. We finally got the MRI done and it was clear. We saw a pediatric neurologist after 5 weeks, and he was cleared to go back to school at that point. But we eased into it, as DS had 5 honors/AP classes and needed to catch up with a LOT of homework. He would go back and forth for an hour of class, then home for lunch and rest, and then another hour of class, building more time into his school day as he remained symptom free. So he officially went back to school full time after 8 weeks.

You can ask about an imPACT test, which measures memory and response time. However, if your DS didn't have a baseline test before his injury, it will be of limited use. When he returns to normal activity, he should be symptom free for several days--how many days really depends on how long he is symptomatic. If he doesn't have a headache tomorrow, I would consider that a short duration, but if he still has a headache in a week, I would take longer to resume regular play. At the high school, Return to Play is Day 1, no symptoms. Day 2, light walking for 20 minutes, Day 3 is a jog for 20 minutes, Day 4 can be weight bearing exercise for 20 minutes and Day 5 is full practice, all with no symptoms. If the kids miss school, they have to do Return to School first, with increasingly removing accommodations (like the sunglasses and reading and testing restrictions), with no return of symptoms.

It's not unusual for kids not to notice their symptoms. DS has taken imPACT tests since 7th grade and attends a yearly concussion training, but never figured out he had a concussion until it got severe enough to be an emergency.

Good luck!

ETA:  I forgot to add the most important part!  We are almost 8 months out now from DS's concussion and he is doing great.  There doesn't seem to be any long lasting issues and he is doing really well in his six honors/AP classes.  But we did decide that he won't be accepting any offers to play college football (he's a senior now), due to how bad his recovery was.

Please let us know how he comes out.  I am sure it is minor, but better safe than sorry.

My 11 year old grandson got a concussion during football practice a few weeks ago. My DD who is a Nurse Practitioner promptly took him to the ER. Concussions are nothing to mess with. My grandson had a headache for about 3-4 days afterwards, missed the next week of practice and sat out the next game. Thankfully he's fine now. Please keep us posted on your DS.

My almost 12 year old DS had a concussion a week ago. They were playing what was supposed to be no tackle football at recess and of course some decided to tackle. He fell hard, but didn't want to be a wimp about it. So he didn't tell his teacher right away that his vision was wonky, his head hurt, and he felt like throwing up. His teacher said he must not be feeling well as he was white as a ghost. I wish Our son would have said something sooner and not struggled in school for over an hour before he finally called me!

He called me to come and get him, I knew something was wrong but I though maybe he had an altercation of some sort, his teacher asked me to get back to him once I knew what was wrong.

We got home and I made an appointment to see a doctor that afternoon, 5 minutes later he filled ani ce cream bucket with puke and some blood mixed in. I of course panicked and got him in sooner. He recovered from his concussion very nicely but does still get an occasional mild headache. Very scary stuff.

And I should add, the teacher was livid. He had warned the students many times already that they were only allowed two hand contact during recess because no one is wearing safety equipment. He had apparently gone to each classroom and laid into the boys, told them what our DS was going through, and it was nothing to mess with.

I rammed heads with my ex on a water slide. Dark tube type thing. His float got stuck and I came down and wham. I was out. I don't remember the ride etc .
I went to lay down in club area and after a few hours we left and I went to ER. I had a fractured skull and concussion. I was on total brain rest for a week. Then minimal for 2 more. Then it took several more before I could do anything for longer that an hour or two. It was so boring!! I still have headaches in that spot and my eyesight never corrected. I wear glasses now
Dr said it would have taken much longer to heal if I had not started the brain rest when I did.

I don't know a single thing about concussions. I got lucky, the boys played soccer for the longest time, but we never had head injuries. Knees injuries? Oh yes, but not head injuries.

After you asked the question, I googled the symptoms of a concussion because I wasn't really sure I would know if it happened. I found this website that seemed to explain the symptoms and things to look for in a way that was easy for me to understand. Two of the symptoms you described-dizziness and blurred vision. I would be concerned about a doctor that took those two symptoms and said he couldn't tell. 

You should check out the website, see how the symptoms fit, and then decide from there.

Can you stay home from work tomorrow and get him in to see your regular doctor? I'd be worried about the diagnosis of that doctor

There is so much good information in Sarah*H's post that I'm bumping it for iamkristinl16.

My sister suffered a traumatic brain injury a few years ago and has not recovered 100% (and will not).

You can't tell by looking if a concussion is serious or not, and you need to see a doctor who actually cares.

I think of urgent care for situations where I think I have strep or flu...  not a concussion.  I think you should go to your true doctor or ER, though with how long you have waited, maybe there is no point now.  I don't know.

I had a concussion twice and have a memory issue.  While for most, concussions don't have lasting impacts, there are the exceptions to the rules.  That's why an ER should be visited for possible head injuries every single time.  

You have heard of people who hit there head, feel fine so do nothing, and then die several hours or days later, correct?  

I'm sorry this sounds harsh, but every year, we hear of a snowboarding or skiing incident where somebody hits their head, is fine immediately after, and dies later.  Please get your son legitimately checked out.

Acutally all the tests they do for a concussion are neurological. They don't necessarily say concussion or how severe it was. CT/MRIs are approp if he cont's to have symptoms. I also believe the Impact test needs to be done before the event. So it would not tell them anything right now.

I don't trust those walk in places anymore. I took my 12 yr old DD to an Urgent care after she got hurt playing soccer. They x-rayed her foot and found nothing. Sent us home and told her to ice it. I took a look at the x-rays on my home computer. I was dumbfounded when I saw the fracture at the exact spot she was having pain. I took her right in to a foot specialist the next morning. It was BROKEN. The podiatrist was so ticked off at the Urgent care. He basically said they are mostly incompetent. In this case I have to agree. I won't be gambling at those places anymore.

I really, really hope you take him to see your Dr asap!

It sounds like you're following up with your medical provider you trust, which is a good idea. It's possible that with so many urgent cases (you mentioned a stroke and appendicitis), your son's care wasn't ideal. I find it shocking that he would suggest that if he wasn't knocked unconscious he doesn't have a concussion - I frankly wonder if the individual treating your son was actually a MD or you saw a NP or PA - although even they should be aware that the majority of concussions don't involve loss of consciousness. The fact that he didn't look in his eyes or exam him is also quite odd. I'd pay close attention to any symptoms that worsen. Most concussions are mild, and heal fine - but you don't want to mess around with the brain.