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Suggest Treatment For Spots And Bruises On The Forehead Post Injury
Question: Hi Doctor,
Last Sunday (Oct 23rd), I was talking over phone and unknowingly hit my head hard on "No parking" metal signboard on the pedestrian walkway (at the square edge). The hit was on three areas: 1. There was a very small/minor bruise on the middle of my forehead (no bleeding) & 2. diagonal hit on my left side of front top head & 3. a small cut in my upper lip due to the impact with my teeth.
Initially felt a bit scared, due to the sudden impact , but within a minute or two i was fine and walked to my office which was a few hundred metres away & continued my regular work.
I didn't encountered any blackout or any major pain thereon. (It is the 6th day today). In these days, i used to get some sore minor pain in the top of my front head, some mild headache on the left side and some lightheadedness (not continuous, just on and off).
Not sure whether it is due to the impact (or) anxiety, since i am on Sertraline 25 mg (for the past 1.5 years) for my anxiety & panic attacks.
I am able to continue my regular activities like official work, treadmill in gym and playing table tennis etc.
Do i need to go to the hospital for any follow up (or) these symptoms will go away on its own?
P.S: I have this lightheadedness problem for the past 1.5 years on and off. The doctors diagnosed it as vestibular neuritis and the anxiety/panic attacks which followed due to that & hence put me on sertraline 25 mg/day.
Last Sunday (Oct 23rd), I was talking over phone and unknowingly hit my head hard on "No parking" metal signboard on the pedestrian walkway (at the square edge). The hit was on three areas: 1. There was a very small/minor bruise on the middle of my forehead (no bleeding) & 2. diagonal hit on my left side of front top head & 3. a small cut in my upper lip due to the impact with my teeth.
Initially felt a bit scared, due to the sudden impact , but within a minute or two i was fine and walked to my office which was a few hundred metres away & continued my regular work.
I didn't encountered any blackout or any major pain thereon. (It is the 6th day today). In these days, i used to get some sore minor pain in the top of my front head, some mild headache on the left side and some lightheadedness (not continuous, just on and off).
Not sure whether it is due to the impact (or) anxiety, since i am on Sertraline 25 mg (for the past 1.5 years) for my anxiety & panic attacks.
I am able to continue my regular activities like official work, treadmill in gym and playing table tennis etc.
Do i need to go to the hospital for any follow up (or) these symptoms will go away on its own?
P.S: I have this lightheadedness problem for the past 1.5 years on and off. The doctors diagnosed it as vestibular neuritis and the anxiety/panic attacks which followed due to that & hence put me on sertraline 25 mg/day.
Brief Answer:
Not as effective.
Detailed Answer:
I am sorry but there is no such replacement. Mannitol perfusions are also used in cerebral swelling, but they are not as effective, and cannot be used for more than a few days anyway.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Not as effective.
Detailed Answer:
I am sorry but there is no such replacement. Mannitol perfusions are also used in cerebral swelling, but they are not as effective, and cannot be used for more than a few days anyway.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Doctor,
I am sorry, if i haven't phrased my question properly.
For my hit on the head, i haven't taken any medication , nor visited the hospital yet.
Just wanted to know if my minor pain/heaviness in the top of my front head, some mild headache on the left side and some lightheadedness (not continuous, just on and off) warrants a trip to the hospital & do i have to undergo any CT scan for this (or) i can just leave it to settle down.
Do you think it is something serious (or) Is it just due to my anxiety ?
It has been 6th day & i am able to do most of my regular office work, treadmill in gym, playing table tennis etc without much difficulty.
And what is the probability of a internal injury for this case, since i feel it is not such a severe blow, but just scared of any negligence since it involves the brain/head ?
I am sorry, if i haven't phrased my question properly.
For my hit on the head, i haven't taken any medication , nor visited the hospital yet.
Just wanted to know if my minor pain/heaviness in the top of my front head, some mild headache on the left side and some lightheadedness (not continuous, just on and off) warrants a trip to the hospital & do i have to undergo any CT scan for this (or) i can just leave it to settle down.
Do you think it is something serious (or) Is it just due to my anxiety ?
It has been 6th day & i am able to do most of my regular office work, treadmill in gym, playing table tennis etc without much difficulty.
And what is the probability of a internal injury for this case, since i feel it is not such a severe blow, but just scared of any negligence since it involves the brain/head ?
Brief Answer:
No reason for worry
Detailed Answer:
It is me who should be very sorry actually. That answer of mine was not directed at you. I am not really sure what happened, it was an answer to someone else's question, when I submitted it to that patient I got a blank screen. I thought there had been a connection issue, resubmitted it and then I noticed that the answer had gone to your question. Still not sure what I did wrong but I am very sorry. I noticed it right away and was about to contact the administrators of the site, but fortunately you wrote yourself.
Now coming to your question. Since it has been over 5 days now I do not think you have anything to worry. Head trauma complications like hemorrhage usually occur in the first 24 hours, 48 hours at most. It is very very exceptional for them to happen later, only rarely in the elderly with other conditions. So I believe you have nothing to fear by now, you are safe. I do not suggest to head to a hospital.
Some headache does commonly occur after a hit in the head, anxious people are even more prone to such a phenomenon. It doesn't represent a risk though. Apart from an over the counter pain killer such as Ibuprofen if needed and some rest no additional treatment is needed.
Let me know if I can further assist you. I apologize again for my prior mistake.
No reason for worry
Detailed Answer:
It is me who should be very sorry actually. That answer of mine was not directed at you. I am not really sure what happened, it was an answer to someone else's question, when I submitted it to that patient I got a blank screen. I thought there had been a connection issue, resubmitted it and then I noticed that the answer had gone to your question. Still not sure what I did wrong but I am very sorry. I noticed it right away and was about to contact the administrators of the site, but fortunately you wrote yourself.
Now coming to your question. Since it has been over 5 days now I do not think you have anything to worry. Head trauma complications like hemorrhage usually occur in the first 24 hours, 48 hours at most. It is very very exceptional for them to happen later, only rarely in the elderly with other conditions. So I believe you have nothing to fear by now, you are safe. I do not suggest to head to a hospital.
Some headache does commonly occur after a hit in the head, anxious people are even more prone to such a phenomenon. It doesn't represent a risk though. Apart from an over the counter pain killer such as Ibuprofen if needed and some rest no additional treatment is needed.
Let me know if I can further assist you. I apologize again for my prior mistake.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you very much for your reassurance doctor!
My family and friends were insisting me to visit a doctor and get a CT head/brain done just to be safe, since they were narrating stories where people started getting worsening headaches and dizziness after a week or so.
So, shall i continue with my anti anxiety medication (Sertraline) and some pain killers for some time ?
My family and friends were insisting me to visit a doctor and get a CT head/brain done just to be safe, since they were narrating stories where people started getting worsening headaches and dizziness after a week or so.
So, shall i continue with my anti anxiety medication (Sertraline) and some pain killers for some time ?
Brief Answer:
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
I do not think there is any need for a CT. Had it been done the first day would have made some sense (though would still tend to say no) but after a week I do not think it to be necessary. As I said the cases where there are later complications are in the elderly or in people with conditions which affect coagulation, not in healthy young individuals such as you. So unless there is some other symptom no need for CT. By other symptoms I mean headaches increasing in intensity, vomiting, confusion, seizures, vision issues, weakness or numbness of the limbs on one side etc.
As for the anti-anxiety medication you should continue it as you were initially prescribed. I do not know when did you start it but generally it is continued for several months (it may take up to 6 weeks for it to reach full effect).
You can take pain killers for some more days if needed. The headache should subside gradually though and you shouldn't need them. If instead the need for painkillers increases then that would be another cause for a consult.
I hope to have been of help. This was the second of your 2 free follow up questions. Because you wasted one such question due to my mistake, to make up for it if you have another question you can write to me on YYYY@YYYY . Otherwise you can close the query and rate it as you see fit.
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
I do not think there is any need for a CT. Had it been done the first day would have made some sense (though would still tend to say no) but after a week I do not think it to be necessary. As I said the cases where there are later complications are in the elderly or in people with conditions which affect coagulation, not in healthy young individuals such as you. So unless there is some other symptom no need for CT. By other symptoms I mean headaches increasing in intensity, vomiting, confusion, seizures, vision issues, weakness or numbness of the limbs on one side etc.
As for the anti-anxiety medication you should continue it as you were initially prescribed. I do not know when did you start it but generally it is continued for several months (it may take up to 6 weeks for it to reach full effect).
You can take pain killers for some more days if needed. The headache should subside gradually though and you shouldn't need them. If instead the need for painkillers increases then that would be another cause for a consult.
I hope to have been of help. This was the second of your 2 free follow up questions. Because you wasted one such question due to my mistake, to make up for it if you have another question you can write to me on YYYY@YYYY . Otherwise you can close the query and rate it as you see fit.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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