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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffSeek emergency care for anyone who has had a head injury and has lost consciousness, is vomiting repeatedly, is having seizures or is having obvious difficulty with mental function or physical coordination.
Call your doctor if you have had a head injury and are experiencing ongoing nausea, pain, problems with physical coordination, or difficulties with memory, concentration or mood. If your child has received a head injury that concerns you, call your child's doctor immediately. Depending on the signs and symptoms, your doctor may recommend seeking immediate medical care.
Here's some information to help you get ready for and make the most of your medical appointment.
What you can do
- Be aware of any pre-appointment restrictions or instructions. At the time you make the appointment, be sure to ask if there are any steps you or your child should be following to encourage recovery or prevent re-injury. For example, if the office visit is because of a head injury from sports, ask whether it's safe to resume playing before the appointment.
- List any symptoms you or your child have been experiencing, and for how long.
- Write down key medical information, including other medical problems for which you or your child are being treated and any history of previous head injuries. Also write down the names of any medications, vitamins, supplements or other natural remedies you or your child are taking.
- Take a family member or friend along, if you are the one with the head injury. Sometimes it can be difficult to soak up all the information provided to you during an appointment. Someone who accompanies you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
For concussion, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- How severe is the head injury?
- Is it a concussion?
- What kinds of tests are needed?
- What treatment approach do you recommend?
- How soon will symptoms begin to improve?
- What is the risk of future concussions?
- What is the risk of long-term complications?
- When will it be safe to return to competitive sports?
- When will it be safe to resume vigorous exercise?
- Is it safe to return to school or work?
- Is it safe to drive a car or operate power equipment?
- Should a specialist be consulted? What will that cost, and will my insurance cover seeing a specialist?
- Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take home with me? What Web sites do you recommend?
In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask your doctor, don't hesitate to ask questions during your appointment at any time that you don't understand something.
What to expect from your doctor
Being ready to answer your doctor's questions may reserve time to go over any points you want to talk about in-depth.
You or your child should be prepared to answer the following questions about the injury and related signs and symptoms:
- Do you play contact sports?
- How did you sustain this injury?
- What symptoms did you experience immediately after the injury?
- Do you remember what happened right before and after the injury?
- Did you lose consciousness after the injury?
- Did you have seizures?
- Have you experienced nausea or vomiting since the injury?
- Have you had a headache? How soon after the injury did it start?
- Have you noticed any difficulty with physical coordination since the injury?
- Have you had any problems with memory or concentration since the injury?
- Have you noticed any sensitivity or problems with your vision and hearing?
- Have you had any mood changes, including irritability, anxiety, depression?
- Have you felt lethargic or easily fatigued since the injury?
- Are you having trouble sleeping, or waking from sleep?
- Have you noticed changes in your sense of smell or taste?
- Do you have any dizziness or vertigo?
- What other signs or symptoms are you concerned about?
- Have you had any previous head injuries?
What you can do in the meantime
Rest as much as possible in the time leading up to your appointment. If you have a headache, take acetaminophen (Tylenol, others). Don't take aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) if you suspect you've had a concussion. They may increase the risk of bleeding.
- Minor head injury. American Academy of Pediatrics. http://www.aap.org/publiced/BR_HeadInjury.htm. Accessed Feb. 12, 2009.
- Heegaard WG, et al. System injuries. In: Marx JA, et al., eds. Marx: Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2006:349.
- Concussion. http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec06/ch087/ch087c.html. Accessed Jan. 15, 2009.
- Evans RW. Concussion and mild traumatic brain injury. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 15, 2009.
- Living with brain injury. Brain Injury Association of America. http://www.biausa.org/education.htm#concussion. Accessed Feb. 15, 2009.
- Evans RW, et al. Traumatic disorders. In: Goetz GD. Textbook of Clinical Neurology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: W.B. Saunders; 2007:1185.
- Concussion. American Association of Neurological Surgeons. http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/what/patient_e/concussion.asp. Accessed Jan. 15, 2009.
- DePompolo RW (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb. 3, 2009.
