question for nurses and such folks (Full Version)

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lally2 -> question for nurses and such folks (10/30/2010 5:04:16 PM)

can anyone tell me what the correlation is between low blood pressure and recovery from concussion following unconciousness.  ive checked it out on the web and there is a correlation but i cant seem to find out why that is or where it stems from.

thank you x



LadyPact -> RE: question for nurses and such folks (10/30/2010 5:06:23 PM)

Is this something that I could have clip send you an email about, lally?



Tantriqu -> RE: question for nurses and such folks (10/30/2010 5:22:56 PM)

1. Talk to a doctor or a hospital hotline about this, don't rely on website information
2. Post-concussion syndrome and/or brain injury from concussion can cause a lot of nasty things, which might slowly improve up to two to three years after injury. Vague symptoms of faintness and fatigue are very common, but tend to be worsened by depression about the brain injury, and changes in thought processes and mood.
Documented low blood pressure and loss of consciousness in someone with previously documented normal/high blood pressure would be evidence of direct brain injury, swelling and/or scarring.
3. See #1.

Good luck!



lally2 -> RE: question for nurses and such folks (10/30/2010 5:41:47 PM)

yes please Lady P.

ive been checked out, had all the proper stuff done.  i suppose i just have to wait for it all to go away - i couldnt find anything about low blood pressure and concussion,  thanks Tantriqu x



lally2 -> RE: question for nurses and such folks (10/30/2010 6:17:12 PM)

the thing is they didnt explain about the low blood pressure - it was consistantly low but everything else was improving quite quickly, in that the dizzyness and lack of co-ordination was alot better by the morning.  they watched me through the night and kept waking me up and in the end all they said was that the doctor reckoned i was dehydrated and that was the cause of the low bp.  but that doesnt ring right with me, i wasnt that dehydrated.  i expect to be feeling like this after the concussion i had, but the low bp is bothering me.

im sure i did get a servere wollop to the head - i was in a car crash and im very lucky to have just come away with bruising and concussion, but theres no obvious bump to my head even!  so im a bit confused by how i could be having these symptoms even.

youd think the hospital would have filled me in really. x



bestheadyet -> RE: question for nurses and such folks (10/30/2010 9:15:26 PM)

lally i hope they scanned your head sweetie.....if they didnt they honestly should.
i AM a nurse and also have had personal experience with head injury.
quit worrying with the BP and make sure there is no internal little things hiding in that pretty head of yours.
i cant stand thinking youre hurt but geesh i am so relieved youre alive to tell about it really.
hugs and go get that scan dear
jos



Arpig -> RE: question for nurses and such folks (10/30/2010 9:28:21 PM)

I am probably not a good example, but I have had several concussions (I fell down some stairs and cracked a concrete floor with my head once) and have had no adverse after affects from them...head hurts for a few days and thats it



DMFParadox -> RE: question for nurses and such folks (10/30/2010 9:55:49 PM)

From the National Institute of Health's Library:

The following symptoms suggest a more serious head injury -- other than a concussion or contusion -- and require emergency medical treatment:
  • Changes in, or unequal size of pupils
  • Convulsions
  • Distorted features of the face
  • Fluid draining from nose, mouth, or ears (may be clear or bloody)
  • Fracture in the skull or face, bruising of the face, swelling at the site of the injury, or scalp wound
  • Impaired hearing, smell, taste, or vision
  • Inability to move one or more limbs
  • Irritability (especially in children), personality changes, or unusual behavior
  • Loss of consciousness, confusion, or drowsiness
  • Low breathing rate or drop in blood pressure
It doesn't explain whys, though. Still scanning...

Ugh.

Ok, anecdotal then.

Assuming that you don't have a brain 'leak', what a concussion can sometimes do is alter your chemistry. Some types of signal transmitters traveling through your blood can lower the pressure. Just like adrenaline raises it.

There are numerous ways this can happen. All kinds of things tell your body to slow down, or calm down, or open up capillaries, or pool blood in a certain location... Oxytocin's one example out of many.

Or something could have knocked loose potassium from somewhere. Or you could be eating more potassium. Or less salt. a.k.a, pre-existing condition masked by the knockout.

Those are some possibilites. The least likely is that you're bleeding internally, and I think one of your posts said they checked you out alright? If not though get checked NOW, as of course you already know.



DMFParadox -> RE: question for nurses and such folks (10/30/2010 10:17:18 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: lally2

the doctor reckoned i was dehydrated and that was the cause of the low bp.  but that doesnt ring right with me, i wasnt that dehydrated. 


Dehydration can be very deceptive. It's not like being hungry; not obvious. And water depletes much faster. You go on, and on, and on, without water... until you don't. Boom.

So drink water even if you're not thirsty. Unless you're a California State University undergrad with a penchant for drinking until your stomach explodes, you're not likely to overdose on it.



tazzygirl -> RE: question for nurses and such folks (10/30/2010 11:36:56 PM)

lally, perhaps this can help you understand...

In addition to classifications of concussion or severity of brain injury based on length of loss consciousness, amnesia and complications presented below, classifications of head injury also include closed head injury and penetrating head injury. Head injuries may be complicated by intracranial hemmorhages, epidural or subdural hematomas, edema, brain swelling, axonal shearing, diffuse axonal injury, immediate or delayed onset seizures, as well as coup and contre-coup effects. Brain swelling can cause the brain to push down on the brainstem and other structures at the base of the brain causing further damage, herniation and death. Sometimes the trauma causing the brain injury also directly or indirectly results in hypotension with associated hypoxia or anoxia which may result in further damage to the brain, most typically in areas involving executive functions and memory

http://cpancf.com/Brain_Head_Injuries.asp

There are many mechanisms and causes of hypotension, such as excessive bleeding resulting in loss of blood volume, congestive heart failure resulting in decreased cardiac output, or injury to the brain or spinal cord resulting in excessive vasodilation (dilation of arterial blood vessels). Diabetes can result in nerve damage that disrupts the reflexes that control blood pressure (Turkington 2004). Hypotension often is associated with shock, though not necessarily indicative of it.

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Hypotension

Now, having posted that, i have a question for you. Has your bp always been on the low end? It could be something totally unrelated to your concussion except for the fact that they discovered it while discovering your concussion at the same time. Many people have low bp that really doesnt affect them... some only if they try to rise too quickly.

You said you felt better by the morning... i wouldnt worry too much unless it continues past a week or gets worse. If it really bothers you, call back to the ER and ask to talk to a nurse there who can pull up your chart.



subkatslut -> RE: question for nurses and such folks (10/31/2010 12:40:19 AM)

The other question is how low is your blood pressure? I've been on medications that have had mine at an average of 100/60 and mentioned it to my doctor and he said it was not concerning especially because I had no ill effect from it. Even though 120/80 is the standard so to speak 110/70 is actually more desirable they are finding. I don't think it's until you start getting below 90/50 that there is real cause for concern and even then more a need to explain it as opposed to omg something is really wrong.

Of course the meter on that is what is typical for you and even then it fluctuates over periods of time. Are you monitoring it yourself since you've been home or was this merely a concern because you left the hospital at a lower reading and it kind of freaked you out? It could very well have leveled out since then.

Could there be other medications involved? Maybe pain killers or other drugs they gave you at the hospital that might have lowered it? Or that you may still be taking?

I'm with tazzygirl on this one. So many things can affect blood pressure that unless you start to become symptomatic in other ways or it continues I wouldn't overly worry at this point. It sounds like they did the proper tests and thoroughly checked you out. I also assume they discharged you with warnings and what to look for in terms of when to be concerned or not.



lally2 -> RE: question for nurses and such folks (10/31/2010 2:44:35 AM)

guys, thanks, really - big thankyou. 

i was in shock.  one minute i was going home then i was in a wreck - i dont remember any of it, thankfully.  i was in shock though, so that might be why my bp was low.  i dont know how low, they didnt tell me, actually they didnt tell me alot. i didnt have a brain scan - i had lots of exrays to my body looking for breaks, but they didnt exray my head.  i dont normally have low bp.

now im dizzy when i stand up, im having to be careful going round corners, but that might be part of the concussion still ??

arpig - lol - you must have a head like a demolition ball

thank you everybody - now i know that low bp can be part of concussion, dehydration didnt add up to me, im usually pretty good at drinking water, im a bit of a water freak to be honest.  ill call my doc tomorrow and ask him if i need to have another bp check.

thanks for all of youre help. now i know bp can be affected by concussion and shock i can relax a bit - im ok otherwise, not sick or anything, getting better all the time.  xx



pahunkboy -> RE: question for nurses and such folks (10/31/2010 5:17:33 AM)

it can take a year to recover from a concussion. 



bestheadyet -> RE: question for nurses and such folks (10/31/2010 5:51:49 AM)

FOLLOW UP AT THE HOSPITAL LALLY,YOU REALLY NEED YOUR HEAD EXAMINED....FOR REAL!!!
DIZZY ISN'T NORMAL....PLEASE ERR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION....NATASHA RICHARDSON WAS 'FINE' FOR A FEW DAYS AFTER HER FALL.
PLEASE,LALLY...DO WHAT U HAVE TO DO TO GET THE ct SCAN



DomKen -> RE: question for nurses and such folks (10/31/2010 6:22:27 AM)


quote:

ORIGINAL: lally2

guys, thanks, really - big thankyou. 

i was in shock.  one minute i was going home then i was in a wreck - i dont remember any of it, thankfully.  i was in shock though, so that might be why my bp was low.  i dont know how low, they didnt tell me, actually they didnt tell me alot. i didnt have a brain scan - i had lots of exrays to my body looking for breaks, but they didnt exray my head.  i dont normally have low bp.

now im dizzy when i stand up, im having to be careful going round corners, but that might be part of the concussion still ??

arpig - lol - you must have a head like a demolition ball

thank you everybody - now i know that low bp can be part of concussion, dehydration didnt add up to me, im usually pretty good at drinking water, im a bit of a water freak to be honest.  ill call my doc tomorrow and ask him if i need to have another bp check.

thanks for all of youre help. now i know bp can be affected by concussion and shock i can relax a bit - im ok otherwise, not sick or anything, getting better all the time.  xx

Go to the doctor. Dizzyness from low BP is dangerous and the dizzyness could be from something worse.



pahunkboy -> RE: question for nurses and such folks (10/31/2010 6:28:03 AM)

I am not a DR.    It sorta sounds like a stroke. 



windchymes -> RE: question for nurses and such folks (10/31/2010 8:03:27 AM)

Natasha Richardson came to my mind, too. I really think you ought to do a little more follow-up with the doc asap, just to be sure. :)



barelynangel -> RE: question for nurses and such folks (10/31/2010 8:08:45 AM)

I would go to the ER, not wait until tomorrow to call your doc.  Head injuries are nothing to sneeze at and self-diagnosis lead to being fatal. 

They should have checked your head.  Why they didn't is amazing.

Or at least call your doctor's office now, as most Dr.'s have on-call people you can talk too.

Honestly, while i am not all go go Dr Dr -  in situations like this, i would either call and talk to the on-call doc at your doc's office or go to the ER.

angel



LPslittleclip -> RE: question for nurses and such folks (10/31/2010 8:57:18 AM)

blood pressure in the body is monitored by many things one of them is specialized cells called barrow receptors these sense and adjust the pressure of the blood to maintain the pressure in the brain.the brain needs to be above 90 systolic. the body can modify if it is high up to 160. what your feeling is called orthostatic hypotention meaning that when you change from a lying to siting to standing it will cause a fall of blood pressure rise slowly and avoid sudden movements
the dizziness is from the inner ear in the ear there are coclyaliths these are tiny rocks that move to let the body feel movements following a blow to the head these are not working well so dizziness is the result it will go away with time.



tazzygirl -> RE: question for nurses and such folks (10/31/2010 9:02:37 AM)

thank you clip... i was focusing on the concussion part, but you are certainly right. vertigo can be caused by an inner ear disorder... mine strikes when im under severe stress.



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