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What Causes Headache After A Fall?
Question: my friend is 78 years old had a fall yesterday bumped his head ,no blood or scratches ,he said he was fine.this morning woke up with swelling behind right ear and down neck also has had bad headache for 2 or three days.suffers from dimentia scheduled mri july 2nd .im worried,but he keeps putting off having it checked out now.any advice????
Brief Answer:
Needs observation....
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
I went through the details with diligence. From what I understand your 78 years old friend had been suffering with bad headache few days before the fall. There was no major events after the fall until this morning when he developed swelling behind the right ear and neck. It would have been if you had described those bumps
- its size, color, consistency - firm / soft to feel, presence or absence of tenderness, and the appearance of surrounding skin area.
- and whether or not the headache worsened after the fall.
You might attach pictures of the lump if feasible using the site's uploader.
However, I shall presume this swelling as a painless one with no surrounding skin changes. If that is indeed the case, then this swelling may be related to the latest injury , lymph node enlargement or cyst.
What ever be the case, I do not sense any alarming features here. I would initiate clinical evaluation only if the headache worsened after the fall or if he becomes drowsy.
Dementia has few causes. I am sure MRI scans will be useful. He can wait for the scan.
Hope I was able to address your concern. I might be able to give better clarity if you can provide answers to earlier questions.
Regards
Needs observation....
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
I went through the details with diligence. From what I understand your 78 years old friend had been suffering with bad headache few days before the fall. There was no major events after the fall until this morning when he developed swelling behind the right ear and neck. It would have been if you had described those bumps
- its size, color, consistency - firm / soft to feel, presence or absence of tenderness, and the appearance of surrounding skin area.
- and whether or not the headache worsened after the fall.
You might attach pictures of the lump if feasible using the site's uploader.
However, I shall presume this swelling as a painless one with no surrounding skin changes. If that is indeed the case, then this swelling may be related to the latest injury , lymph node enlargement or cyst.
What ever be the case, I do not sense any alarming features here. I would initiate clinical evaluation only if the headache worsened after the fall or if he becomes drowsy.
Dementia has few causes. I am sure MRI scans will be useful. He can wait for the scan.
Hope I was able to address your concern. I might be able to give better clarity if you can provide answers to earlier questions.
Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
THANK YOU,THE HEADACHES ARE JUST ABOUT DAILY,SOME DAYS WORSE THAN OTHERS.HE ALSO HAS BACK PAIN OLD INJURY YEARS AGO,THAT IS CONSTANT.HES ON SEVERAL MEDS.ZOLPIDEM 12.5 MG @BEDTIME,PRIMIDONE 250 MG 1 DAILY,LEVOFOXACIN 750 MG CHLORDIAZEPOXIDE 25 MG 3 TIMES DAILY.LIBRIUME??NOT SURE MG BUT A COUPLE OF THOSE DAILY .ANY WAY THE SWELLING IS BRIGHT RED ANDFAR AS SIZE STANDS OUT ABOUT A 1/2 INCH AND ALL THE WAY DOWN TO HIS COLLAR BONE.SORRY THATS THE BEST I CAN DO TO EXPLAIN
Brief Answer:
No immediate treatment...
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
The following are my comments based on the details provided:
1. As far as the fall and injury is concerned, I don't find a serious problem here. In very rare cause, this trauma may present with symptoms later after the fall. Therefore as long as he does develop a severe headache (worse than the current headaches), nausea, vomiting, limb weakness, drowsiness, I would not worry about it.
2. This swelling has two explanation:
a) Subcutaneous bleeding due to the trauma
b) Since he is on levofloxacin 750mg which is an antibiotic, the swelling may be related to the infection.
I will bring this swelling to his treating doctor's notice. He / she will monitor it's progress and plan a treatment subsequently. ER visit is not a must.
Hope this helps.
Regards
No immediate treatment...
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
The following are my comments based on the details provided:
1. As far as the fall and injury is concerned, I don't find a serious problem here. In very rare cause, this trauma may present with symptoms later after the fall. Therefore as long as he does develop a severe headache (worse than the current headaches), nausea, vomiting, limb weakness, drowsiness, I would not worry about it.
2. This swelling has two explanation:
a) Subcutaneous bleeding due to the trauma
b) Since he is on levofloxacin 750mg which is an antibiotic, the swelling may be related to the infection.
I will bring this swelling to his treating doctor's notice. He / she will monitor it's progress and plan a treatment subsequently. ER visit is not a must.
Hope this helps.
Regards
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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