A Bump in the Night
A few minutes ago, Leejay and I had such a scare. Kylie just went and tripped herself and hit her head on Leejay’s workstation’s plastic wheel. It happened so fast. All I saw was a pink Kylie-shaped blur heading head-first to a corner then Kylie slowly sitting up and bawling her lungs out. I quickly picked her up, tried to soothe her as much as I can and kiss the boo-boo away. And what a boo-boo it was! It was the diameter of a 25-centavo coin and was raised a couple of centimeters from her forehead. The bump was already turning the usual greenish tinge of bruises and the redness from the swelling wasn’t helping to calm us down. Worried, Leejay went straight down to the kitchen fridge to get an ice pack to put on Kylie’s bump. She cried a fresh torrent as I applied the pack. I let her breastfeed to help take the edge off the chill and her discomfort. Eventually, she quieted down and started napping, probably to recover from the minor trauma of getting bumped in the head.
It is always a cause of parental grief when our children go about and hurt themselves, head injuries being foremost among these. But we must always remember that these head injuries usually look a lot more serious than they actually are.
The human skull is designed to withstand the hard bumps and the bruises that everyone of us encounter. It is also covered in a vascularized scalp which bleed profusely when cut, or swell into “goose eggs” when bruised. These injuries are mostly localized on the scalp and generally not mean that there is anything to worry about. Putting an ice compress on the affected area will keep the swelling down and help abate any bleeding. You may even give your child an appropriate dose of acetaminophen if he or she has any headaches. But if you are still uncomfortable, here are some things to look out for so that you’ll know when to call the doctor, the emergency medical hotline, or rush to the ER.
* Loss of Consciousness. If your child blacks out for even a few seconds, it may mean that the injury has caused him or her a hematoma. It’s okay if you immediately see or hear her cry after getting her bump. This would mean that she didn’t lose consciousness at all.
* Vomiting. A number of children will vomit after getting their head bumped whether from shock, gagging, choking or coughing. This is pretty much normal. But if she vomits three to four times, you must bring her to the ER. You may give her some clear liquids while recovering, or even breastfeed her.
* Altered Mental Status. This means that your child would not focus, look in to your eyes, respond to you, or listen to commands. Having to fight her for that ice compress would actually be a good sign.
* Loss of Balance while Walking. Dizziness can be expected after a fall, but if your child constantly loses her balance and keeps falling over while walking, you might have to have her looked at. Observe her when she plays and take note of any changes in her movements.
* Prolonged Crying. If she keeps on crying for more than an hour, even after giving her acetaminophen for her headaches, bring her to the ER. This may be indicative of internal injuries.
* Eye Signs. If you see any of these in your child’s eyes after a head injury, bring her to a doctor.
o Crossed eyes
o One pupil is larger than the other
o If she keeps tripping or bumping into objects. This might mean that her vision has diminished
o For older kids, doubled or blurry vision should be added to this list
