We think that it is alright for your friend/relative/client to leave hospital now. We have checked their symptoms and they seem well on the road to recovery. When you get home, it is very unlikely that they will have any further problems. But, if any of the following symptoms do return, we suggest you bring them back to their nearest hospital emergency department as soon as possible:
- Unconsciousness, or lack of full consciousness (for example, problems keeping eyes open)
- Drowsiness (feeling sleepy) that goes on for longer than 1 hour when they would normally be wide awake
- Difficulty waking the patient up
- Problem understanding or speaking
- Loss of balance or problems walking
- Weakness in one or more arms or legs
- Problems with their eyesight
- Painful headache that won’t go away
- Vomiting (being sick)
- Seizures (also known as convulsions or fits)
- Clear fluid coming out of their ear or nose
- Bleeding from one or both ears
Things you shouldn’t worry about
They may feel some other symptoms over the next few days which should disappear in the next 2 weeks. These include:
- a mild headache
- feeling sick (without vomiting)
- dizziness
- irritability or bad temper
- problems concentrating or problems with your memory
- tiredness
- lack of appetite
- problems sleeping
If you feel very concerned about any of these symptoms in the first few days after discharge, you should bring the patient to their doctor to talk about them. If these problems do not go away after 2 weeks, you should bring the patient to see their doctor. We would also recommend that they seek a doctor’s opinion about their ability to drive a car or motorbike.
Things that will help the patient get better
If the patient follows this advice, it should help them get better more quickly, and it may help any symptoms they have to go away:
- DO have plenty of rest and avoid stressful situations
- DO NOT take any alcohol or drugs
- DO NOT take sleeping pills, sedatives or tranquillisers unless they are given by a doctor
- DO NOT play any contact sports (for example, rugby or football) for at least 3 weeks without talking to your doctor first
- DO NOT return to your normal school, college or work activity until you feel you have completely recovered
- DO NOT drive a car, motorbike or bicycle or operate machinery unless you feel you have completely recovered.
Things you should do to make sure the patient is ok
- DO NOT leave the patient alone in their home for the first 24 hours after leaving hospital
- DO make sure that there is a nearby telephone and that the patient stays within easy reach of medical help.
Telephone number to call at the hospital: 0191 445 2997
Long-term Problems
Most patients recover quickly from their accident and experience no long-term problems. However, some patients only develop problems after a few weeks or months. If you start to feel that things are not quite right for your friend/relative/client (for example, memory problems, not feeling themself), then please contact you doctor as soon as possible so that we can check to make sure you are recovering properly.
Advice, treatment and support are also available after hospital from: Community Acquired Brain Injury Service (S&S CABIS) 8:00am to 5:00pm weekdays call: 0191 5665650
You can find further support and information from the Headway website: https://www.headway.org.uk/home.apsx