It's normal to feel a bit sick after a bad bang to the head, isn't it?

[Kalypso]

I managed to slam the top of my head on the low door leading out of our attic. Was quite a bad knock - DH came running at the noise. An hour later, my head's still aching (as are my sinuses for some reason) and I feel a bit sick. That's fairly normal, isn't it?

I always thought if you felt sick after a knock to the head you are supposed to get it checked, do you have an out of hours doctor you can call? If not I would call NHS direct and ask for advice.

if I have banged my head, it doesn't still hurt an hour later. Have you had a chance to lie down?

My daughter fell off her bike and banged her head (she was wearing a helmet). A month later she still had concussion (achy legs, tired, head aches, dizzy). She was fine but you should get it looked at. Better to be safe than sorry.

Sounds like concussion. More than likely not serious but you absolutely need to get checked out right away

Not sure if related to sinuses hurting, but runny nose is a sign of injury after head bang, fluid leak. I'd get checked if I was you.

Thanks for the replies. Feel quite a bit better as nurofen has kicked in, plus a cup of tea helped. My nose did run a bit, only slightly, and it's stopped now (plus DS has a runny nose, so it could be nothing to do with the bang). I feel a bit silly now, like I'm making a fuss over nothing much! Perhaps the sickness was more from shock? I felt like I needed a good cry!
mo3d, I'm sorry about your daughter - that must have been really worrying. I'm glad she's okay now.

Thanks kalypso. If you have symptoms that persist please just get it checked

Please Kalypso go to A&E if you vomit or feel nauseous. It's an awful place but you'd take your child if it were them in your place. A hard head knock can be worse than breaking every bone in your body. That's how serious it is. The brain is a delicate thing when it comes to knocks.

The trouble with going to A&E with a bang to the head is you see a doctor who's about 12 who usually just checks you can see how many fingers he/she's holding up and sends you home with a list of instructions for when to go back.

Think they are usually drowsiness, confusion, vomiting and visual disturbances but not sure that's all of them

Well the last time I went there with someone who banged their head and was nauseous, the baby doctor kept them there until she 'almost vomitted' (dribbled), checked her in overnight, checked her vital signs every hour and only when the symptoms had gone a day later she was discharged. I remember this because it was just before Natasha Richardson's fatal skiing accident.

You should call NHS direct 0845 46 47, or your Dr.

You really do need to take bangs to the head seriously.

If you've not gone to A&E, and are still up - just remembered when DH hit his head a while ago, the NHS direct advice was that I should wake him every couple of hours to check he was normally responsive. You probably should get your DH to check on you likewise, PITA though it is.