We think that it is all right 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 them 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
- problems 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 their memory, tiredness, lack of appetite or 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 sport (for example, football) for at least 3 weeks without talking to a doctor first
DO NOT: return to their normal collage or work activity until they feel they have completely recovered
DO NOT: drive a car, motorbike or bicycle, or operate machinery unless they feel they have completely recovered
Things you should do to make sure the patient is OK
DO NOT: leave the patient alone in the 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 the hospital: 01935 384 355
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 themselves), then please contact their doctor as soon as possible so that he/she can make sure the patient is recovering properly.
Further support and information
Further support and information is available from the Headway website:
https://www.headway.org.uk/home.aspx
Telephone:
07940 830 168 Headway Somerset
01823 444 829 Head Office
