Head Injury and Intracranial Bleeding

When my younger sister, Melinda, called me late one night, I knew it wasn't good news. I was right. My seventy-four year old mother had been taken to the hospital because of recurring headaches, slurred speech and lethargy, a sure sign that something was off.

The diagnosis was subdural hematoma or a collection of blood in her brain cavity which leaves little room for the brain and, in my mother's case, required surgery. The doctor would need to drill a small hole to drain the blood and allow the brain to refill the empty space. If all went well, my mom would be up and around in a few days.

Because my mother lives in another state, and her surgery was scheduled for around midnight that night, I decided not to jump on the next plane, but rather to wait until my sister called back in the morning. When she did call back it was to say that all had gone well and that mom was recovering nicely in the ICU. Her friends Kay and Mimi were comforting her.

The good news was short-lived as mom began to experience seizures and loss of speech which the doctor indicated was a result of the brain not expanding to fill the space left by the drained blood. She needed more surgery. My sister, who lives closer to my mom, hopped on a plane while I waited as a backup in case mom needed long-term care.

This time the prognosis was good. Seventy-two hours after the second surgery my mom was at home resting comfortably. When we spoke one week after she first entered the hospital, she proudly announced that she hadn't even needed to take a nap that day.

After such a close call, I wanted to find out more about my mother's condition and figure out what, if anything, we could have done differently, so I did some on-line research. What I found is a list of symptoms which include headache, weakness, numbness, inability to speak, slurred speech, nausea and vomiting, lethargy and seizures.

I also discovered that the most likely culprit was a recent head injury. For my mom it was the result of a fall in her bathroom six weeks prior when she hit her head on the bath tub. Thinking nothing of it, beyond an annoying inconvenience, she went about her business until it became evident there was a problem.

This delay in seeking medical assistance made her subdural hematoma "chronic" in that it went unnoticed for many weeks. An "acute" subdural hematoma is the deadliest of head injuries and is the result of a severe blow to the head that requires immediate medical attention.

What I learned from all this is that if you receive a blow to the head, seek medical help no matter what your age. As for my mom, I'm happy to say she's back to being the same independent, carefree spirit that she was before her accident.