Head, skull, and brain injuries

So, I took a nasty spill on some ice recently and cracked my head against the concrete. I ended up at the hospital, and while all the tests came back totally fine and everything looks normal on paper, I’m stuck with this weird gap in my memory. I have absolutely no clue how I actually made it home. It happened right near my place, and after checking my phone and everything, I realized I’ve got a solid 15-20 minute blackout. I can't even remember getting up off the ground, getting home, or crawling into bed (I know I made it because there are bloodstains on the sheets). Then, suddenly, it's like I just "woke up" standing in the middle of the room, completely disoriented. For the first few seconds, I genuinely thought I was dreaming, but I couldn't shake the feeling by doing the usual thing where you shake your head to wake yourself up. It took about thirty seconds before things finally started to settle.
Has anyone else dealt with this? How is it even possible to get home and just... lose that chunk of time?

It’s nothing to panic about. What you're looking at is anterograde post-traumatic amnesia—basically, your brain just isn't locking in new memories right away because of the trauma. If the scans came back clean and the doctors haven't flagged any other neurological issues, there's really no reason to lose sleep over it. You're just in the recovery phase now. The main thing is that you're starting to retain information again...

If you start throwing up, you really ought to head straight to the ER... otherwise, there isn't much else you can do about it...

Thanks. It feels a bit more normal now. I didn't have any nausea or anything, just some pain in my neck and where I took the hit. But man, that feeling of having a total blank on those 15 minutes—how I even got home, how I set my phone down in its usual spot, or how I laid down and stood back up after two minutes... it was awful. I'm doing better now, but those first three hours felt like being completely lost.😲I'm just standing here in the room, knowing I haven't gone to bed yet (haven't even eaten), and I'm slowly coming to. Is there any way to get those 15 minutes back?

I haven't been able to find a discussion thread quite like this one, so I’m reaching out here in hopes that someone might have some insight into our situation... My son-in-law was involved in a serious car accident about seven days ago, resulting in a skull fracture and a brain contusion. Thank God he survived, but he has absolutely no memory of the accident itself.

As a complete layman in these matters, I am at a loss as to how to process all of this, especially since the injury is still so incredibly recent. He was actually able to recognize us by the very next day, and he responded normally enough to basic questions, yet he seems so profoundly lost—which I suppose is to be expected, isn't it?—and he simply cannot recall what happened.😢

Please, if anyone can offer any perspective on this, or perhaps tell us whether we should be anticipating any signs of improvement, we would be so grateful... our entire family is deeply concerned.😢

Look, I’m no doctor... but from what I gather, this could just be temporary amnesia. Which means... their memory will eventually come flooding back. But then again, what do I know? It's best to let the doctors make the call! 🙂

Honestly, even the doctors don't truly have all the answers; they can only make educated guesses, much like the rest of us.
It really isn't all that unusual for someone to have no memory of the actual incident itself, as this happens quite frequently even with much minor injuries.
Just a few months ago, my son was in a fight where he took several hits to the head and ended up with a split lip, and he had absolutely no recollection of what went down. He felt like he had missed an entire segment of a movie. At first, it really frustrated him, which made him seem a bit scattered and out of sorts.
I don't think he ever fully recovered those specific memories, but he eventually filled in those "blanks" by listening to the stories from people who were standing nearby.
While your situation is a bit different from ours, I wanted to mention that it isn't actually vital for him to remember that exact moment. What matters infinitely more is that his long-term memories remain intact and that he focuses on recovering from the physical trauma.
Most significant bouts of amnesia tend to be temporary, just like Hannah Rodriguez16 mentioned!
Please try not to worry too much, and I am sending nothing but the very best wishes to you and especially to the poor soul involved!

It’s likely a defense mechanism—his brain is probably suppressing those memories because of the trauma he endured. I actually agree with feralharbor89 that it might be for the best if he doesn't recall the specifics of that incident right away. Let's just hope for a smooth recovery... he needs time. The human brain is an incredibly complex organ; you can't just rush the healing process.🙂

Thank you all so much for the advice and, more importantly, for showing me such genuine empathy... I find myself agreeing that perhaps it’s best not to dwell on the specifics of what happened; we simply have to accept that the road to recovery will be an incredibly long one, provided there is enough persistence to see it through.
As you pointed out, when it comes to the brain, there is no telling what might happen next. It still feels somewhat "lost," yet it responds quite normally to most things—usually recognizing everyone immediately—though the headaches continue to persist...

Zdenka, my heart goes out to you; I can only imagine the sheer terror of facing such a situation with your own child involved, so I am truly relieved to hear they are doing better now, and I wish you nothing but the very best.

Thank you, Andy.
Warm regards,

It’s me again... this time I’m not reaching out about the memory loss, but rather because I am truly at my wit's end and would welcome any shred of advice you might offer.

The situation is this: my boyfriend hasn't uttered a single word in two days, and he isn't even eating—though I should mention he was quite weak when he was still able to take food. A couple of days ago, the scan results indicated significant brain swelling, and I suspect the medical team is simply waiting for that inflammation to subside before they update us, given how quiet they've been...

Could anyone please shed some light on this? I'm trying to understand the recovery process itself; I realize things move at a snail's pace, but why the silence now? Why won't he eat? Is there anything at all we should be doing...?😢😢😢

I can't say for certain how to answer those specific questions, but I would suggest that you really push the doctors to be transparent about what they actually know and what their current plan of action is.
It might be beneficial to have someone step in to speak with them—someone who stays calm under pressure and feels fully prepared, perhaps even jotting down some notes beforehand to ensure nothing is missed. It doesn't necessarily have to be the person most emotionally invested in the situation who handles the conversation.

Grandpa took a nasty fall somewhere downtown a few days ago, and honestly, nobody can agree on what actually happened—witnesses are all telling different stories. He ended up with some bruised ribs and a hit to his right eye. His eye looks like a total pumpkin right now; at first, he seemed mentally okay, but even though the swelling is going down, he’s totally lost. He doesn't recognize anyone and keeps talking about people we've never even heard of.

Does anyone have an idea what this could be? Anything at all?

They actually had to restrain him at the hospital because he’s completely disoriented and keeps trying to wander off.

analogdriver22 said:My Grandpa took a nasty tumble somewhere in town a few days ago, and honestly, none of the witnesses can agree on what actually happened. He ended up hurting his ribs and his right eye, and man, that eye looks like a pumpkin right now. At first, he seemed mentally fine, and even though the swelling around the eye is going down a bit, he’s totally lost it—he doesn't recognize anyone and keeps talking about people we've never even heard of.

Any idea what could be going on? Anything at all?

They actually had to restrain him at the Hospital because he keeps trying to wander off and has no clue where he is.

What did the neuroimaging show—like, did they run a CT scan or an MRI of the brain, and maybe an EEG? Any blood work from the Lab? Does he have any history of underlying health issues? Did they figure out what actually caused the fall in the first place? And did he lose consciousness?

The whole thing about him passing out... everything looked fine in all my searches before, but maybe something happened after the fact, I honestly don't know... He didn't have any major issues leading up to this. I’m no expert, obviously, but he was pretty active—out walking around the city three times a day and everything...

About three weeks ago, I had a nasty wipeout on my snowboard and ended up sustaining a head injury. I took a direct hit to the forehead. While I didn't lose consciousness, I found myself unable to speak for about thirty seconds following the impact. I spent the rest of that day in a significant fog; my friends at the resort wouldn't even let me leave my hotel room, despite my insistence that I was fine, even though I was clearly disoriented. This was followed by intense, pounding headaches, which led me to consume an excessive amount of pain medication. Against my better judgment, I actually went back out on the board the very next day just because I didn't want to ruin the trip for everyone else, even though I certainly wasn't feeling my best. Once I made it back home to Washington, D.C., I tried to get back into my lecture schedule, but the malaise persisted; I felt incredibly irritable and on edge. I suppose I just assumed things would stabilize shortly. However, the real issues surfaced about a week ago when I sat down to study for a rather complex exam. Although I've always possessed a fairly reliable memory, I am now struggling to retain almost anything, and I find myself fatiguing quite rapidly. It honestly feels as if there is a hot iron being pressed against my forehead. I am somewhat uncertain about how to proceed. Should I perhaps wait a bit longer to see if it passes, or should I begin seeking medical testing? If I decide to go the diagnostic route, I suspect the process could drag on for months.

Bottom line? You and the rest of your crew are acting like absolute children. You seriously lucked out—like winning the Powerball—that you didn't end up meeting the same fate as Schumi or the late Natasha Richardson. To make it simple, her story plays out pretty much like yours:

On March 16, 2009, she suffered a severe head injury while skiing at Aspen. After the fall, she could still walk and talk normally, so she actually turned down medical help. She just went back to her hotel room. Three hours later, she was rushed to the local hospital in Aspen. From there, she was transferred to Notre Dame Cathedral Hospital in critical condition. The following day, she was flown to Mayo Clinic in New York City, where she passed away on March 18. The cause of death was an epidural hematoma caused by blunt force trauma to the head.

Source: Wikipedia

Look, stories like this happen all the time.
My guess? That pea-sized brain of yours probably just took a minor concussion and now you're dealing with some lingering side effects. That's my take. Now, you need to decide: are you going to keep playing the tough guy and risking it all, or are you going to schedule a proper brain scan and actually do something about it before things get ugly? There are plenty of options available if you stop being reckless. ☕

How long might these aftereffects actually persist?

Paul Wells72 said:Three weeks ago, I took a nasty wipeout on my snowboard and hit my head. Took it right to the forehead. I didn't black out, but about thirty seconds after the impact, I found myself completely unable to speak. I spent the rest of that day in a total fog; even though I kept insisting I was fine, the people I was snowboarding with refused to let me leave our hotel room. I dealt with intense headaches afterward and ended up popping massive amounts of painkillers. The next day, I actually went back out on the board just so I wouldn't ruin the trip for the rest of the group, even though I felt pretty rough. Once I got back to Washington, D.C., I headed straight to my lectures, but I still wasn't feeling right—I was incredibly moody and irritable. I figured things would level out soon. The real trouble started about a week ago when I sat down to study for a fairly complex exam. Usually, my memory is rock solid, but now I can barely retain anything, and I fatigue incredibly fast. It feels like there's a hot iron pressed against my forehead. I'm at a loss. Should I just wait it out a bit longer, or should I start getting tests done? If I go down that road, it could take months.

If you have the cash for snowboarding, you have the cash for an MRI. These diagnostic processes don't drag on for months; you book an appointment and you're in and out within a few days. It costs roughly $333. You get the scan and the results all in one day. It’s likely nothing serious, but if I were in your shoes, I'd get scanned immediately. Honestly, you should have gone right away. You need to see a doctor, get blood work done first, and once those results are in, head into the MRI. The method isn't harmful since it doesn't use radiation like a CT scan does. The only downside is that it's a bit noisy. Also, you can't move a single muscle for about 40 minutes.

Paul Wells72 said:How long will these side effects last?

It could be for life, depending on how much things shifted and what kind of damage you're actually looking at. Some people end up hitting a breaking point where they suffer an aneurysm and just pop ten years down the line—I'm exaggerating there, obviously. Just go get a brain scan and book an appointment with a neurologist. Start with your local clinic.

I suspect these searches are going to drag on for months. I have my own exams coming up, and frankly, I struggle to retain even three whole sentences at a time.