One of the biggest fear any parent faces when leaving their child in someone else care (day care provider, family member, friend, etc.) is the risk their “baby” will get hurt while they are gone.
Unfortunately, I was recently faced with just such a scenario.
My 3-year-old daughter was spending the day with a family member and returned with a HUGE bruise and laceration on her forehead. The cut sat in the center of a large bruise, which was located smack in the middle of her eyebrows. To say I was shocked would be an understatement.
Apparently, my daughter slipped and smashed her forehead on an outdoor step as she was trying to get on to the deck. Looking at her large contusion I immediately wondered if she had blacked out or suffered further injury. The family member assured me that she hadn’t shown signs of a concussion. If it hadn’t been so late I would have immediately taken her to her pediatrician’s office just as a precaution. Instead, I ended up calling the nurse-on-call and obtained some useful information about kids and concussions.
After the nurse gathered the information regarding my daughter’s specific case she told me that concussions are very common and quite misunderstood. She also told me that when kids suffer any type of head injury, they need to be evaluated before returning to any activity. If a child is not properly checked he or she runs the risk of suffering serious complications such as post-concussion syndrome (with prolonged symptoms that can last for months), second impact syndrome (which can cause brain damage and death) and bleeding in the brain. Even more concerning (to me anyway) is that children who sustain a concussion are at an increased risk of future concussions—a 300 percent increased risk.
In addition, according to medical professionals, there are several myths regarding concussions. They include the myth that you must be knocked out for a period of time and that you must have suffered memory loss. Neither are true.
If you suspect your child suffered a concussion doctors recommend you do the following:
* Seek medical attention from a physician who has seen your child in the past.
* If symptoms worsen, go to the emergency room. Symptoms include: Headache, confusion, seeing stars or flashing lights, poor concentration, a vacant or glassy-eyed stare, double or blurry vision, poor balance and coordination, dizziness, nausea or vomiting, incoherent speech, ringing in ears, mood swings, irritability, changes in personality, nervousness or sadness.
* NEVER allow your child to return to play if they sustained a concussion.
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