On Tuesday afternoon, I was attempting to do the covid antibody home test when I fainted, hitting my head hard on the kitchen floor and, ultimately, giving myself concussion. When I fainted, I passed out for a few minutes, and then passed out a second time once I was sitting on the sofa. I continued to feel woozy and out of it that evening, and I started getting a pain in my neck and upper back as well as my head.
The next morning, I felt faint again when I got up and started to get the children dressed. I decided it was best to call 111, and I was told I needed to get to A&E as an emergency (they originally said I would get an ambulance sent to me, but then said it wouldn’t be possible). When I arrived at A&E I was almost immediately taken to majors, where I was strapped into a neck brace, unable to move my head for several hours, whilst I waited for an X-Ray on my neck.
I have anxiety, and I hate hospitals, even in normal situations, so being there alone during a pandemic, I was not coping well. A lovely male nurse helped me to calm down, sitting with me when I had a panic attack, and making sure I was brought morphine when the pain was really bad. I am so thankful for this act of kindness, which made all the difference for me, and stopped me from breaking down whilst I was in the neck brace.
The X-Ray luckily showed there were no breaks to my neck, and I was able to come out of the brace. The doctor who examined me said that I had concussion, and would likely feel a bit rubbish for a few weeks, but that I needed to stay on bed rest for the next 2-3 days. I was then sent home with a prescription of oral morphine to take to help with the pain.
I went to bed on Wednesday afternoon, when I got home from hospital, and stayed there until this afternoon, a full three days of only getting up to use the toilet and shower. My neck and back still hurt, but not as bad as they did a few days ago, and I feel better for having been up and out of the house, albeit briefly. I still don’t know why I fainted, as I haven’t before, but I am so grateful that I didn’t do more damage when I collapsed and hit my head, as it could have been much worse.
If you have hit your head, and are concerned you may have concussion, make sure you call 111 to ask for advice. I should have done this on the Tuesday evening, and it could have been worse than it was, leaving it undiagnosed.
