Hitting your head and “subdural hematoma”

The recent health news about former Illinois Governor James Thompson is a good reminder that you need to check with your doctor when you get new headaches.

James Thompson slipped on the ice in December, and hit his head.  He got a black eye, and he thought that was the worst of it.  More than a month later, his mother passed away and he started getting headaches.  Naturally, he thought that the headaches were just coming as a result of the emotion surrounding his mother’s death, so he simply started taking Tylenol and didn’t worry.  He tried Advil, but the pain continued to get worse over the next few days.  Finally, he saw his doctor, who prescribed Tylenol with Codeine, which didn’t help.

What neither Thompson or his doctor knew was that the blow to the head in December had started bleeding between the brain and skull, otherwise known as subdural hematoma.  The condition puts pressure on the brain, and the condition can quickly become life threatening.

A CAT scan found the problem, and the clot was removed.  After a few days Thompson was doing much better.  If he had waited much longer to call his doctor, he might not be.