should I wake him up every few hours?

Question

my boyfriend may have a concussion...he won't tell me how he got hurt, but I know him and his buddy were out goofing around with 4 wheelers and he came home all scraped up and his ear is swollen. His buddy wanted to take him to the hospital, but he refused (I think my boyfriend had been drinking too). He was well enough to polish off 3 more beers when he got home and is now asleep on the couch....Should I try waking him up in a few hours? I wasn't, and still am not, sympathetic to his injuries, especially if alcohol was a factor, but I also don't want anything serious to happen

Answer 1

Don't be so worried!! If waking them up every few hours would keep people from going into comas we would have a lot less comatose people in this country.
Closed head injuries can cause coma waking them or not. If at some point he won't wake, could be alllll the alcohol he's consumed. An injury tothe sde of the head, especially around the temple or ear can rupture the middle meningial artery. If that had happened he'd have been in a coma well before he got home.
Pupils only get unequal when enough pressure is exerted on the optical nerve to cause this. That would also cause his body to stiffen with either his arms extended straight or flexed into the core (this is called posturing), and his resp rate would change into something abnormal.
So that leaves a subdural or intra cranial hemorrhage. Keep an eye on him if he won't go to the ER. I doubt he has any closed head injuries, but just incase he should be seen. Don't worry wake him every so often, a nudge to see if he responds. Tell him he's a **** for worrying you like this tomorrow.

Answer 2

Oh dear. It sounds like you really can't do much with him -- I'm sure you didn't want him drinking those beers.

Does he wake up well, or is he a grumpy waker? If he wakes up well, then go ahead, wake him up and check. If he doesn't, just keep an eye on him. Check his temperature, and see if he's sweaty, pasty-colored, breathing funny, etc. If he is, call an ambulance, and let them deal with him. Or call the buddy, and see if he'll take your BF to the emergency room.

If you marry him, I'd make sure the insurance is up to date, and you always pay the premiums. Otherwise, you might think about the future with this guy, and if you really want him in your future.

Good luck, and I hope it has a happy ending!

Answer 3

,.The problem I believe is not the injury rather than the pattern of drinking. Your boyfriend refused to go to ER , consumed few Beers after that which indicates there is high possibility of having a drinking problem which can and will result in serious similar incidents down the road. so you need to encourage him to seek help and at a point you may to let him chose either you or drinking.regarding concussion what is his age , I assume he is young fellow which is better if he did not lose consciousness after the accident , no vomiting the chances of concussion is low
taking his pulse while he is sleep and monitor increase or decrease in rate can be a possible monitoring method.

Answer 4

Don't ignore it if you think he may have a head injury make sure you wake him up every few hours. I was in a car crash a few months and the medics said to make sure i had someone wake me up every few hours because of my concussion it gets annoying but you should do it to be on the safe side. Tell him not to drink and ride!

Answer 5

I would take him to Urgent Care right away. It's not as expensive as the Emergency Room, but if he goes to sleep with a concussion he could end up in a coma. Better safe than sorry.

And sorry but your bf is an idiot.

Answer 6

wake him up every couple of hours
check his pupils - if one is different size than the other
if he gets incoherent or can't wake up
call an ambulance
OK- if everything is OK - tomorrow tell him he is a complete doofus and you won't tolerate stuff like this. Alcohol and machinery do not mix....

Answer 7

YESS!!! especially with the possibility of a concussion..
you shouldnt have sympathy for him but still that could be risky.

Answer 8

Take him to the hospital. He may have a closed head injury and may suffer bleeding on the brain.

Answer 9

DONT LET HIM SLEEP!
ive had bad concussions and staying awake is really important.. i think the paramedics said at least 6 hours (but i was always doozy then)

Answer 10

i'm sure that he will be fine after that, but if you feel like you need to then go ahead and check up on him every once in a while, not to often though.