A knock to the head often leaves one question that cannot wait: do I need to be checked right now, or can I watch it at home? Many people in the St. Louis metro take a hard bump, rest, and only later wonder whether they should have done more. This piece covers the first hours after a knock, which are easy to lose track of, and what to write down so an examiner has something concrete to work with.
The first hours are the record you cannot rebuild
Memory is unreliable in the hours after a bump, which is exactly when details matter most. Write down the time of the knock, what you were doing, whether you lost awareness even briefly, and what you remember just before and just after. If someone saw it happen, note who they were and what they told you, as closely as you can recall.
Then note the headache itself. Record where it started, how it changed over the first hour, and whether it stayed steady, built, or came and went in waves. Use a simple scale from zero to ten that you define in your own words, and put the time beside each number so you can compare later.
Signs that mean emergency care, not a notebook
NPR Health has published a reminder that the BE FAST acronym can help people remember stroke symptoms and what to do, which is to call 911 quickly. The letters are a useful memory aid for anyone who has taken a hit to the head. B is for balance loss, E for eye changes, F for face drooping, A for arm weakness, S for speech trouble, and T for time, meaning the moment to call. A stroke is a different condition from a concussion, but some signs can look alike, so do not wait to sort them out.
Other reasons to call 911 or go to an emergency department now, rather than waiting for a routine visit, include a headache that is suddenly the worst you have ever had, repeated vomiting, a seizure, confusion that gets worse, unequal pupils, trouble staying awake, weakness on one side, or clear fluid from the nose or ears. This list is general safety information, not a way to decide what is wrong with you. When in doubt, treat it as urgent.
A plain first-day log
Keep one page for the first twenty-four hours. Note each time you take a pain reliever, what it was, and roughly how long after the knock you took it. Note what you ate, how much water you drank, and whether you slept, and if so, in what stretches. Record anything new, such as sensitivity to noise or light, trouble finding a word, or a feeling that the room is tilting when you stand. Write the times, even if they are rough. An approximate time is more useful than none.
Avoid the urge to tidy the page. A log that says two in the afternoon, roughly, followed by a question mark, is honest, and it gives an examiner more to work with than a neat summary written from memory three days later.
Bringing the page to your visit
When you see a clinician, bring the log and point to the top lines first: the time of the knock, the first signs, and any changes since. Let the examiner ask questions and decide what the record means. A notebook cannot tell you what caused a headache, and no single page replaces a proper exam. Its job is to make the exam faster and more accurate.
If writing is hard right now, ask someone you trust to type what you say into your phone. Keep the note in one place, show it to the examiner in the room, and ask whether you should keep adding to it after you leave.