Calling all nurses or medical personnel

I may just be a worried mom, but I need some advice about my 19 yr old son. He thinks he is fine and does not need to see a doctor. He won't go see one, so I need to know if my worry is groundless, or if I have a genuine concern here.

He got into a boxing match last night. They wore gloves, and it didn't last long. But he said he was knocked out for a few seconds, and his vision was blurry last night. He had a black eye and a bloody nose. He found out later the guy was semi-pro.

Please correct me if I am mistaken, but I thought loss of consciousness indicated a concussion, and he should be careful for a few weeks, especially no blows to the head.

He says he has another fight on Sunday...and that he's already beaten the guy. So apparently this has been going on, but I don't know how long. They do it for fun.

I have to admit, I'm worried sick.

Thank you for those who helped in Chat.

For those of you who weren't in chat, I do have very valid concerns, and he should get medical treatment. My son still thinks he's fine, and I just found out this has happened before.

Yikes. head injuries are not something to mess around with. I hope you can talk some sense into him...

Those that were in chat with you must have experience with this or have heard correctly. You have reason to be concerned. Seek medical treatment. Head injuries, especially with loss of consciousness no matter what amount of time, are nothing to mess with. And another thing to remember, the more it happens, the worse it can be.

Yeah, he definitely needs to get checked out. I got a concussion in a car accident and the effects are still with me - they may never fully go away. Without treatment he's taking quite a risk.

Susan not to alarm you, but recently Sports Illustrated had an issue about football players brains and the effects of concussions. I definitely would not recommend his boxing again. But I also know how stubborn a 19 year old boy/man can be. Have him look into the lives of boxers--famous boxers and hopefully he'll see how many of them suffered long term effects due to concussions in the ring--even when no knockout was given. I don't believe you have to lose conscious to have a concussion, but I could be wrong.

Lan63 said:

I don't believe you have to lose conscious to have a concussion, but I could be wrong.

Click to expand...

You are correct.

And here's a helpful website for the OP. http://brainline.org/content/content.php?id=86

Oh dear. I hope he will be okay!

Did you get him to a doctor yet? If he fights and gets knocked out again after already having a concussion, it could make things really bad. I didn't read the exact article that Laurie was referring to, but I keep up on my medical journals, and I know that over the long term, concussions can lead to serious mental health and neurological problems. Sports are fun, but safety should always come first, even for teenage boys.

Just tell him to go get checked out.... just to be safe and help you ease your worrying

Did your son go and see the Doctor yet, Sugarmama?

I hope he has, for the sake of his health and it would also put your mind at rest.