(Unasked for) Advice for Parents thinking of going to the ER

Ok so, this is probably my most off topic post yet of all my inane threads that have quickly died in the "Off Topic Room"
The thing is, I don't use any other social media and don't really have a community to share this with so thought I might as well go ahead.
My 10 month old son fell off our bed this week and hit his head on a wood floor. No big deal, happens all the time, right?
Well that day he was fine, you know, cried right away, all that. He got pretty sleepy way earlier than he would have for his morning nap but also wasn't a huge concern.
The next day, he vomited 3x which is super unusual for him. My wife and I panicked, and because we couldn't reach our pediatrician, ran to the ER.
HUGE MISTAKE, I WILL REGRET FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.
No offense to anyone who works in the hospitals here in the US but I think they're horrifying places that kill more people than they heal, and I think there's ample research to support that.
Long story short, my son is totally fine. The vomiting was likely unrelated and he seems totally normal and happy.
However, under the pressure of the Dr during the end of a 6.5 hour visit we were advised and foolishly allowed him to get a CT scan.
They probably did this for malpractice prevention.
My 10 month old son was completely needlessly exposed to radiation that is known to cause cancer.
There are tomes of research about this.
I have no one to blame but myself, because I panicked and made an impulsive decision out of fear without doing the research first.
I'm sharing this not for the hope of hearing supportive comments but to advise those of you who are parents, please don't let potentially harmful treatments be performed on your children without determining that they are absolutely necessary first.
And more importantly, just don't walk into the hospital if you can possibly help it.
Peace
Matteo

Matteo, So glad to hear that your son is fine. I share your aversion to ERs. And too bad your pediatrician was unavailable; I thought most have some backup arrangement. Larry

So glad your son is alright and I feel your pain. Just for another perspective I would suggest that if the CT scan had revealed anything out of the ordinary that perhaps you would think otherwise. BTW, I really do not enjoy ER's, but have been twice in the last year myself:curse:

Glad to hear your son is fine. I do think you did the right thing bringing him to the ER and allowing him to get the CT; any head injury that includes nausea and vomiting can be s&s of something very dangerous like an epidural hematoma.

I actually think your instinct was correct in taking him to the ER, to have something more serious ruled out. If it had turned out that he had some type of head/brain injury, you would certainly want a correct diagnosis and prompt treatment.
I agree that it might have been better to at least check in with the pediatrician. But I have a feeling that your pediatrician would also have been cautious, and advised you to take your boy to a medical professional for complete assessment.
Given a fall from a bed and hitting his head, I don't see it as "needless" exposure to radiation.
Glad he's okay.

Thanks All!
Yeah he's a super tough kid, we're very lucky.
Cheers
Matteo

With what you described an ER visit was probably better then pediatrician -- potential head trauma isn't something to screw around with. They honestly were making sure your son didn't have something wrong that could kill him (CT scan), vs them trying to intentionally kill him.

FWIW we've had 2 ER visits over the last 2 years for things when our son seemed pretty bad off in the middle of the night. ER means many hours, miserable conditions and $$$, but if we took a chance on waiting for doctor's hours the next day or after the weekend and he suffered something debilitating because of our waiting...

You and your wife make the right choice as parents.

Matteo, you guys definitely made the right decision.
Chinacats makes a good point regarding the possibility of the CT scan finding something....
....my wife would probably not be alive if it weren't for a doctor insisting on a seemingly useless CT scan.

It sucks blowing a bunch of money only to find out that everything is fine. But you definitely did the right thing. And that is coming from someone who also thinks very little of the typical hospital scenario.

Thanks All! I know i sounded off pretty hard there and got a little too heavy with my hospital hate!
Just a freaky thing but it's been reassuring to hear your stories.
Now my son is gonna eat a lot of kombu dashi!
Cheers
Matteo

Matteo, the CT scan was probably done to see whether there is any internal damage (though not expected from such a fall indeed). I am nuclear physicist and know a little bit about radiation (tough I am not a nuclear medicine technician or something). The dose your son got would be probably very comparable to 1 year background dose that each one of us is exposed to (I suppose it was just a head CT not a full body scan).

One should always try to avoid unnecessary exposure to ionising radiation, but at doses this small the probability of induced effects is very small.

I think that you can relax now. To be honest - in such a case I would have gone to see a doctor too.

EDIT: I made a mistake (was too quick googling) - average international fight of some 8 hours yields dose of about 0.05mSv, what is only about 1/40 of one year background radiation. Sorry for the mistake

EDIT2: Here is a link to the dose table: http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=safety-xray

From my experience (kids accidents) having researched this too a while ago, dosages given to children should be a great deal lower than given to adults. Doctors in the UK described the risk of a head CT scan in children (in this case aged 4 at the time) as a one off as "negligible". I was worried too at the time but you did the right thing and have not harmed your child.

PS. Our accident was the end of a metal frame garden canopy coming apart and a sharp end clunking down on his head. Lots of blood. No harm done ;-)

Was a difficult situation. Once I was in a somewhat similar situation (daughter) and wasn't too impressed with the perspectives given at the hospital, and ended up emailing a doctor I'd met here on KKF (inactive or ex-member now) who told me exactly what I needed. Thanks again. Friend was right, hospital docs were off.

Glad to hear your son is okay, before you know it he'll be asking daddy for his first knife :knife:. I have similar concerns with nuclear medicine, I had to go for a CT scan recently and it wasn't an easy decision. I thought I read that a full CT scan with contrasting agent can be equivalent to 3-5 years background radiation, but apparently they don't use that with a scan of the head only.

i think you made the right call.

my mom didnt with me..i hit my head, and vomited. they elected to drive me the 3 hours home and let me nap.

the doctor lectured her. i had a concussion, and had to stay the night (i seem to remember staying the night. i was young).. head hit + vomit = ER in my world.

I've been to the hospital a few times for false alarms including one where I thought I'd broken my neck, and they're horrible places, but what can you do? Think you did the right thing, can't be too careful with kids

Thanks everyone! really appreciative of all the support. Link (my son) is 100% fine and it was a good wake up call to not take anything for granted!
Cheers
Matteo