The one-minute brief
- A first visit after a crash packs a lot into one hour: a history, an exam, findings, a plan. People who are hurting, tired or foggy remember less of it than they think.
- A second person can drive, fill in the timeline, take notes and repeat the plan back on the way home.
- If the head took any part of the hit, a second set of ears matters more, not less.
- The injured person still does the talking about their own body. The companion is there to help, not to answer for them.
- Ask the office when you call whether a companion can come into the exam, and say who is coming.
That is the brief. The longer read follows for anyone who has the time this morning.
The Daily's first visit brief covers what the appointment is and what to bring. This edition is about who to bring. It is written for two readers at once: the person who got hurt, and the person who keeps saying "let me know if you need anything." Here is something they can actually do.
Why one person is not enough
A first exam after a crash asks you to do several hard things at once. Recall a crash that happened in about a second. Describe pain that moves around. Answer questions about headaches, sleep and concentration. Move a stiff neck through tests while someone watches. Then listen to findings and a plan, often with words you have not heard before, and remember it all when you get home.
That is a lot for anyone. For someone who slept badly for three nights, it is more. For someone whose head hit the headrest or the window, it can be much more, because trouble concentrating and remembering is one of the things the clinic's concussion lane exists to address. The CDC lists difficulty remembering new information and feeling foggy among the common signs of a concussion.
What the second person is for
The drive
If your neck will not turn well enough to check a blind spot, or your head feels off, do not drive yourself. The trip from Wentzville or St. Peters to the O'Fallon office on West Terra Lane is short, but I-70 and the Highway K interchange are not places to test a stiff neck. A companion solves this before anything else.
The timeline
If the companion was in the car, or picked you up afterward, or has been living with you since, they may remember things you do not. Which day the headache started. That you went to bed at eight on Tuesday. That you have been snapping at the kids. The clinician will ask you first, and a companion can add what you missed.
The notes
The most useful single thing a companion can do is write things down. A phone note is fine. Four headings cover it:
- Findings. What did the exam find, in the clinician's words.
- The plan. What happens next, how often, and for how long before a re-check.
- Home instructions. What to do and avoid between visits, including work and driving.
- Send-elsewhere signs. What would make the clinician refer you out or send you to an emergency room.
The repeat-back
On the way home, the companion reads the notes out loud and the injured person says whether that matches what they heard. Where the two versions differ, call the office and ask. Better to clear it up that afternoon than to guess for a week.
A plan you can repeat out loud is the goal of a first visit. Two people repeating it is better than one.
What the second person is not for
Answering for the patient. The clinician needs to hear, in the injured person's own words, where it hurts and what they cannot do. A companion who jumps in with "it's not that bad, she's tough" or "he's been in agony" is not helping the exam. Let the patient talk first, then add facts, not opinions.
Managing the care. A parent bringing an adult child, or a spouse, is there to support, not to decide. And nobody should promise the injured person an outcome or a timeline. That is not a companion's call, and honestly, it is not a website's either.
If you are coming alone
Plenty of people will, and that is fine. Write your own four headings before you go. Ask the clinician to repeat the plan slowly. Ask whether there is anything written you can take home. Call a friend from the parking lot and read the plan to them while it is fresh.
Booking the visit with a companion
Call the office you can reach this week. Say it was a crash and give the date. Say someone is driving you and ask whether they can come into the exam with you. Every office closes from 12 to 2 daily, so a companion taking a long lunch will need to plan around that. The O'Fallon office is nearest this desk and runs Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 9 to 6, with Wednesday and Friday by appointment.
Start the week with an exam or call O'Fallon at (636) 280-0990. Closed daily 12 to 2.
Before anyone drives anywhere
If the person you are helping has anything on the emergency list below, such as a head injury with vomiting or confusion that is getting worse, the companion's job is the emergency room or 911, right now. The clinic is the step after. This edition is educational and is not medical advice.