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How Long Would The MC Be Unconscious?
Posted on
Fri, 18 Sep 2020
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Fri, 18 Sep 2020
Answered on
Tue, 24 Jun 2025
Last reviewed on
Question : Hello,
The main character (19y/o male) has just fallen down a flight of stairs on a space station and hit his head hard enough to knock himself out. I need something that'll put him out of action for about 2-3 days.
The character who finds him is a doctor. He can't take him to hospital or call for help (long story; it makes sense in the context of the novel). There are no other people around, as the area they're in is mostly abandoned.
In the interests of being medically realistic, writing a believable narrative, and not being laughed at by all the proper doctors out there, I'd really appreciate some help on the following points:
1. How long would the MC be unconscious? He's not found until 5-6 hours later, but would it be realistic to have him unconscious for that long? Or would he be conscious but too dizzy to move (drifting in and out of consciousness? He's also rather sleep-deprived, if that makes a difference).
2. What would the doctor's first reaction from a medical point of view be? Would he be able to diagnose concussion on the spot? The doctor and the MC are good friends, so he knows his name, birthday, etc. Would he also be able to check for broken bones, internal bleeding etc?
3. How would the MC be reacting? It's a straightforward concussion with no complications, so how long would it take until he could be up and about?
4. The doctor goes missing after 2 days and the MC goes looking for him. Two days after the concussion; would that be plausible? I can stretch it out to 3-4 days (the MC waits before realizing the doctor's not coming back) but not much longer.
5. As the doctor can't take the MC to hospital, he has to care for him there. There are abandoned apartments on the space station, so finding a place to stay isn't going to be an issue, but please can you tell me a little bit about what that care would entail?
I'm sorry this is so long! Thank you very much for taking the time to read it and I look forward to your reply!
The main character (19y/o male) has just fallen down a flight of stairs on a space station and hit his head hard enough to knock himself out. I need something that'll put him out of action for about 2-3 days.
The character who finds him is a doctor. He can't take him to hospital or call for help (long story; it makes sense in the context of the novel). There are no other people around, as the area they're in is mostly abandoned.
In the interests of being medically realistic, writing a believable narrative, and not being laughed at by all the proper doctors out there, I'd really appreciate some help on the following points:
1. How long would the MC be unconscious? He's not found until 5-6 hours later, but would it be realistic to have him unconscious for that long? Or would he be conscious but too dizzy to move (drifting in and out of consciousness? He's also rather sleep-deprived, if that makes a difference).
2. What would the doctor's first reaction from a medical point of view be? Would he be able to diagnose concussion on the spot? The doctor and the MC are good friends, so he knows his name, birthday, etc. Would he also be able to check for broken bones, internal bleeding etc?
3. How would the MC be reacting? It's a straightforward concussion with no complications, so how long would it take until he could be up and about?
4. The doctor goes missing after 2 days and the MC goes looking for him. Two days after the concussion; would that be plausible? I can stretch it out to 3-4 days (the MC waits before realizing the doctor's not coming back) but not much longer.
5. As the doctor can't take the MC to hospital, he has to care for him there. There are abandoned apartments on the space station, so finding a place to stay isn't going to be an issue, but please can you tell me a little bit about what that care would entail?
I'm sorry this is so long! Thank you very much for taking the time to read it and I look forward to your reply!
Brief Answer:
See details below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello dear,
1. Staying unconscious for 5-6 hours is too long and may have caused brain damage to him . Possibly she may stay unconscious for some minutes ,may feel dizzy and may fall asleep after the fall for 5-6 hours.
2. The doctor will evaluate his general health state, concience, her eyes, can check for injuries and bleeding, broken bones but not not much for internal bleeding.
3. Possibly she may be conscious soon after fall but dizzy and tired so may fall asleep. After 5-6 hours she can be conscious and batter. If the fall has not let him with major brain damages he may be up and about since next morning.
4. She can search for doctor after 3 days.
5. If brain damage has not happened,she isn't feeling dizziness and vertigo he doesn't need special treatment but just observation.
If she is dizzy, slurred speech, falling asleep too much may need to get in hospital for further evaluation.
Hope I have answered the question.
Let me know if I can assist you further.
See details below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello dear,
1. Staying unconscious for 5-6 hours is too long and may have caused brain damage to him . Possibly she may stay unconscious for some minutes ,may feel dizzy and may fall asleep after the fall for 5-6 hours.
2. The doctor will evaluate his general health state, concience, her eyes, can check for injuries and bleeding, broken bones but not not much for internal bleeding.
3. Possibly she may be conscious soon after fall but dizzy and tired so may fall asleep. After 5-6 hours she can be conscious and batter. If the fall has not let him with major brain damages he may be up and about since next morning.
4. She can search for doctor after 3 days.
5. If brain damage has not happened,she isn't feeling dizziness and vertigo he doesn't need special treatment but just observation.
If she is dizzy, slurred speech, falling asleep too much may need to get in hospital for further evaluation.
Hope I have answered the question.
Let me know if I can assist you further.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Nagamani Ng
Brief Answer:
See details below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello dear and thank you for asking again.
The doctor may call his name and see if he reacts to it, ask him what happened and if he is ok and see what he responds . Doctor will check his pulse in the neck and wrist, if he has a pulse oximeter he can use it in finger, ask him if anything hurts, twist him and check behind his head, check eyes with a light, check arms and legs by seeing them and touching them.
If he has no hospital equipment he will only see him how he will be in the next hours.
Check if he feels dizzy, disoriented, develop slurred speech, if he falls asleep or feels sleepy,if he doesn't answer to normal questions,if he vomits often or feels nauseated.
He will let him have rest and feed him.
Give any medications for head and body pain such ibuprofen.
Let me know if I can assist you further
See details below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello dear and thank you for asking again.
The doctor may call his name and see if he reacts to it, ask him what happened and if he is ok and see what he responds . Doctor will check his pulse in the neck and wrist, if he has a pulse oximeter he can use it in finger, ask him if anything hurts, twist him and check behind his head, check eyes with a light, check arms and legs by seeing them and touching them.
If he has no hospital equipment he will only see him how he will be in the next hours.
Check if he feels dizzy, disoriented, develop slurred speech, if he falls asleep or feels sleepy,if he doesn't answer to normal questions,if he vomits often or feels nauseated.
He will let him have rest and feed him.
Give any medications for head and body pain such ibuprofen.
Let me know if I can assist you further
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Hello again!
Thank you very much :) That's a lot more helpful.
However, I still have some outstanding questions from my last post. If you could take the time to answer them, I would really appreciate it (especially as I'm limited to the number of follow-up questions I can ask!)
1. Is there anything the doctor WOULDN'T do (because it would be bad for the MC medically?) For example, would the doctor want to check for spinal injuries before attempting to move him? If so, how would he do that?
2. Would the doctor be able to tell he was concussed? If so, HOW would he tell?
I understand that he would check things, but what, specifically, is he looking for? What would make him think, "Okay, this person's concussed?"
3. The MC is definitely concussed. How is he going to behave? Will he be confused? Will he recognize the doctor?
4. When the doctor first finds him, would the concussed person feel queasy? Would he throw up? Could he stand and walk without help?
5.
"Check if he feels dizzy, disoriented, develop slurred speech, if he falls asleep or feels sleepy,if he doesn't answer to normal questions,if he vomits often or feels nauseated."
If any of those things happen, how serious would it be? I'm trying to get a balance between "serious enough to stop the MC leaving for 2-3 days" and "not serious enough to cause any lasting damage."
Thank you very much for your time :)
Thank you very much :) That's a lot more helpful.
However, I still have some outstanding questions from my last post. If you could take the time to answer them, I would really appreciate it (especially as I'm limited to the number of follow-up questions I can ask!)
1. Is there anything the doctor WOULDN'T do (because it would be bad for the MC medically?) For example, would the doctor want to check for spinal injuries before attempting to move him? If so, how would he do that?
2. Would the doctor be able to tell he was concussed? If so, HOW would he tell?
I understand that he would check things, but what, specifically, is he looking for? What would make him think, "Okay, this person's concussed?"
3. The MC is definitely concussed. How is he going to behave? Will he be confused? Will he recognize the doctor?
4. When the doctor first finds him, would the concussed person feel queasy? Would he throw up? Could he stand and walk without help?
5.
"Check if he feels dizzy, disoriented, develop slurred speech, if he falls asleep or feels sleepy,if he doesn't answer to normal questions,if he vomits often or feels nauseated."
If any of those things happen, how serious would it be? I'm trying to get a balance between "serious enough to stop the MC leaving for 2-3 days" and "not serious enough to cause any lasting damage."
Thank you very much for your time :)
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