Bangalore, June 22: Not all was well on June 10 for Manoj Gokhale, a 33-year-old engineer working with GE. He was dropped off near his house at 4.30 pm that day, when Manoj suddenly fell unconsciousness.
The only thing that he vaguely remembers is a man offering to drop him home. But a splitting headcahe seemed to fog his memory.
“He was complaining of severe pain in the right side of his head, just behind the right ear. Even painkillers gave him no relief. I then rushed him to the nearby Chaya Hospital at around 5.15 pm,” said Anuradha Gokhale, Manoj’s wife. The doctors diagnosed it as internal bleeding in the brain and gave referred him to Manipal Hospital.
The CT scan revealed that a blood clot had formed in his brain and was exerting pressure on the nerves. A three-hour surgery was immediately performed to clear the clot. “Manoj had a blood clot between his skull and the outer layer of his brain. It is a medical condition known as extradural hematoma. The clot kept increasing in size and compressed the brain,” said Dr KM Bopanna, neurosurgeon, Manipal Hospital, adding, “Ideally, the patient should be operated within an hour of losing consciousness.”
Manoj was discharged on June 16 but still needs to be under medical care for a few more weeks, said his relieved wife.
What’s Extradural hematoma?
It is a condition where there is bleeding in the skull, outside the brain. Lucid interval, a condition where the patient often loses consciousness, is the dominant symptom. The patient may also suffer from severe headaches, vomitting, drowsiness and muscle weakness. If ignored, it can lead to paralysis and even death of the patient.
–Agencies