yellow liquid coming from nose + head injury

[natorious]

Hi, I think i sustained a minor concussion last night, i smacked the back of my head on the ground during a frisbee game, and immediately afterward this liquid starting coming out my nose, it was yellowish and kept coming out for about a minute.  then today i had the same yellow water-like liquid come out of the same nostril.  is this a cause for concern?  i wouldn't be worried except for the fact i've had 3 medium concussions prior to the minor one last night, and this liquid is much different in color and consistency from colds/allergies in the past.

[Rowena Santos, MD]

How are you? Do you still have the discharge coming out your nose? Are there other symptoms present? With rest, most concussions get better on their own. However, some blows to the head can cause more serious injuries. If these symptoms occur, you should see your doctor: prolonged headache or dizziness, vision disturbances, nausea or vomiting, impaired balance, prolonged memory loss, ringing in the ears or loss of smell or taste. If the nasal discharge persists, it is always good to see your doctor for proper evaluation. Take care and keep us posted.

[natorious]

thanks for the response, so far (12 hours later) i haven't had any more discharge, and other than a mild headache i feel pretty normal.  i googled yellow liquid + nose and was a little frightened to see spinal/brain fluid haha, but that seemed a little overly dramatic, especially since this last injury was mild compared to the others (aka no vomiting or loss of consciousness or anything major like that).  i was just surprised because i've never had nasal discharge after this type of injury.

i'll keep an eye on it and report back :) thanks again for your response i feel relieved.

[Rowena Santos, MD]

Hi,
That is good to hear. The most critical time for all trauma injuries involving the head is the first 24 hours immediately after the event. With the persistence of your discharge and appearance of new symptoms, it is best to see your doctor. Do keep us posted.