Hello,
This weekend, after a few (~4) drinks at happy hour, and, I believe, too much marijuana (maybe 6-8 inhalations from a water pipe) my husband fell down about 8 steps in our home. He didn't lose consciousness before the fall.
He did hurt his back and was unsure if he hit his head. He sat on the steps for about 4 minutes to make sure nothing was broken. When he got up and attempted to come downstairs, he made it about 8 more steps, then fainted, with eyes open and a slower fall to the floor. His eyes remained open while he was out; he regained consciousness after about one minute. He stood up again, and, again, about 30 seconds later, fainted. Again, the same situation, eyes open, for about one minute.
I had called EMT. They arrived quickly and checked vitals, but kind of dismissed it as attributable to the marijuana and drinking. Of course, he minimized the incident as lightheadedness and said he could hear what was happening while he was "out." Of note, he occasionally talks in his sleep (maybe once a month and briefly), but that night he talked throughout the night, which is unusual.
The incident was terrifying to me. My question is would the trauma of a hard fall, without hitting the head, combined with double intoxication be a likely explanation for the loss of consciousness? Would a bump on the head that did not cause lasting pain be enough to cause syncope or seizure or subdural hematoma or concussion? Might the double intoxication itself have caused syncope or seizure, even? Would a scan be necessary in this situation? Any opinion or elucidation would be greatly appreciated. I have him scheduled for an appointment to be checked out day after tomorrow.
Thanks so much.