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Warning-sign checks

Frontal bossing: when to get help

Go through these in order and stop at the first one that applies. If you are reading this for someone else, answer for them.

  1. 1

    Is any of this happening now?

    Call 911

    Call emergency services if the person has a seizure, is difficult to wake, suddenly becomes weak, has severe breathing difficulty, or develops a sudden severe headache with confusion or loss of consciousness.

    Other emergency signs, for anyone
    • Someone who is struggling to breathe, gasping, choking, or cannot get words out
    • Someone who has chest pain, tightness or pressure lasting more than a few minutes
    • Someone who has sudden weakness or drooping on one side of the face or body, slurred speech, or sudden confusion
    • Someone who is unconscious, or cannot be woken
    • Someone who is bleeding heavily and it will not stop with firm pressure
    • Someone who has had a seizure that will not stop, or does not wake up afterwards
    • Someone who has lips or skin that look pale, blue, grey or blotchy
    • Someone who you believe has taken an overdose or swallowed something poisonous
  2. 2

    Is any of this happening?

    Be seen today

    Seek urgent medical care if a baby has a soft spot that remains tense or bulging while calm and upright, especially with repeated vomiting, unusual sleepiness, marked irritability, or rapidly increasing head size.

    These findings can occur when pressure inside the skull is raised.

  3. 3

    Does any of this apply?

    Book an appointment

    Book a routine appointment if frontal bossing is newly noticed, is becoming more obvious, or looks uneven.

    A baby or child should also be assessed if there are concerns about head growth, height, limb shape, feeding, hearing, vision, movement, or development.

    It can still be discussed during a routine visit, particularly if you are unsure whether it is changing.

The article also says

A longstanding forehead shape without other symptoms is usually not an emergency.

Every sign above is quoted from the sofidex article on Frontal bossing. If you are not sure, err upward — it is always reasonable to be checked.