Unless we’re in extreme pain or one of our bones is sticking out, few of us want to admit that we need to go spend hours waiting in the emergency room, just so we can spend a load of money on health insurance bills. After all, it might be nothing, and we’d have wasted all that time and money for nothing.
However, this is not a wise move to make for your health. We fully understand why you would not want to make a trip to the ER, but while it’s easy to push your symptoms aside, there are some that you should never ignore. Below are 8 red flag signs that you need to see a doctor as soon as possible:
1. Spiked Fever
The only time it’s normal to have a spiked fever is when you have a cold or flu – the raised body temperature shows that your body is fighting something. However, if a fever suddenly spikes out of the blue – and spikes high – you should take yourself to the ER. According to WebMd, any temperature higher than 105 degrees in an adult is a medical emergency. A consistent fever over 103 degrees indicates a serious infection that needs to be treated urgently.
2. Feeling Faint
If you stand up quickly, or haven’t had much to eat or drink, then you might feel lightheaded. But if it comes out of the blue and is so extreme that you feel like you might faint, you need to go to the ER. Not only can this indicate some larger problem, but you could injure yourself if you do fall over.
Did you just climb a load of stairs or go for jog? If that’s the case, then it’s okay to feel a little out of breath. However, this is a totally different story if you get breathless out of nowhere and cannot seem to catch your breath. If you start to feel short of breath and your lungs and throat start to feel tight, you should head on down to the ER.
4. Splitting Headache
It’s so easy for us to consider a headache to be “normal.” You might take a pill, drink a glass of water, and sleep it off. However, you need to draw the line at some point. Should you have a headache for more than a day, or if you’re experiencing excruciating pain, seek medical help.
5. Upset Stomach
If you have been around someone who is ill or you ate something a little funky, having an upset stomach isn’t the end of the world. However, if diarrhea continues for more than five days, or you start becoming dehydrated, go straight to the ER.
6. Chest Pains
There are different types of chest pains. If you’re experiencing a squeezing feeling that turns into a tight and painful ache, seek medical attention immediately. This is especially important do if you’re experiencing these pains straight after exercising as this could be a sign of cardiac arrest.
7. Pins and Needles
If you’ve been sitting on your foot and you get pins and needles, that makes sense since you’ve been restricting the blood flow. However, if you get this feeling out of the blue, especially in your limbs, this could be a potential sign of a stroke and should be immediately examined.
8. Random bump
Everyone should know that an unrecognized lump anywhere on your body should be handled with care. Unexplained lumps can indicate all sorts of things. If it hurts, it could be an infection or a small fracture. If not, it could be cancerous. Either way, going to the ER will give you peace of mind.
Source: tiphero
Images: depositphotos
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