5 Signs You Should Go See a Doctor
It can be difficult to tell when you should actually go to the hospital.
No one wants to be the paranoid patient who makes an emergency room visit every time he has a cold, but sometimes, people won’t go to the hospital when there is something truly wrong with them.
At least the paranoid patient gets checked out regularly.
Sure, it’s easy to know to go to a hospital when you’ve just suffered a traumatic injury, but it can be harder to distinguish medical emergencies. Here are five signs you should go see the doctor.
1. Frequent Urination/Thirst
If you are constantly thirsty and are urinating frequently, you could be suffering from hyperglycemia, a condition that is common in some diabetic patients.
Essentially, there is some reason why the insulin in your body can’t transport the simple sugars (glucose) into the body’s cells.
Instead, that sugar remains in the blood stream, causing your body to react by attempting to get rid of excess fluids to help level out the sugar. If your breath has a fruity smell, that is another sign of hyperglycemia.
2. Strong Migraines
Everyone experiences headaches, but if you have frequent migraines and they feel like the worst you’ve ever had, it could be a sign of an aneurysm or meningitis.
These symptoms may be coupled with nausea and dizziness.
3. Chest Pain
It is common to feel a little chest pain every once in a while. Most of the time it is caused by gas bubbles in that region.
However, if you experience crushing or squeezing pain and pain that radiates from your left arm to your jaw, you could be having a heart attack. Take some aspirin and go to the emergency room right away.
4. Belly Aches
Most stomach aches are mild and don’t signal any immediate threats to the body.
However, if you have a sharp pain that started in your naval region and traveled to the lower right part of your stomach, it could be a sign that your appendix is about to rupture.
A ruptured appendix can cause a lot of damage to the body in a short time. Go to the ER if you experience right lower stomach pain.
5. A Little Blood
Unless you are a woman on your period, you should not experience blood coming out of your body. This includes the mouth, urethra or colon.
If you cough blood, it is a sign that you may be suffering from COPD. It could also be a sign that you have a GI bleed.
That is especially true if you vomit blood and it is dark and tarry. If bright red blood comes out with your feces, it may just be a sign of a ruptured hemorrhoid. However, if the blood is dark and has an odor, it could be a sign of a GI bleed or colon cancer.
You need to see a doctor anytime you experience bleeding out of your mouth urethra or colon.
Of course, there are other signs, but use this list to help you use your better judgment. You know your body better than everyone else, so if you think something is truly wrong, trust your instinct and see someone who can help.
