Your Medical Condition – Is it an Emergency?

Your Medical Condition – Is it an Emergency?

Medical symptoms can sometimes get so scary that you might think, “This is it! I’m probably dying.” Knowing how to interpret your symptoms is key to finding out if your case is a real medical emergency or not. You may disregard early warning signs of a heart attack as a simple case of hyperacidity; on the other hand, you may spend sleepless nights thinking you already have a brain tumor when you’re simply having a string of tension-related migraine headaches. Here are a few notes that may help you identify real danger over less serious medical bouts.

Tension headaches feel like forceps clamping on both sides of your temples. They can recur for months or years especially when stress levels are high in your surroundings. Headaches caused by brain tumors on the other hand worsen quite rapidly over days or weeks and are accompanied by symptoms such as vomiting, delirium, unsteadiness or fits, blurred vision, and numbness of a side of the body.

That shooting pain somewhere in your chest when you poke your ribs, cough or exert some effort may give you the heart attack scare, but a real heart attack is entirely different. That pain you are experiencing may simply be a pulled muscle and will go away by itself after a few days. A heart attack will give you a one-time severe crushing weight on the chest which spreads to your neck or left arm and can leave you temporarily or permanently incapacitated.

A most common worry I’ve seen among all ages is appendicitis. Various stomach upsets, especially when extended, sets in the fear of appendicitis. But a wide array of stomach discomfort is brought about by a virus causing vomiting and diarrhea. Appendicitis on the other hand starts with central abdominal pain that isn’t spasmodic in nature and gradually localizes as constant pain on the right side below the belly button after about 12 hours.

It is important to familiarize yourself with medical symptoms to avoid unnecessary panic or properly respond to emergency situations.