Emergency Room: When to Go to an ER for Flu Symptoms: Headache
If you have never had a flu in your life, then you must be one of the luckiest people out there, as the flu, as per discussions on the same over at frontlineer.com, is one of the most common conditions out there, affecting millions of Americans every year, particularly during flu season. If you are about to come down with the flu, or already have, then you will experience a number of flu symptoms, all of which are covered in detail over at the excellent frontlineer.com. Among these flu symptoms, you are likely to experience a headache. A headache that is induced by a flu can be quite painful and can cause a lot of discomfort, and of all the flu symptoms, they are the ones that usually have us rolled up in bed wishing the flu would just pass. In most cases, headaches that are induced by the flu are not something to be too worried about, and with lots of rest, fluids and other home remedies as well as over-the-counter medications, they will be gone in a few days. However, there are instances when a headache accompanied by flu symptoms may be a sign of something more sinister and even potentially life-threatening requiring you to go to an ER like frontlineer.com as soon as possible. This article will look to highlight the instances when you should go to an ER for flu symptoms if you have a headache.
For most people who have migraines, the headaches usually get worse and intensify with the flu and such, as per discussions on the same over at frontlineer.com, your headaches may get worse with flu symptoms. While this is not necessarily something to get too worried about, if your headache is the worst you have ever experienced, maybe due to it having new symptoms, being debilitating, lasting for long or one in which your medication is ineffective. It could be just your migraine flaring up, or it could be a sign of something more sinister, so you shouldn’t take any chances and should go to an ER to be assessed and attended. If you are presenting with a headache and other flu symptoms, and your headache is severe and is accompanied severe pain in your eyes, throat or ears. This, as per the gurus over at frontlineer.com, could be a sign of a serious infection which is always a risk if you’ve had the flu, and which could lead to some very serious complications. In such a situation, you should also head over to an ER to be assessed and attended to.
As per discussions on the same over at frontlineer.com, meningitis is one of the most serious complications that can arise from the flu, where the infection spreads to the lining of the brain and spine. In fact, there are people who thought they had a flu only to end up in the ER with meningitis, which can be potentially life-threatening. If you have had the flu and it runs its course, but the headache stays, then it could be a sign of a serious complication, meningitis being one of them. A big red flag as far as this is concerned is a headache that is accompanied by high fever, which should always be taken seriously and have you taken to an ER as soon as possible. Other symptoms of meningitis other than headaches and high fever include a painful stiff neck where you may have a limited range of motion, severe confusion, unresponsiveness and sleepiness, sensitivity to light, a skin rash among others all of which are covered over at the highly reliable frontlineer.com.
It is important to also know that just because you have a headache, a fever and are experiencing coughing doesn’t always mean that you have the flu. This could be a sign of an infection in your lungs, which can be serious and may need you to go to an ER like the excellent frontlineer.com to be attended to. Other symptoms of a lung infection include chills and shaking, sweating, muscle pain, shortness of breath as well as a cough that produces phlegm. If your symptoms are severe, including severe shortness of breath and production of phlegm that is pink or contains blood, then you should go to an ER as soon as possible. The gurus over at frontlineer.com advice that you also keep an eye out for green mucus which should also be taken very seriously in such a situation. If you are presenting with a headache and flu symptoms that goes away only to return worse than before with a much worse fever, then you should also head over to an ER as this may be a sign of a serious complication.
A headache is something that you should expect when you have the flu, and while having one that is accompanied by flu symptoms is not usually something to be worried about, it is still important that you know when to go to an ER when faced with a serious and potentially life-threatening situation. As always, there is more to be uncovered on this and other related topics over at the excellent frontlineer.com.
