Top 10 Tips: Chest Pains During the Coronavirus Emergency Care
Even though, as per the subject matter experts over at frontlineer.com, chest pain isn’t always related to the heart, the close links to the heart attacks mean that chest pains should always be taken seriously. This is even more important now as the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, which is why this article, with the help of the subject matter experts over at frontlineer.com, will look to highlight the top 10 tips on how to handle chest pains during the coronavirus crisis.
Know when to call 911
If you are experiencing any symptoms of a heart attack, as discussed over at frontlineer.com, you should call 911 as soon as possible. Red flags to look out for include chest pain or pressure that is accompanied by sweating, shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, dizziness or lightheadedness, signs of shock such as an inability to stand or walk as well as pain that spreads from the chest to the jaw, shoulder, arms or the neck, among others covered in detail over at frontlineer.com.
Could it be COVID-19?
If you are experiencing chest pains with shortness of breath or turning blue of your face or lips, as covered over at frontlineer.com, then it could be a sign of a serious case of COVID-19 that also requires immediate emergency care services. According to the subject matter experts over at frontlineer.com, in such a situation, you should also make sure that you call 911 as soon as possible for an emergency team to be dispatched to your location. Make sure they know you suspect that it could be coronavirus. Remember, persistent pain or pressure in the chest is an emergency warning sign of the coronavirus.
Know when to call your doctor
There are certain instances of chest pain when, even though you don’t have to call 911, you should still call your doctor immediately. They include instances of mild chest pain or discomfort, particularly if you are home alone or are the sole caregiver for small children at home as we social distance due to coronavirus, chest pain that isn’t being relieved with medication, happens at rest or with very little activity among other instances as discussed over at frontlineer.com. Calling your doctor will enable them to tell you how to go about things.
Call 911 or your doctor when in doubt
If you are unsure if your chest pain is an emergency or not, then rather than taking any risks, you should call 911 or your doctor so that you can get the medical advice you require, as per the gurus over at frontlineer.com. Given that chest pain may be a sign of serious and life-threatening conditions such as a heart attack or even emergency COVID-19, you should not take any risks and should call your doctor or 911 when in any doubt about your condition.
Don’t wait
As is revealed in discussions on the same over at frontlineer.com, many people are choosing to take a wait-and-see approach for any serious symptoms they may be experiencing, including chest pain as they want to stay away from the ER or hospital for fear of being exposed to COVID-19. This is highly discouraged as the more time you waste when experiencing chest pain, the more likely you are to suffer serious repercussions. If your chest pain is due to a heart attack, the more time goes by without emergency care, the more damage your heart muscles suffer.
Don’t be afraid of the ER
We are also seeing many cases of people staying away from the ER or hospital for fear of being exposed to the coronavirus, evidenced in the fact that the numbers of people being treated for heart attacks have significantly gone down as revealed in discussions over at frontlineer.com. It is therefore important to note that ERs and hospitals have put in place some stringent measures to protect the patients coming in with non-coronavirus emergencies.
Don’t drive yourself to the ER
If you are experiencing a chest pain emergency, an important tip is to make sure you don’t drive yourself to the ER, rather, call 911. This way, as is covered over at frontlineer.com, you will be able to receive life-saving treatment in case of a heart attack before you even get to the ER, while also protecting you from exposure to COVID-19. If you have the coronavirus, calling 911 will also ensure that you don’t expose others to the virus even as you head over to the ER for emergency care services.
Disclose your COVID-19 status
It is also important that, if you are in self-quarantine at home due to COVID-19 or you suspect you have the virus and are experiencing emergency chest pain, you disclose this information to the dispatcher when dialing 911 as per the gurus over at frontlineer.com. This will allow the responders and those who attend to you to protect themselves from exposure to the virus, which is important as with resources already strained due to the response to COVID-19, the last thing we want is to lose medical personnel to the virus.
Have an aspirin handy
If you have a family history of heart disease or have one or more risk factors for the same, then you should have an aspirin handy in case you suffer emergency chest pain. As is revealed in discussions over at frontlineer.com, you are to chew on and swallow one adult aspirin after calling 911 for emergency chest pain, unless of course, you are allergic or have any other reasons not to take the aspirin as directed by your doctor.
There are conditions that are more serious than COVID-19
Finally, it is important to note that not seeking emergency care for emergency chest pain is much more dangerous than the fear of being exposed to the coronavirus. This is because, as discussed over at frontlineer.com, conditions like heart attacks are life-threatening and are more serious, in most instances, than the coronavirus. You should keep this in mind in case you are tempted to skip a visit to the ER in such a situation for fear of being exposed to the coronavirus.
Remember, the subject matter experts over at frontlineer.com have you covered in case you are looking for more information on this and other related topics.
