When to Go to the ER
We have all, at one time or the other, experienced issues as far as our health is concerned and have needed to seek medical attention. In most instances, we have been in situations where we had time to book and appointment with a primary care doctor, go over to their office, have them diagnose us and prescribe the medications or course of treatment that we needed to get back to good health. There have been instances however, where we have been in situations health wise that require immediate medical attention; in situations that were medical emergencies. In such situations, it may sometimes be obvious that we are experiencing a medical emergency and as such need to go to the ER as soon as possible, while there are sometimes when a medical emergency is not that obvious, as is discussed in detail over at frontlineer.com. When in such a situation, it is safe to say that one is usually not rational or calm, but one still needs to decide if they need to head over to the ER or not. In such situations, there are two type of people: those who look to downplay the symptoms even though they may be serious and those who panic and overreact even though the situation may not be a medical emergency. The question is, when does one have to go to the ER? Well, this article will look to help answer this question and therefore help with this decision, by highlighting instances where one has to go to the ER.
As we all know, strokes and heart attacks are life-threatening conditions and are medical emergencies and as such, as a rule of thumb, if you start to experience symptoms of either of the two, then you have to ensure you go to the ER as soon as possible. Symptoms to look out for that indicate a stroke include trouble with your speech such as slurring of your words as well as difficulty understanding language, numbness or paralysis of one side of your face, arm or leg, as well as drooping of one side of your face, problems with your vision such as blurred vision, loss of vision in one or both of your eyes as well as double vision. Other red flags include sudden severe headache, nausea and vomiting, loss of consciousness, loss of balance and coordination as well as confusion and an altered mental state; with all of these symptoms covered in detail over at frontlineer.com. As far as a heart attack is concerned, some of the symptoms to look out for include pain or pressure in the chest or arms, abdominal pain, nausea, shortness of breath and trouble breathing, cold sweat, dizziness among others. As has been stated, if you are experiencing symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, you need to go to the ER as soon as possible as the more time you waste, the more damage you suffer to your heart or brain respectively.
Heart attacks and strokes are not the only medical emergencies and there are other symptoms that indicate that one should go to the ER as soon as possible. These include instances where one is suffering from uncontrollable bleeding that can’t be stopped even after applying pressure on the wound, compound fractures especially where bone is protruding out through the skin, as well as cuts that are very severe and deep that the underlying tissues have been exposed. Severe cases of cuts and bone breaks should always be treated in an ER as they require more complex treatment strategies than just stitching and placing stints; things that can be done at an urgent care clinic as is covered in detail over at frontlineer.com. Compound fractures for instance may require surgery first to align the bone before stints and a cast may be placed. Other injuries that should be handled in an ER include gunshot wounds, since most of these involve internal injuries and imaging such as the use of an MRI may be required.
Other instances when you should go to the ER is if your infant, who is under the age of 3 months, spikes a fever. Given the age of the infant, this should always be treated as a medical emergency. Under normal circumstances though, if one is having a severe fever that is accompanied by convulsions, then they also should ensure they go to the ER as soon as they can. Other instances that should lead to a visit to the ER include instances where one is experiencing coughing or vomiting of blood, severe headache or a head injury, blood in the urine or stool, especially cases of bloody diarrhea, as well as cases of 2nd and 3rd degree burns, as is discussed in detail by the subject matter gurus over at frontlineer.com. Another instance that always gets overlooked as far as when to go to the ER is concerned has to do with one mental health. To this effect, if one is having suicidal thoughts or is thinking of harming others, then they should also go the ER as soon as possible.
The above discussion is by no means conclusive as far as when to go to the ER goes, and there is more on this and other related topics to be found over at frontlineer.com.
