When to go to Urgent Care for Nausea
Nausea is an incredibly common symptom that can stem from a variety of illnesses, such as stomach bugs, motion sickness and more. If you’re suffering from nausea, you might consider visiting urgent care instead of your regular doctor’s office if: Your vomiting has lasted more than 24 hours. Your nausea has been accompanied by chills or a fever above 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38.3 degrees Celsius). You’ve recently had contact with another person who has suffered from food poisoning or dysentery. You’re suffering from stomach pain along with your nausea.
As any parent of a young child knows, kids tend to be sick quite a bit. Most of these illnesses will clear up on their own without medical intervention. But if your child is vomiting and/or has diarrhea, you may need to head out of your way and pay extra money in order to seek medical attention from a doctor or other health care professional in urgent care. These conditions are usually not serious – but they are uncomfortable for both you and your child. The real question when deciding whether or not you should take a kid with nausea or vomiting into urgent care: Is it better now? Are symptoms lessening? Do they have fewer episodes per day? Or are they lasting longer than 24 hours?
Nausea and vomiting can be caused by many different conditions. One reason that many people visit urgent care centers is when they are having nausea and/or vomiting. Common reasons include infectious illness, over-the-counter medication side effects, food poisoning or other gastrointestinal problems. However, if you continue to experience nausea and vomiting after a 24 hour period or if your symptoms worsen during that time, it may be a sign of more serious conditions such as appendicitis or cholecystitis (inflammation of gallbladder). Seek medical attention immediately if any of these additional signs and symptoms are present: fever greater than 101 degrees F; changes in vision; severe abdominal pain; significant amount of blood in vomit or stool; extreme exhaustion; chills or shivering.
If you’re still feeling ill after a few hours, or if your nausea is accompanied by a fever, vomiting, a severe headache, stiff neck or back pain, shortness of breath and wheezing, you may be suffering from acute gastroenteritis or food poisoning. These are immediate medical concerns that require urgent care and hospitalization. The same goes for anyone with symptoms of appendicitis or diverticulitis: sudden abdominal pain accompanied by fever and bloating. Note that all of these conditions should be evaluated by a healthcare professional regardless; waiting it out could make things worse in an already-tense situation.
