“Never Normal”: 43 Medical Professionals Share Which Health Warning Signs Should Trouble You

It’s sometimes tough to understand when you do and don’t need emergency assistance. On the one hand, you don’t want to clog up the medical system by going to the emergency room when you’re not in danger. Say, when you have a cold or a small injury that you can treat at home or at a pharmacy.

On the other hand, you want to be safe rather than sorry. You don’t want to put yourself in a situation where you delay medical help when you actually need it because you assume “it’s nothing” and that you’ll get better. After all, doctors know a lot more about potential health risks, and they have access to your medical history.

As a rule of thumb, you should seek immediate medical help if there are sudden changes in your health. And if you’re ever uncertain if you should head to the ER, call your doctor or healthcare provider for support.

As Concordia University stresses, you should go to the emergency room if you have sustained severe physical trauma, lose consciousness, suddenly have a severe headache, suddenly feel pain in your chest, left shoulder or arm, light-headedness, jaw pain, or aching under your breastbone. Other troubling signs are severe shortness of breath, numbness or weakness in the arms or legs, disorientation, and blurred vision.

Another symptom that you shouldn’t ignore and head right to the emergency room, as per ‘Time’ magazine, is if someone you know is suddenly confused or their personality changes. This could be due to a number of things, like a stroke, infection, low blood sugar, etc. So, they need immediate care.

You should also be wary of sudden and unusual upper back pain, nausea, unexplained severe itching, extreme anxiety or a sense of doom, randomly passing out, leg pain or swelling in just one leg, and shortness of breath even while lying down.

Once you’ve finished reading through this post, think about taking part in the conversation in the comments. In your personal experience, what are some symptoms that you wish you had reacted to earlier than you did? Meanwhile, if you have a background in medicine, what advice would you give everyone to inspire them to live a healthier, longer, happier life? Let us know.