40 Symptoms That *Always* Warrant A Call To Your Doctor Right Away
No one wants to be the person who has their doctor on speed dial, but sometimes it can be tough to suss out on your own whether you're dealing with a health issue that's minor or that's actually pretty major. And any MD will tell you it's always better to be safe than sorry. So when in doubt, you should always give the pro a ring JIC if you feel off and on edge about it. But doctors say that's *especially* true if you're experiencing one of the potentially serious symptoms ahead.
Floaters, or spots in your vision, could be no biggie...or they could be a sign of a more intense vision problem like retinal detachment, a retinal tear, or an inflammation in the eye, says JP Maszczak, OD, an assistant professor of clinical optometry at the Ohio State University College of Optometry. "Retinal tears and detachments, if not diagnosed and treated in a timely manner—often within 24 to 48 hours—may result in profound and permanent vision loss," he says. So yeah, you want to get this checked out.
A persistent hot fever could be due to any number of ailments, says Ayesha Cheema, MD, a primary care physician at Baltimore's Mercy Medical Center. But the reason you want to contact your doctor is to rule out "serious things like bacterial infection and pneumonia," she says. Call your doc if it's not going down after you take an OTC fever reducer, and especially if you have other symptoms like nausea, vomiting, coughing, or a headache, she says.
Unexplained eye pain may be the symptom of conjunctivitis (a.k.a. pink eye), which is contagious and requires medication. Or, it could be a more serious complication of an infection. Either way, you want to call in the big guns.
It's normal to feel a little shortness of breath when you go hard at the gym. So don't panic and call your MD if you're catching your breath stepping off the treadmill. But if it comes out of nowhere, it can also be a sign of one of a slew of heart issues, says Jennifer Haythe, MD, director of cardio-obstetrics and internist at NYPH/Columbia and co-director of the Women’s Center for Cardiovascular Health at Columbia.
"In general, sudden vision loss in a patient with more substantial chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol, could be the result of a systemic condition worsening over time," Maszczak says. But, if you're otherwise healthy, it could be a sign your eye prescription has changed or that you're developing a more significant health issue like diabetes or multiple sclerosis.
This can be a sign of a heart attack. "I always advise people to take their symptoms seriously, especially when they come on suddenly or escalate rapidly," Dr. Haythe says.
Wearing contacts "greatly magnifies" your risk of infection, Maszczak says, especially if you're not 100 percent on top of cleaning your contacts well and replacing them on schedule. If you're dealing with funky symptoms, call your doctor ASAP. "I've seen patients end up blind because they delayed in seeking care for even minor symptoms upon onset," he says.
This can be a sign of a heart attack, an aortic dissection, a pulmonary embolism, an arrhythmia, and even pneumonia, Dr. Haythe says. Even if you get checked out and your chest pressure is nothing, you don't want to let it slide.
Having double vision here and there, like when you're totally wiped after a long day of work, is normal, Maszczak says. But getting double vision that comes out of nowhere, sticks around, and only goes away when you cover or close an eye means you need to get checked out. It could be a sign of high blood pressure, a stroke, or a "number of underlying causes," Maszczak says.
This is another symptom that can indicate a heart attack, an aortic dissection, a pulmonary embolism, or an arrhythmia, Dr. Haythe notes. Call your doctor and be prepared to talk about your other symptoms.
"This may indicate a stroke," says Russ Kino, MD, an emergency medicine specialist medical director of the Weingart Foundation Emergency Department at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif. You'll want to talk to your doctor "extremely quickly," he says.
Chest pain is one of the classic symptoms of a heart attack, Dr. Haythe says. While it's also possible that you're dealing with something like reflux, this really isn't something you want to wait on. (One note: Chest pain, pressure, and tightness all sound pretty similar but may feel like different sensations. So if your chest area and breathing just feels, well, off to you, give your doc a ring.)
Dizziness can be caused by a number of things, but having dizziness along with chest pain is usually a sign that something isn't right with your heart, Dr. Haythe says.
This could be a sign of a stress fracture (which will only get worse if you keep walking on it), or it could be a sign of a blood clot, Dr. Kino says.
When you have throat pain, you naturally assume you "just" have a sore throat. But if it started in your chest and moved to your throat, it could be a sign of a heart issue, Dr. Haythe says.
"This is a big one," Dr. Kino says. While it could be due to an underlying condition like asthma, it could also be caused by a blood clot in your lung or a problem with your heart.
This could be a sign of a fever but, if your temperature is normal, it's time to call your doctor. Again, it could be a symptom of a heart attack, an aortic dissection, a pulmonary embolism, or an arrhythmia, Dr. Haythe says.
A stiff neck without a headache is usually due to a muscle spasm, Dr. Kino says. "But a headache and stiff neck, along with sensitivity to light could indicate an infection around the brain," he says.
Swelling in the feet and ankles that comes out of nowhere can be a sign of congestive heart failure, liver disease, and even cancer, Dr. Haythe says.
"It is very difficult to tell how serious a burn is initially," Dr. Kino says. "It can look fairly benign when, in fact, it’s very deep." Call your doctor to talk it out, and to get after-care advice.
This isn't normal, Dr. Haythe points out. While it could be due to something relatively harmless, it also could be a sign of a serious problem that only your physician can figure out.
If you didn't recently pull a muscle, this could be a sign of appendicitis. "That's an urgent problem," Dr. Kino says.
Your doctor may want to prescribe you medication like Tamiflu over the phone (to keep you from coming in and infecting other patients) or they might want to see you ASAP. If you have an underlying condition like diabetes or you're immunosuppressed, the flu can be "very serious," Dr. Kino says. So, don't write it off.
While this can happen with some foodborne and viral illnesses, your doctor will want to know about it and make sure you're getting better. Dehydration and a change in electrolytes is a big concern, Dr. Kino says, so be prepared to talk about your peeing habits and color while you're at it.
This can be even worse than puking for a day, Dr. Kino says. "It can drop your potassium level very low and lead to other serious complications," he says.
This can be a sign of dehydration or even kidney failure, Dr. Kino says. If you can, drink more water and see where that gets you. If you're still struggling, call your doctor.
There's a "broad spectrum of possibility" with this one, Dr. Kino says. It could be a tip-off that you're dealing with anxiety, or it could signal a heart rhythm abnormality—and neither is something you want to live with.
If it really hurts to swallow, like you're having trouble even swallowing the spit that's normally in your mouth, you need to call your doctor. "That's a warning sign," Dr. Kino says.
That could be a sign of pneumonia, Dr. Cheema says. "You shouldn't wait—reach out at the first sign of any difficulty breathing," she says.
This could be a sign of a urinary infection, Dr. Cheema says. "A lot of times patients will try to drink water and wait it out, but if you’re consistently having pain, definitely let your doctor know," she says.
"There are a slew of things that can do it, starting anywhere from appendicitis to obstruction of your bowels," Dr. Cheema says. Gallstones, hernias, and diverticulitis can cause this too, she says. "If it’s severe, definitely reach out," she says.
There's a wide range of what could be behind this, including undiagnosed diabetes, a mental health disorder, or even a stroke, Dr. Cheema says. "Definitely call," she says.
"A thunderclap headache is usually a hallmark of having a bleed in your brain," Dr. Cheema says. "You shouldn't wait to take any kind of medication and see if it works." Call your doctor ASAP about next steps.
Some people may shrug this off as just one of those things that happens randomly, but you really shouldn't, Dr. Cheema says. Passing out can be a sign of low blood glucose, low blood pressure, dehydration, a heart issue, or a seizure. "You should tell somebody right away," Dr. Cheema says.
Some migraines can cause this but, if you've never experienced before with a migraine, call your doctor. It could be a sign of a stroke, or a blockage of one of the blood vessels in your neck, Dr. Cheema says. "This should not be taken lightly," she adds. "You're not supposed to have loss of vision in one eye."
This could be a sign of a urinary tract infection or kidney issues, Dr. Cheema says.
Wheezing is not normal, even if you have an underlying condition like asthma. It could be a sign of an allergic reaction, Dr. Cheema says. Or, if you do have asthma, it's a sign that it's not controlled. Either way, you want to get it sorted.
This could be due to gallstones or hepatitis. "Don't just sit and wait to see if it gets better," Dr. Cheema says. "Turning yellow is not good."
This could be a sign of a blood clot or cellulitis, a common and potentially serious bacterial skin infection, Dr. Cheema says. Call your doctor ASAP. "You want to make sure you get appropriate medication like blood thinners or antibiotics quickly," she says.
That's definitely not normal. "You want to make sure that you’re not having any bleeding ulcers or that you’re not bleeding from your stomach," Dr. Cheema says, noting that this can also be a sign of cancer.
40 Symptoms That *Always* Warrant A Call To Your Doctor Right Away
No one wants to be the person who has their doctor on speed dial, but sometimes it can be tough to suss out on your own whether you're dealing with a health issue that's minor or that's actually pretty major. And any MD will tell you it's always better to be safe than sorry. So when in doubt, you should always give the pro a ring JIC if you feel off and on edge about it. But doctors say that's *especially* true if you're experiencing one of the potentially serious symptoms ahead.
Um, this seemingly nothing pain could be a heart attack sign.
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