How to Recognize Medical Emergency Warning Signs

Although a medical emergency is not something that we want ourselves or the people we love to ever experience, sometimes life has other plans; therefore, we always need to be prepared. One way that you can do this is by having information on how to recognize some of the signs ahead of time. That’s why, we are going to provide you with five things that you should definitely take heed of should you, a family member or friend happen to express any of these physical signs of discomfort or stress below:

Difficulty breathing. One thing that a lot of us tend to take for granted is breathing. That is until we find ourselves having a hard time doing it and we’re not sure why. Breathing should be a natural and subconscious act. And so, when you find yourself not being able to easily do it, that’s an indication you may be dealing with allergy symptoms, asthma or other respiratory issues. It’s definitely not something to self-diagnose. See a physical just as soon as you possibly can.

Uncontrolled bleeding. Something else that is a huge warning sign is if you find yourself having uncontrolled bleeding anywhere in your body. When this happens, it could be due to having hemophilia or some other kind of blood disorder. That’s pretty serious, so it’s important not to overlook it.

Severe pain. The thing that we have to keep in mind about pain is that it’s our body’s way of letting us know when something is not right. So, if you’re feeling any kind of severe discomfort anywhere in your body and it’s not going away within a few hours, don’t ignore it. Also, try and avoid overmedicating it too. Remember that oftentimes over-the-counter medications are used in order to relieve the symptoms that are causing the pain but they don’t necessarily address the underlying issue. Only a medical professional can do that, so if what you’re feeling seems unbearable, make an appointment to see your doctor.

Chest or upper abdominal pain. Speaking of pain, if you were to ask someone who works at a place like ExpressMD Urgent Care about the times when they know they need to prepare for a medical emergency , one of the leading ones would probably be when someone calls in complaining about having chest or abdominal pains. When people have pains in their chest, that is oftentimes symptomatic of having potential heart issues and when they have abdominal pains, sometimes that’s related to appendicitis. In either case, these are both serious enough that you should go to the closest hospital just as soon as you finally can for tests.

Thoughts of suicide. According to the Center for Disease Control, depression is the leading cause of disability in individuals who are between the ages of 14-55. So, if you are someone who is constantly having thoughts of suicide, this is also something that should not be ignored. It’s also considered to be a medical emergency, so try and see a professional soon. For more information on other symptoms of depression, visit HelpGuide.org and put “depression symptoms and warning signs” in the search field.