DO YOU NEED TO SEE
A DOCTOR
WHY ?
FRIEND OR A RELATIVE SICK
DO YOU NEED A DOCTOR URGENTLY OR YOU CAN WAIT TO SEE A
DOCTOR
IN CASE OF URGENCY
HOW URGENTLY DO YOU NEED TO SEE A DOCTOR
URGENCY MEANS :
YOUR RELATIVE OR A FRIEND IS UNCONSCIOUS
DID HE/SHE INJURE HIS HEAD ,
DID HE HAVE A FALL
WAS HE INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT , home
, street, vehicular accident,
HAS HE/SHE TAKEN ANY POISON OR DRUGS .
DOES HE/SHE HAVE VERY HIGH FEVER
DID THE PATIENT HAVE ANY UNDERLYING HEART ,
LUNG LIVER OR KIDNEY PROBLEM.
DID THE PATIENT THROW A FIT OR IS STILL
FITTING...........
UNDER ANY OF ABOVE CONDITIONS , RUSH THE PATIENT TO THE NEAREST
EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT /HOSPITAL....
OR CALL AMBULANCE
PATIENT IS CONSCIOUS BUT HIS BREATHING ..........
VERY FAST
SLOW
GASPING
DIFFICULT TO BREATHE.............
YOU NEED AN URGENT MEDICAL CARE ........AT AN EMERGENCY
DEPARTMENT ...
IF PATIENT IS KNOWN TO HAVE ASTHMA AND HE IS WHEEZING
(sound like whistling on breathing), patient can be taken to a nearby
clinic or a health center , after patient has tried his usual medication (a puff
or two from his inhalation medicine, if that has not improved his condition,
patient may try a nebuliser , if available at home)
PATIENT CONSCIOUS ...
HAVING SEVERE
HEADACHE........
IS IT MIGRAINE.............ONE SIDE OF HEAD INVOLVED, MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE
ASSOCIATED VOMITING,
is it throbbing.
IF any fever with headache ...............a must to see a doctor , possibly a
emergency department
IF HEADACHE OF RECENT ORIGIN ........... A MUST TO CONSULT A DOCTOR
URGENTLY IF ASSOCIATED WITH BLURRING OF VISION, OR PATIENT IS CONFUSED OR
HE IS SPEAKING IRRELEVANT ..........PROCEED TO AN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT......
LONG STANDING HEADACHES MAY BE MIGRAINE , TENSION HEADACHES, MAY BE STRESS
RELATED , MAY BE RELATED TO EYES OR SINUSES, ,
BE CAREFUL ..................IF HEADACHE STARTS BECOMING MORE SEVERE OR IT FEELS
DIFFERENT THAN PREVIOUS, CONSULT A PHYSICIAN (neurologist) immediately...
CHEST PAIN
CHEST PAIN CAN USUALLY BE CAUSED BY MANY DISEASES,
IT MAY BE CAUSED BY TRAUMA TO THE CHEST(car accidents -due to steering wheel, )
MAY BE DUE TO AIR IN THE PLEURA, secondary to trauma or any other disease
process.
MAY BE DUE TO ANY OTHER LUNG CONDITIONS
MAY BE DUE TO AN ACUTE PROBLEM IN THE HEART. BECAUSE OF LESS OXYGEN SUPPLY TO
THE HEART...
chest pain in a patient who has high blood pressure or has diabetes , smokes ,or
has high cholesterol levels ...........must be investigated
urgently......PREFERABLY ...in heart centers/hospitals with heart specialty.
IF CHEST PAIN IS ASSOCIATED WITH SWEATING AND
DIFFICULTY IN BREATHING
WHAT DO YOU DO???...........DONT WAIT ......STRAIGHT GO TO AN EMERGENCY
DEPARTMENT ..........
DO YOU HAVE A FEVER.............?
HOW HIGH IS YOUR FEVER.
HOW MANY DAYS HAVE YOU HAD FEVER
DID ANYONE IN YOUR FAMILY HAD A FEVER
FEVERS CAN BE CAUSED BY MANY INFECTIONS , MAY BE BACTERIAL , OR VIRUSES, OR SOME
OTHER AGENT MAY BE INVOLVED,
INFECTION MAY BE ARISING FROM ANY PART OF YOUR BODY.
YOU MAY HAVE A PNEUMONIA , URINARY INFECTION , TYPHOID ,MALARIA OR A DENGUE
FEVER, FLU , SORE THROAT OR DIARRHEA, AND VOMITING...
IN ALL COMMON INFECTIONS FEVER MAY SUBSIDE WITHIN TWO OR THREE DAYS ...
DO YOU NEED TO INVESTIGATE THE FEVER ???
IF THE FEVER IS NOT COMING DOWN
IT CONTINUES TO STAY HIGH ,
IS ASSOCIATED WITH HEADACHES , ,VOMITING ,VISUAL PROBLEMS, DROWSINESS,
SPEAKING IRRELEVANT........IN SUCH A CASE DEFINITELY A PATIENT NEEDS TO BE
INVESTIGATED URGENTLY ESPECIALLY IN A HOSPITAL, BEST PLACE IS AN EMERGENCY
DEPARTMENT OR WHAT IS COMMONLY KNOWN AS A CASUALTY...OR
ER...
fevers usually are associated with some mild headaches, generalized body
pains, lack of appetite, it is best to lower the temperature by cold
sponging especially in children...
it is good to drink lot of water...
DIARRHEA/VOMITING
COMMONLY OCCURS DUE TO FOOD POISONING,
ALL A PERSON NEEDS IS GOOD CONSUMPTION OF WATER AND ELECTROLYTES AVAILABLE AS
ORS(oral rehydration salts)
IN CASE OF RECURRENT VOMITING AND DIARRHEA , ASSOCIATED WITH LETHARGY , WEAKNESS
,FEVER, DROWSINESS ..........BEST IS TO GO TO ER (emergency department)
ABDOMINAL PAIN..........OR
TUMMY ACHE
COMMON IN YOUNGER AGE GROUPS , COMMONLY DUE TO INDIGESTION ,WORMS, SOMETIMES MAY
BE DUE TO GASES,
WHEN TO SEE A DOCTOR ........
IF PAIN NOT RELIEVING IN A FEW MINUTES , OR IF PAIN IS VERY SEVERE,
USUALLY THE SITE OF PAIN MAY SUGGEST, THE ORIGIN OF PAIN , IT MAY BE DUE
TO A GASTRIC PROBLEM which is usually burning in character , a patient may take
some milk or may use an antiacid available in pharmacies .
PAIN MAY BE SHARP OR CUTTING OR STABBING IN NATURE ,IF ASSOCIATED WITH VOMITING
, NOT PASSING STOOLS, OR UNABLE TO PASS FLATUS OR THE TUMMY IS BECOMING BIGGER
/DISTENDED........IT IS AN EMERGENCY..................GO TO ER....
APPENDICITIS IS A COMMON AILMENT , PAIN IS USUALLY IN THE RIGHT LOWER
AREA OF TUMMY , PAINFUL TO TOUCH , NOT ALL PATIENTS HAVING PAIN IN THIS AREA
HAVE APPENDICITIS, PAIN MAY ALSO BE DUE TO KIDNEY INFECTION , KIDNEY STONES AND
IN WOMEN IT MAY BE DUE TO A RUPTURE OF A PART OF FEMALE SYSTEM , DUE TO ANY
CYST/SWELLING OR A PREGNANCY IN THE FALLOPIAN TUBE ....
.......................therefore the necessity/urgency of going to ER
IF YOU ARE INVOLVED IN A ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT , AND YOU HAVE SUSTAINED INJURIES
, AND IF YOU CANNOT MOVE SOME OF YOUR LIMBS , CALL SOMEONE TO HELP , IF YOU CAN
WALK -GO TO ER , IF CANNOT BEST IS TO CALL AN AMBULANCE OR A FRIEND
IF A LIMB IS PAINFUL , SWOLLEN AND CANNOT MOVE IT, BEST IS NOT TO TRY ANYTHING
YOURSELF , TILL APPROPRIATE HELP COMES IN( , if no bleeding ), if it is bleeding
,try to put some pressure to stop the bleeding ........
ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS
IF IN A ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT OR A FALL FROM A HIGHER STOREY AND YOU FEEL PAIN
IN YOUR BACK AND/OR YOU ARE FEELING NUMBNESS OR YOU ARE UNABLE TO MOVE YOUR LEGS
OR FEET..................DO NOT ATTEMPT TO GET UP OR IF YOU ARE HELPING A
PATIENT ALWAYS ASK IF HE/SHE HAS ANY BACK PAIN , IN SUCH CASES IT IS PROBABLE
THAT SPINE OR THE SPINAL CORD MAY BE INJURED , THESE PATIENTS NEED TO BE TAKEN
TO HOSPITAL ON A SPECIAL HARD BOARD KNOWN AS SPINAL BOARD ...........THEREFORE
BE CAUTIOUS ..................
BLEEDING WITH URINE:
DO YOU HAVE PAIN ASSOCIATED IN THE FLANKS if it is mild see a doctor in the
clinic , later it needs investigations as what caused it, may be stones in the
kidneys ...
SEVERE BLEEDING IN THE URINE NEEDS URGENT ATTENTION OF A DOCTOR PREFERABLY AN
EMERGENCY SET UP...
BLEEDING FROM RECTUM:
COMMON CAUSE -PILES, usually associated with constipation straining and
spending too much time in the toilet, surgical advice /treatment can be obtained
from a surgical clinic...in a hospital
new bleeding from rectum in older age groups need to be investigated urgently
BLEEDING CAN OCCUR FROM STOMACH :
IT USUALLY CAN BE IN CONSEQUENCE OF ACUTE INFLAMMATION OF THE STOMACH OR
IT MAY BE DUE TO ULCERATION OF THE STOMACH LINING , PATIENT MAY VOMIT FRANK
BLOOD , USUALLY PATIENTS VOMIT COFFEE COLORED FLUID...........
BLOOD MAY BE SEEN IN PHLEGM /SPUTUM ..
.NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED, IF SEVERE MUST GO TO ER..........
BLEEDING FROM THE NOSE...........
QUITE COMMON , especially in children , must investigate if recurrent
,if severe non stop best is to go to hospital
a simple way to stop bleeding nose is to pinch the nose for 5-10 minutes,
breathe through the mouth, in a sitting position,
older people must get their blood pressure checked , if blood pressure is normal
,best place to go is visit an ENT CLINIC ...
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