No. 1: Worst Headache of Your Life -- Just when I thought my allergies were getting the best of me, I read that if I feel like it's the worse headache of my life, go to the emergency room. Sharon Brangman, MD, FACP, spokeswoman for the American Geriatrics Society, tells WebMD that when someone says they have the worst headache of their life, "what we learned in medical training was that was a classic sign of a brain aneurysm."
No. 2: Pain or Discomfort in the Chest, Throat, Jaw, Shoulder, Arm, or Abdomen -- Chest pain could be pneumoniaor or a heart attack. Either one I don't like. But be aware that heart conditions typically appear as discomfort, not pain. "Don't wait for pain," says cardiologist Jerome Cohen, MD. "Heart patients talk about pressure. They'll clench their fist and put it over their chest or say it's like an elephant sitting on their chest." Many times people explain extreme pressure, and that discomfort also could be located in the upper chest, throat, jaw, left shoulder or arm, or abdomen and might be accompanied by nausea. Call 911 or get to an emergency room or physician's office. If it turns out to be something else, that's great."
No. 3: Pain in Lower Back or Between Shoulder Blades -- Arthritic pain can be the cause, as well as pulling a muscle from working out. But, once again other possibilities include a heart attack or abdominal problems. "One danger is aortic dissection, which can appear as either a nagging or sudden pain. People who are at risk have conditions that can change the integrity of the vessel wall. These would include high blood pressure, a history of circulation problems, smoking, and diabetes."
No. 4: Severe Abdominal Pain -- Still have your appendix? Don't flirt with the possibility of a rupture. Gallbladder and pancreas problems, stomach ulcers, and intestinal blockages are some other possible causes of abdominal pain that need attention.
No 5: Calf Pain -- Starting a walking routine, joined an aerboic class, all normal reasons to have aches in our calves or legs. However, one of the lesser known dangers is deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot that can occur in the leg's deep veins. It affects 2 million Americans a year, and it can be life-threatening. "The danger is that a piece of the clot could break loose and cause pulmonary embolisml, which is a clot in the lungs. Clots could be fatal. Cancer, obesity, immobility due to prolonged bed rest or long-distance travel, pregnancy, and advanced age are among the risk factors. If you have swelling and pain in your calf muscles, see a doctor immediately.
No. 6: Burning Feet or Legs -- Nearly one-third of the 20 million Americans who have diabetes are undiagnosed, according to the American Diabetes Association. "In some people who don't know they have diabetes, peripheral neuropathy could be one of the first signs. It's a burning or pins-and-needles sensation in the feet or legs that can indicate nerve damage.
No 7: Vague, Combined, or Medically Unexplained Pains -- Because the pain might be chronic and not terribly debilitating, depressed people, their families, and health care professionals might dismiss the symptoms. "Furthermore, the more depressed you are, the more difficulty you have describing your feelings," says Wise, who is the psychiatry department chairman at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Fairfax, Va. "All of this can lead the clinician astray." Other symptoms must be present before a diagnosis of depression can be made. "Get help when you've lost interest in activities, you're unable to work or think effectively, and you can't get along with people," he says. "And don't suffer silently when you're hurting." He adds there's more to depression than deterioration of the quality of life. "It has to be treated aggressively before it causes structural changes in the brain." "Various painful, physical symptoms are common iin depression" says psychiatrist Thomas Wise, MD. "Patients will have vague complaints of headaches, abdominal pain, or limb pain, sometimes in combination."
No 8 - Reading this article -- When we go to the pharmacy we can find an over-the-counter medcine for about any ailment we have. We can mask out pain with other things, we can simply learn to live with it. This article is intended to get to you at least take the first step and acknowledge even if it's to yourself that what you're feeling is possibly something that should not be ignored. Many people tell me there first step is to ask the pharmacist advise and after that doesn't work, they know they need to seek medical help. You can buy a medicine that purports to keep the flu at bay, but in reality if you already have the flu bug you're stuck.
Take yourself seriously, take your health seriously and learn to trust your own intuition. It's your body, don't let someone else tell you how you feel.
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