Pain is one of the most common reasons why people visit the emergency room, but it may not always be the right place to seek care. If you have a true medical emergency, call 911 or go straight to an emergency room for the necessary treatment. Abdominal pain is the leading cause of emergency room visits in the United States, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Although most people refer to it as a stomachache, abdominal pain is not always caused by a stomach problem.
The abdomen contains many other organs, such as the pancreas, liver, spleen, gallbladder, intestines (colon and small intestine), and appendix. Like chest pain or headache, it can be difficult to determine why your stomach isn't feeling well. We've outlined some ways to identify where stomach pain is coming from and when it's an emergency. When you experience abdominal discomfort, start with these three questions to better understand the source of stomach pain.
Diarrhea may not be pleasant, but it can be a clue to help rule out a more serious problem. Vomiting with diarrhea may indicate that you have a bacterial or viral infection and not something more serious, such as a surgical emergency. If you get a bacterial infection from eating something contaminated, you'll know it soon after you eat it, within an hour. When it comes to stomach pain, especially in the upper abdomen, it can be difficult to tell if it's heartburn or something more serious.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), norovirus is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis in the world. It's very common, but it can be difficult to diagnose. In fact, all members of the same family may have the same condition but have symptoms differently. If you're expelling a kidney stone, you'll know it right away.
You will be disabled with pain on one side of your back or abdomen. The pain level will be very severe and is usually accompanied by nausea and vomiting.Another cause of gastrointestinal problems is an overdose of toxic substances. Weekly pill organizers can be problematic for children because they contain a large number of medications and are easily accessible. Be sure to store medicines in places where children cannot reach them.
Unfortunately, if a person has liver inflammation due to toxic substances, they probably won't have other symptoms until they have liver failure and need emergency medical care.When it comes to different forms of pain, chronic pain is considered the most expensive health problem in the United States according to John Hopkins Medicine. With more than 100 million Americans suffering some form of pain, it makes sense to dedicate an entire month to pain awareness.Pain comes in all its forms, from behavioral (emotional) to physical. When it comes to emotional topics, most discussions revolve around the pain of depression, anxiety, loneliness, and even distress. The good news is that help is available to help overcome these forms of emotional pain.
Treatments in the form of medications, counseling and support groups are plentiful and readily available.However, for physical pain, it's a little more complicated because before finding a remedy it's important to determine the cause. Now you have to decide if it's best to schedule an appointment with your general practitioner or go straight to the emergency room or urgent care center.While you may be inclined to postpone the decision until a more convenient time, you may not be able to afford that luxury depending on the nature of your condition. So how do you know when to go to the emergency room for leg pain? There are times when it is better not to doubt the matter in order to avoid delays in care.If you have leg pain with any of the following symptoms go immediately to the nearest emergency room: cramps; swelling; warmth; discoloration of the skin; or severe pain that interrupts your daily activities. These symptoms may indicate that you have a blood clot in your leg or deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which is a serious and potentially life-threatening condition for some people.Prompt treatment is needed in order to reduce the risk of serious and potentially life-threatening complications.
However, sometimes self-care is the best treatment for illnesses, injuries or minor problems.
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