In a previous post I talked about how by listening to my symptoms and going to my doctor, I saved my life.  This time I’ll talk about what to consider when new symptoms occur to help you decide whether to call your doctor or not.

First of all, though a physician, I am not practicing medicine or giving medical advice on this blog.  I am providing some insights as to what to consider in this and other health care decisions.

So what should you think about if you start having a new symptom?  First of all, think about whether it could affect your survival, either directly or indirectly.   If you are having trouble breathing or having chest pain that could be due to your heart, your survival could be directly at risk.  Similarly, if you lose consciousness even briefly, your life (or the lives of others) could be indirectly at risk. Clearly, passing out while driving could result in a fatal accident.

Other considerations are the severity and duration of symptoms. Very severe symptoms could require a call to 911 no matter how brief the duration of those symptoms  Pain in your head, chest or abdomen that prevents you from carrying out your usual activities should prompt you to call your physician.  Often symptoms will get better on their own. But persistent symptoms, even if they occur off and on, should be evaluated by your physician. If the symptom quickly passed, it still makes sense to contact your doctor, especially if you are older or have some other chronic condition.  Certain chronic conditions such as diabetes, chronic lung disease and heart disease can raise the risks of having other illnesses but can also worsen when other illnesses occur.  If you have any questions, you should contact your doctor.  Even if it is the weekend or after hours, your doctor or one of his associates will be on call to respond to these sudden situations.  While it is true your doctor’s associate won’t know you as well as your own physician, they can handle these kinds of situations very expertly and advise you what to do next.  Not only that, they may have access to your medical record and may be able to contact your own physician to get specific details of your history.

In my next post, I’ll talk about when to contact your physician for worsening symptoms.

For Your health – Dr. Bob