Chest pain
While chest pain may come and go and may be caused by acid reflux, anxiety or muscle strain, it can also be a symptom of a heart issue. Your healthcare provider may give you nitroglycerin to relieve discomfort. It can come in tablet, spray, capsule skin patch or ointment form.
Should you experience chest pain that lasts more than five minutes or is accompanied by other heart attack symptoms (such as shortness of breath, weakness, nausea or lightheadedness), call 911 and seek help immediately.
Severe abdominal pain
If you’re experiencing mild abdominal pain, call your doctor first. If the pain is sudden, severe or does not lessen within 30 minutes, seek emergency medical care.
Sudden abdominal pain can indicate a serious condition, such as appendicitis. Symptoms of appendicitis can include severe pain in the lower right abdomen, nausea or vomiting and fever. An ectopic pregnancy can also cause severe abdominal pain, as well as pancreatitis.
If your abdominal pain is so severe it’s difficult to function, comes on suddenly, includes vomiting or blood in your vomit or stool, or is accompanied by a high fever, seek emergency care.
Injuries
An injury can be another difficult situation to assess on your own. Generally, people tend to know when an injury is manageable and when you should head to the ER. Call 911 if you answer “yes” to any of these questions:
- Does the person's condition appear life-threatening?
- Could the person's condition worsen and become life-threatening on the way to the hospital?
- Could moving the person cause further injury?
- Does the person need the skills or equipment employed by paramedics or emergency medical technicians?
- Would distance or traffic conditions cause a delay in getting the person to the hospital?
Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing (including severe allergic reactions)
It’s normal to feel shortness of breath after going for a jog. It’s not normal to struggle to breathe while you’re sitting or lying down relaxing. If someone is having difficulty breathing, it’s a good reason to head to the emergency room. Breathing problems can be caused by a number of things, including allergic reactions, asthma, a blood clot in the lungs, heart failure or even a heart attack.
At the first sign of a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), including swelling of the throat, face or lips and/or difficulty breathing/wheezing, use an EpiPen and head to the ER. If you experience shortness of breath along with severe, constant chest pain, blue lips or fingernails (which can indicate low oxygen levels), facial swelling, confusion or difficulty talking or understanding what people are saying, call 911.
High fever
Fever is not an inherently bad symptom. But it can indicate a medical emergency, so it’s important to know when to get help. In children, any temperature higher than 100.4°F is considered a fever. If a child’s fever gets higher than 102°F, seek emergency care. Also seek care if a child has a fever and:
- Is younger than 3 months
- Is not responsive or difficult to wake
- Is having trouble breathing or difficulty swallowing
- Looks sick, sluggish and won’t nurse or bottle feed
- Has an earache, sore throat, painful urination or severe abdominal pain
- Has purple spots on their skin or redness or swelling on their body
- Has a seizure
- Is dehydrated
In adults, fevers that reach 103°F should receive medical attention, especially if they’re accompanied by symptoms like seizures, nausea or vomiting, trouble breathing, a stiff neck, severe headache or rash.
Loss of consciousness/seizure
If someone loses consciousness and is out for more than one minute, call 911. Also seek emergency care if the loss of consciousness is accompanied by an injury, lost bladder or bowel control, pregnancy or seizures.
Seizures can be caused by a number of injuries and diseases, and unless it’s an epileptic seizure (which is not usually an emergency), it should be treated in the ER. Call 911 if someone has a seizure who doesn’t usually have them.
Stroke signs
A stroke is a medical emergency that should be treated in the emergency room. The best way to remember what to do if you think someone is having a stroke, is the BE FAST test.
B: Balance: Do you feel off balance or dizzy?
E: Eyes: Do you have vision changes in one or both eyes?
F: Face: Is one side of the face drooping when you smile?
A: Arms: When you lift both arms does one arm drift back down?
S: Speech: Is speech slurred or does it sound odd?
T: Time: If you see these signs in yourself or anyone, call 911 immediately. The sooner they receive treatment, the more likely they are to recover.
The American College of Emergency Physicians also offers this comprehensive list of injuries and illness and how to pre-treat each before getting help, if needed.
The main thing to remember is, when in doubt, do not hesitate to see emergency care.
