Have you ever come out of a nice deep sleep to the feeling of pain in your side that continues for weeks at a time? Or you wake up in the morning with a slight headache and it becomes worst throughout the week? Well if you have ever had these signs and nothing happened to you, that is great! But does that still make it O.K. to ignore them? No! You know and I know it is very tough sometimes to head to the doctor when you know all they are going to say is “take two Advil and call me in the morning and don’t forget to pay the 50 dollar co-pay”. That’s annoying! Or, if money is not an issue, you tell your doctor what the problem is and they decide to run some tests. They choose not to tell you that you have to take a number of days off. This is all because you are in a waiting room for 2 hours for a 15 minute test! What’s with the long wait? I will leave that for another blog, but for this one, let me give you some signs you really don’t want to blow off.

Damn I’m looking good! Never thought weight loss would be so easy!

Who doesn’t want to lose weight and look good? Yet, a weight loss of more than 10 pounds a month without a change in your diet or daily living is something to not overlook. Don’t freak yourself out by immediately thinking it’s the “big C”. There are multiple possibilities, such as a thyroid disease (grave disease) that can lead to such a big weight loss.

Yeah I got knocked out, but we still won the game, right?

When you don’t remember your name or you don’t remember how you got down on the ground, you should probably see a doctor. A concussion is a serious injury that can lead to something more serious if proper precautions (visiting a doctor directly after the incident) are not taken.

Wow, I drank a whole liter of Pepsi in a half hour and I am still thirsty!

Surprisingly this has happened and I am sure there are more similar stories. I am sure there are a number of reasons for something like this to occur but diabetes is one possible answer. A person who wants to consume large amounts of liquid can possibly be pre-diabetic, which is reversible. Any large consumption of fluid in a short amount of time is a possible red flag.

I have never felt a headache like this before!

If you have had a consistent headache for days, you might want to see a doctor. It can be something as simple as you need new eyewear or something more serious such as a tumor! See your physician!

God, this stomach pain won’t go away!

If you see anyone curled up in a ball screaming in pain, rush them to the hospital! Stomach pain is sometimes taken lightly and shouldn’t be. There are a number of possibilities and some are serious, such as a ruptured appendix, or a ruptured spleen. One that can be easily be over looked is an inguinal hernia. At first it may seem harmless, but if it takes a turn for the worst when the hernia causes constriction of your intestines, which can result in potential death to your intestines and you!

Remember; if you feel something is wrong, go see your doctor. Your health is never wasted money or time!

-Phil