It’s fair to say that most of us are pretty concerned about our health. After all, the last thing anyone wants is to find themselves getting sick if they can possibly avoid it. However, there’s one thing that a lot of people find themselves struggling with and that’s the idea of actually going to the doctor. It’s incredibly common for a lot of people to want to avoid going to the doctor at all costs. And that’s actually pretty reasonable. After all, doctor’s offices aren’t exactly the most pleasant places in the world to find yourself in and no one really wants to face up to the potential of getting some really bad news. However, one of the most common reasons why a lot of people find themselves unsure about going to see a doctor is that they wonder whether or not it’s actually worth doing. After all, lots of people don’t want to turn up at their doctor’s office only to be told that everything’s fine and they really needn’t have worried. With that in mind, here are some questions to ask when deciding if you really need to go and see a doctor.
What are your symptoms?
The first and most important question to ask yourself should always be: what are your symptoms? After all, the kinds of symptoms that you have are going to massively impact what you should do about them. If you’ve got a case of the sniffles and they already seem to be getting better then there’s a decent chance that whatever it is isn’t especially serious. However, there are some symptoms that you should never ignore and should always talk to a professional about. There are obvious things like coughing up blood or finding yourself blacking out, but there are also things like persistent aches and pains or finding any kind of painful lumps on your body. Sure, even these things could have perfectly minor explanations, but the truth is that they also have the potential to be serious enough that you should always make sure to get checked out by a professional, just to be on the safe side.
Are there over-the-counter treatments?
One of the best ways to decide whether or not something is worth going to a doctor about is whether or not there are effective treatments that you can get without having to make an appointment. Over the years, the quality of more and more over-the-counter medications has gone up pretty significantly. In fact, getting access to many kinds of medication or treatment is easier than ever, especially in the wake of the digital revolution. For a long time, the idea of getting any kind of medical treatment online was a risky and scary proposition, but that’s simply not the case anymore. Sure, there are still plenty of things that you should never take without advice from your doctor but there’s also everything from decongestant liquid to allergy tablets that you can buy online safely and securely. It’s always a good idea to talk to a doctor if you’re unsure about any potential medications, but having the option to get the treatment you need without an appointment can be incredibly valuable.
Can you make changes to your lifestyle?
Of course, there’s a chance that the symptoms you have might not be a matter of needing to make an appointment or even needing to buy any kind of medication or treatment. Instead, the best thing might simply be to make changes to your lifestyle. For a lot of people, the kinds of things that they worry might involve a trip to see their doctor are actually better dealt with by making a few simple but important changes in their life. If you find yourself with frequent shortness of breath then that might be a sign that you need to seek professional help, but it also might well be a sign that you need to live a more active lifestyle. Things like that might also be a sign that you need to quit any bad habits like smoking, something that you probably don’t need a doctor to explain to you.
Are your symptoms persistent
There are some very minor symptoms that a lot of people, quite rightly, assume aren’t significant enough to bother going to the doctor about. However, one thing that you need to consider is how long those symptoms have been going on. Sure, there are some symptoms that instantly make it clear that you need to speak to a professional, but minor symptoms can also be a sign of something serious if they carry on for extended periods of time. Simple things like a cough that lasts for more than a couple of weeks could well be a sign that there’s something more serious happening. If you’ve been having any kind of symptoms, no matter how minor they might seem, for more than a couple of weeks, then talking to your doctor is always the best option available to you.
Have you been told to look out for warning signs?
Most symptoms don’t exist in isolation. By their very definition, most of them exist as a sign of something more serious going on underneath. Sometimes that’s not something serious but if you’re in a position where you’re already vulnerable enough that you’ve been told to look out for any possible warning signs, then it’s essential that you’re vigilant about any and all symptoms at all. If your doctor has told you to look out for any symptoms because of a pre-existing condition, or because of your age or lifestyle, that’s not something that you should ever ignore. You should make sure to take any of those concerns to your doctor right away, no matter how minor they might initially appear. If you have any kind of predisposition towards any kind of condition, it’s essential that you take any and all symptoms seriously.
Have you recently had any procedures?
If you’ve recently undergone any kind of surgery or medical treatment, that has the chance of putting you at significantly higher risk of any complications or problems than you would be otherwise. Because of that, even the slightest symptoms are the kinds of things that you need to raise with your doctor. After any kind of medical procedure, there’s a good chance that you’re going to be vulnerable to some potentially serious issues. Symptoms that, under other circumstances, would be something you could treat yourself or just shrug off could well end up being the first warning signs of something a whole lot more serious. When you have an already compromised immune system because of any kind of medical procedure, there really is no such thing as a symptom that’s small enough to ignore.
One of the most important things to remember is that, if you feel like there’s even the slightest chance that you need to go and see a doctor, that’s precisely what you should do. Sure, there’s a chance that you’ll get there and it’ll turn out that you’re absolutely fine but if you’re worried enough that you’re thinking that you need to go see a doctor, then it’s always better to be safe than sorry. And it’s pretty much guaranteed that your doctor would agree with that statement. A lot of the time, many of us feel as though we’re just going to end up wasting our doctor’s time but the truth is that pretty much all doctors would much rather that you came and got yourself checked out rather than ignoring something and potentially letting it get worse.
Are you the type of person that seeks medical advice early on or
do you experiment with remedies at home?
This is a collaborative post
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