Warning signs you should not ignore

warning signs

It’s Monday, the beginning of the week. Generally, the day has its own challenges, as the average person, whether self-employed, or is a white– or blue-collar job holder, seems to have this unwritten goal of having an impressive work week by meeting certain standards on Monday.

Consequently, even when we feel pain in any part of the body, the tendency is to dismiss it as ‘one of those things.’ Yet, physicians urge us to intimate ourselves with our bodies’ health symptoms, with the sole aim of knowing how to keep healthy.

One of such warnings is severe head pain. Doctors say odds are that this is just a migraine. But if it’s not accompanied by other migraine symptoms (such as a visual aura), we might be talking about absolute worst headache of your life — a brain aneurysm.

Doctors say these arterial bulges occur in up to five per cent of people, but most of the time they don’t cause any trouble. Cardiologist/Director of the Centre for Women’s Health at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, Elsa-Grace Giardina, says you won’t even know you have one unless the weak spot leaks or tears. “If that happens, escaping blood can flood the surrounding tissue (causing a violent headache) and cut off the oxygen supply there,” she says. Smoking and having a family history of aneurysms increase your odds.

She warns that a burst aneurysm can cause brain damage within minutes, so you need to see the doctor immediately.

Another one is throbbing tooth. Some people feel a dull throb or sharp twinge whenever their teeth touch anything frosty.  A dentist, Onikepo Ayodeji, says it’s likely that the tooth’s nerve has been damaged, usually because the surrounding pearly white is cracked or rotting away. She says unless you get timely treatment, bacteria in your mouth can infect the nerve and the infection can spread throughout the body.

She recommends cavity check and a filling to cover the exposed nerve. “But if it’s infected, you may need a root canal to have the tooth’s bacteria-laden pulp removed and replaced with plastic caulking material. Antibiotics can clear up any infection that has spread beyond the mouth,” she advises.

Sharp pain in the side is another warning signal you cannot ignore. This is a piercing stab that intensifies as over a few hours and worsens as the day passes by. It is also accompanied by nausea and fever. When this happens, you could have appendicitis, doctors say. “The symptom occurs when something (like a stray piece of faeces) migrates into the space where the appendix empties into the colon, blocking it. Soon, the organ becomes dangerously inflamed. Another possibility is an ovarian cyst. Typically, these fluid-filled sacs are harmless and disappear on their own. But if one twists or ruptures, it can cause terrible pain,” Professor of Anatomy, Oladapo Ashiru explains.

He says, “In both cases, you’re looking at emergency surgery. If you don’t remove an inflamed ap¬pendix, it can burst. This can cause dangerous swelling of the tissue surrounding your organs. A twisted cyst also needs to be removed right away, as it can block bloodflow to your ovary within hours. If that happens, the doctor will need to cut out the entire ovary (and the eggs inside) along with the cyst.”

Another symptom you are advised not to ignore is passing chest pain. This usually feels like a bad case of periodic heartburn, but it’s worse than that, experts say. If you love much hot pepper in your meals, then, that may be the culprit. “But if you know you’re at risk for heart problems, don’t shrug it off, as it could be a heart attack,” Giardina warns. Statistics say annually, about 10,000 women under 45 have one, though the symptoms tend to be less severe in women than in men. Doctors say you should ask for help when you feel pressure, along with fatigue, throat pain, or shortness of breath.

Again, they warn, if you feel as if you’re being squeezed to death by a boa constrictor after a hard workout, don’t consider it as a normal thing. “This because in younger women, a heart attack usually happens when you’re working up a sweat. If that’s the case, seek medical help immediately.

Next on the list is abdominal discomfort with gas or bloating. When this happens, it takes smaller quantity of food to fill you up than it used to. Gynaecologists say this happens to women especially right before their period; but if it happens often and the problem is new, the worst-case scenario might be ovarian cancer.

An online portal, womenshealthmag, notes that in 2007, the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation released the first national consensus on early symptoms of ovarian cancer and they include bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, and difficulty eating. “If you start experiencing them almost daily for more than two or three weeks, seek help. Ovarian cancer isn’t as common as breast or lung cancer (about one in 70 women will get it during their lives), but your risk is higher if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer or if you’ve never been pregnant,” the site says.

The good news: Five-year survival rates for ovarian cancer are 90 per cent in women who are diagnosed early.

When you feel back pain with tingling toes and no amount of pain killer would relieve you, then see an orthopaedist. “You could have a disc (one of the spongy rings that cushions the bones in your spine) pressing on the spinal nerve,” says Dr. Letha Griffin, an orthopaedist and sports medicine specialist. “Without proper attention, you risk permanent nerve damage. And it’s worse if you can’t feel your feet.

She suggests doing an X-ray or MRI can to ascertain whether a disc in your back has slipped or ruptured. “As long as the numbness isn’t getting worse, your doctor will probably prescribe physical therapy along with oral steroids to reduce nerve inflammation. But if you’re still laid up after a few months, you may need surgery to remove the disc,” she says.

If your calf is extremely tender in one location, noticeably swollen or warm to the touch such that you have leg pain with swelling, chances are that you have deep-vein thrombosis, also known as a blood clot. “This happens during long flights or when you sit for too long. Blood starts to pool in your lower body and forms a clot. When it gets big enough to act as a stopper in the vein or artery, the area around it will start to hurt and swell. Smokers and women who take the Pill have a higher risk of developing clots,” doctors warn.

They advise against massaging the area or walking it off. This is because if the clot breaks free, it can travel through the veins up to your lungs and cut off your oxygen supply. You are advised to see your doctor for necessary care.