Emergency room doctors see the worst-case scenarios, the weird fluke accidents, the mysterious ailments and miraculous recoveries. They’re also no strangers to the symptoms that patients didn’t take seriously until it was almost too late.<\/p>\n
Here, ER docs share 10 red flags that patients often ignore\u2014but which should be addressed urgently.<\/p>\n
Sudden confusion or personality change<\/p>\n
One minute, your mom is lucid and chatty\u2014the same as every other day. The next, she can’t remember where she is or who you are, her words are garbled, and she can\u2019t summon the name of the vegetable she just started slicing. \u201cYou might think, well, maybe she’s just tired,\u201d says Dr. Yanina Purim-Shem-Tov, executive vice chair of emergency medicine with the Rush University System for Health at Rush University Medical Center. \u201cBut this is absolutely an emergency, and we should see these people right away.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sudden confusion or a personality change could indicate a stroke, an infection like sepsis, or low blood sugar, she adds, which is why it\u2019s essential to seek immediate care at the ER.<\/p>\n
Unusual upper back pain<\/p>\n
Always pay attention to severe pain in your upper back or between your shoulder blades, especially if it comes on suddenly or is accompanied by other symptoms like nausea or dizziness. \u201cDon\u2019t shrug it off,\u201d Purim-Shem-Tov says. \u201cCall 911. It could be a sign of a heart attack.\u201d<\/p>\n
Read More: When to Go to the Emergency Room vs. Urgent Care<\/a><\/p>\n For some people\u2014including women<\/a>\u2014heart attack pain shows up in surprising places, like the back, neck, or jaw. Purim-Shem-Tov\u2019s patients often describe it as a \u201ctearing pain\u201d that sometimes radiates down one or both arms. This kind of pain could also be a sign of aortic dissection, or tearing in the aorta, which is the main artery carrying blood from the heart. While people sometimes try to endure it at home, convinced they simply pulled a muscle, \u201cthis is not that,\u201d she says, \u201cespecially in patients who are at risk\u2014for example, those who have hypertension and suddenly have this severe upper back pain.\u201d<\/p>\n Sudden, unexplained severe itching<\/p>\n If you can’t stop scratching\u2014especially if you itch all over instead of in just one spot\u2014you could be experiencing the beginning of an anaphylactic reaction. \u201cWhen somebody feels really itchy and uncomfortable, and all of a sudden they start to get flushed, that\u2019s really concerning,\u201d says Dr. David Benaron, vice chair of the department of emergency medicine at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. \u201cI would want them to come see us ASAP.\u201d<\/p>\n Read More: How to Tell if You\u2019re Allergic to Alcohol<\/a><\/p>\n Even more alarming: if your symptoms are accompanied by nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. People often don’t realize it, but digestive distress is a pillar of anaphylaxis, Benaron says. \u201cYou eat something and all of a sudden you’re like, \u2018Oh God, I’m terribly nauseated,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cYou can get hives inside your gastrointestinal tract, and it becomes really irritated and you get these GI symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n Vomit that\u2019s a certain color<\/p>\n The color of your vomit can tell ER doctors a lot about how sick you are. Benaron is especially inclined to worry when children throw up bile, which is usually green, because \u201cthat can indicate a really dangerous obstruction in their intestines,” he says. Meanwhile, if your throw-up looks like coffee grounds\u2014it\u2019s dark brown or even black\u2014it might include blood that\u2019s been partially digested by stomach acids.\u00a0<\/p>\n Vomit that resembles coffee grounds \u201cwould mean to me that there’s some bleeding,\u201d Benaron says. Red vomit, however, triggers even louder alarm bells, because such a bright color indicates \u201cthere\u2019s quite a lot of blood moving.\u201d<\/p>\n A sense of doom\u00a0<\/p>\n When extreme anxiety strikes out of nowhere, take it seriously\u2014especially if it\u2019s accompanied by trouble breathing, a racing heart, or dizziness. It could be the body\u2019s reaction to a heart attack or blood clot, or a severe allergic reaction. \u201cIf it\u2019s new, intense, or feels different than usual anxiety, don\u2019t ignore it,\u201d Purim-Shem-Tov says.<\/p>\n Read More: The Difference Between Stress and Anxiety<\/a><\/p>\n On Christmas a few years ago, for example, Purim-Shem-Tov treated a 31-year-old patient who showed up at the ER pacing back and forth, overcome with anxiety and a sense of dread. \u201cHe wasn’t really complaining of chest pain or shortness of breath,\u201d she recalls. \u201cAll he was feeling was this doom sensation\u2014he thought it was anxiety<\/a>.\u201d The man ended up experiencing a massive, fatal heart attack, which drives home why it\u2019s important to take extreme anxiety seriously, Purim-Shem-Tov says, especially if it\u2019s out of character for you.<\/p>\n Randomly passing out<\/p>\n Fainting or almost fainting without a clear cause can be a red flag for abnormal heart rhythms, internal bleeding, or neurological issues. That said, it could also be the result of dehydration or standing up too fast. \u201cDizziness or lightheadedness is probably the bane of every emergency physician’s existence,\u201d Purim-Shem-Tov says, since it\u2019s such a vague, imprecise symptom that can point to a wide spectrum of possible causes. <\/p>\n Read More: 12 Weird Symptoms Endocrinologists Say You Should Never Ignore<\/a><\/p>\n That\u2019s why she advises always getting fainting checked out, especially if it happens while you\u2019re sitting or lying down, working out, or experiencing other unusual symptoms. As frustrating as it can be to encounter something as ambiguous as dizziness, \u201cwe also know that we need to be looking for something serious,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n White poop<\/p>\n If you\u2019re having white bowel movements, it\u2019s possible your bile tract could be obstructed, meaning bile\u2014which contributes to the normal color of stool\u2014isn’t reaching the intestines. \u201cThe scary thing that does that is pancreatic cancer,\u201d Benaron says. \u201cThe pancreas wraps around the bile system and the bile builds up, causing yellow in the eyes and white-colored stools.\u201d It\u2019s worth bringing up with your doctor or at the ER as soon as you notice the change.<\/p>\n Urinary retention<\/p>\n People sometimes go to the ER for constipation sooner than they need to\u2014after three or four days of not being able to go to the bathroom, before they\u2019ve tried reliable remedies like stool softeners, Benaron says. But there is one clear sign that constipation needs to be addressed urgently: you\u2019ve stopped being able to pee. A full, impacted bowel \u201ccan cause bladder obstruction because, anatomically, it can press a lot in that pelvic region,\u201d he says. \u201cIf somebody\u2019s not urinating, that’s a big problem.\u201d <\/p>\n Read More: 12 Weird Symptoms Dermatologists Say You Should Never Ignore<\/a><\/p>\n Sometimes, when ER doctors treat constipation by manually removing stool from the rectum, the patient resumes being able to pee again on their own. Other times, however, \u201cyou need to put a catheter in their urethra to drain the bladder,\u201d he says. Not resolving the matter in a timely manner can ultimately lead to kidney failure<\/a>, Benaron adds, so don\u2019t delay seeking care.<\/p>\n Shortness of breath while lying down<\/p>\n