Health Matters: When to See Your Doctor for a Checkup?

You have been feeling under the weather now for a few days, there might be a nagging pain over some certain areas around your body, or you are having a sore throat that has been bothering you for a day or two. However, are these symptoms enough to see a doctor?

Sure enough, it can be hard to decide if the symptoms are severe enough to justify making an appointment with your doctor. Thus, here is a list of things that should be able to help you out when you are having trouble in deciding whether you should see a doctor for the pain that you have been feeling lately.

When to Visit for a Problem?

People may be unsure whether they need to see a doctor especially if many symptoms can be handled at home. For example, cough and colds are common symptoms or illnesses which can be managed at home and does not require the immediate attention of a doctor. There are also small cuts and abrasions that can be handled through first-aid which can be done by cleaning it with mild soap and water then applying an over-the-counter antibiotic ointment with a protective covering.

With all that is said and done, how does one really know when to see a doctor’s attention? First and foremost, those people that have certain disorders should see a doctor immediately sooner rather than later when new symptoms develop. For example, if an individual has a chronic lung disorder like asthma and the patient starts to have difficulty breathing, or if a person with a weakened immune system gets a fever, then one should seek immediate care from the doctor.

When you are unsure about the need to see a doctor or any other practitioner, people can sometimes call their primary care doctor for guidance wherein some doctors can be contacted through email for non emergency questions. Or, you can also contact them through the telephone.

Otherwise, if it really bothers you then you ought to go for a doctor’s checkup, since doctors cannot really give set guidelines as to when it is necessary for you to see a medical health practitioner for the symptoms you have been feeling since symptoms with the same cause can vary too much and symptoms with different causes can overlap with each other.

Do You Need a Regular Checkup?

Generally, everyone should have a regular checkup with their doctor. Even if you say you feel healthy, it is still a good idea to find a primary care physician that can help you keep your body healthy with appropriate preventive health screenings and who can monitor your health in the long run.

For example, women should routinely see a gynecologist as their primary care doctor for female reproductive health, to make sure they do not have any complications or any underlying issues within their body. On the other hand, older people and infants need more frequent preventive visits, but the frequency still depends on an individual’s health conditions. Like, a person with a heart disorder or diabetes may need to have checkups relatively often.

Where to Go If You Can’t Get an Appointment?

If you have a medical problem and you cannot get an appointment within this week, or you are probably traveling for business in another city wherein you do not have any primary care physician to call, then you should seek medical health care at retail or urgent care clinics.

The urgent and care clinics are similar to each other yet have important differences. Discussed below are the definition between retail and urgent care clinics.

Retail Clinic. This type of clinic is often located inside retail stores (as their name suggests) such as drug stores or groceries, wherein it is usually not staffed by doctors but nurses instead.

Urgent Care Clinic. This type of clinic is usually freestanding and is staffed by at least one doctor.

Both types of the clinic can attend to your needs and treat non-life-threatening conditions which include the following:

•    Diarrhea

•    Conjunctivitis

•    Allergic reactions

•    Nausea

•    Fever

•    Flu Shots

•    Rash

•    Sore throat

•    Sport and school physicals

•    Pneumonia

Additionally, urgent care clinics can treat lacerations, sprains, back pain, and do some imaging tests since they have a doctor on hand.

Takeaway

Making a decision whether you should go to a doctor for a checkup for what you have been feeling lately with your body might be tricky, especially if you do not know enough about signs and symptoms of some conditions. In this case, it is better to monitor yourself for days, and if the symptoms persist, then you might really need to consult a doctor.

Lastly, know the type of medication that you should have for your first-aid kit in case of cough, colds, or cut. Read books or visit sites like Pharma Quotes to know more about medicines and illnesses.

About the Author

Margaret Wallace is a freelance creative writer who collaborates with various healthy lifestyle enthusiasts to share her experiences through the written word. She especially loves writing about health and the various ways to become healthy. Margaret worked as a Part-time content marketing specialist in Pharma Quotes.