Getting sick costs more than ever before. All these health care
costs are going up:
Insurance rates
Co-pays
Deductibles
Tests
Prescriptions
Doctor office and health clinic visits
You have to make a lot of decisions when you get sick, such as:
Should I go to the emergency room?
Should I call my doctor?
Can I wait and see if the problem gets
better?
Can I take care of it myself?
What things can I do to take care of myself?
This section can help you answer these questions. It presents common health problems and tells what you can do when you have one of them.
Sometimes you can treat these problems with self-care. Sometimes you need medical help. This section can help you ask the right questions and find the answers to take care of your health.
Each health problem is divided into 3 parts:
Facts about the problem: What it
is, what causes it, symptoms and treatments
YES or NO questions to help you decide if
you should get help fast, call your doctor, see your doctor, or use self-care
A list of Self-Care Tips to treat the
problem
How
to Use This Section
Find the problem in the
table of contents in the beginning of the book and go to that page. The problems are
listed in chapters. Each chapter covers certain concerns. Examples are "Eye, Ear,
Nose & Throat Problems", "Skin Problems," etc. The topics in each
chapter are listed in order from A to Z.
Read about the problem, what causes it (if
known), it's symptoms and treatments .
Ask yourself the "Questions to
Ask." Start at the top of the flow chart and answer YES or NO to each question.
Follow the arrows until you get to one of these answers:
Get
Emergency Care
See
Doctor
See
Counselor or Call Counselor
Call
Doctor
Use
Self-Care
Get Emergency Care
You should get help fast. Go to the hospital emergency room or call for
emergency medical service (EMS), from your city EMS department or local ambulance service.
You may not need a hospital emergency room or EMS service for some emergencies if they do
not threaten life or can be taken care of at outpatient centers. Some hospital emergency
departments may have "Prompt Care" areas to treat minor injuries or illnesses.
An example is a sprained ankle. Ask your doctor ahead of time where you should go for a
sprained ankle or similar type of problem that needs prompt care but not necessarily
emergency care.
Make sure you know phone numbers for emergency medical help. Write them down near your phone and in the "Emergency Phone Numbers" list in this book. If no such numbers are at hand and failing all else you can call 911 where the service is available.
See Doctor
The term "doctor" can be used for a number of health care providers. They
include:
Your physician
Your Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)
clinic, primary doctor or other health care provider
Walk-in clinic
Physician's assistants (P.A.s), or
certified nurses (C.N.s) who work with your doctor
Home health care provider
Your psychiatrist
Your dentist
When you see the "See Doctor" symbol, you may need medicine or treatment to keep the problem from getting worse. Call your health care provider and state the problem. Your provider's office staff can evaluate your symptoms and determine how soon you need to be seen.
See Counselor or Call Counselor
The term "counselor" can be used for a number of mental health care
providers. They include:
Your counselor or therapist, if you
already have one
A mental health professional provided by
your Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at work. Many EAPs are staffed by mental health
professionals who do brief treatment.
A mental health center
A psychologist. A psychologist has a
doctorate degree in psychology or clinical psychology.
A social worker with a master's degree
(M.S.W.)
Another health care provider in the mental
health field, such as a psychiatric nurse
{Note: You may need to call your primary physician for a referral to a counselor or other health care provider, including a psychiatrist, if you belong to a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) or other managed health care plan. Also, a counselor may have you join a self-help/support group.}
Call Doctor
Call your doctor and state the problem. He/she can decide what you should do.
He/she may:
Tell you to make an appointment to
be seen
Send you to a laboratory for tests
Prescribe medicine or treatment over the
phone
Tell you specific things to do to treat the
problem
Use Self-Care
You can probably take care of the problem yourself if you answered NO to
all the questions. Use the Self-Care Tips that are listed. But call your doctor if you
don't feel better soon. You may have some other problem.
HEALTH AT HOME - Your Complete Guide to Symptoms, Solutions, and Self-Care © 1999 by Don R. Powell. American Institute for Preventive Medicine.
Date updated 04/20/99