When your body speaks, you should listen. Most people aren't very good at it, though, and it's tempting to ignore a problem that could signal something bad. Even if you do pay attention to your symptoms, it's not easy to know what they mean. That's why diagnosis is a job for a doctor. But you can use the information here to help you decide how urgently you need to see one.
Symptoms you should never ignore: nausea and vomiting
Are you nauseous? Vomiting?
Description: nausea and vomiting in women in early pregnancy.
Possible causes: morning sickness.
Response: see your doctor, who may recommend ginger or vitamin B6.
Description: nausea and vomiting after starting a new medication.
Possible causes: side effect of a medication.
Response: talk with your doctor about substitute meds. Side effects sometimes disappear after a few days or weeks of taking a medication.
Description: nausea or vomiting accompanied by sudden pain in your upper right abdomen that may radiate to your back
Possible causes: gallstones or gallbladder inflammation.
Response: if pain persists after eating greasy foods, see your doctor.
Description: nausea or vomiting 2 to 6 hours after a meal.
Possible causes: a bacterial infection caused by contaminated food.
Response: symptoms usually clear up on their own within 12 to 48 hours. Call your doctor if symptoms last more than two or three days; you may need intravenous fluids. If you ate contaminated shellfish, go to the emergency room.
Description: nausea or vomiting accompanied by sudden crushing pressure on your chest; pain radiating from your chest to jaw, back, neck, shoulders or arm, particularly your left arm; racing pulse; shortness of breath.
Possible causes: heart attack.
Response: call 911 or have someone drive you to the hospital immediately. If your doctor has prescribed nitroglycerin pills, take the suggested dose. After you call 911, chew one regular aspirin (325 milligrams) or four low-dose aspirin (81 milligrams each) right away.
Description: nausea or vomiting after an accident, injury or fall.
Possible causes: a concussion or brain injury.
Response: if symptoms continue to worsen, call your doctor or go to the emergency room.
Description: nausea or vomiting accompanied by black or tarry stools, a burning sensation in the stomach and esophagus and indigestion.
Possible causes: an ulcer in the upper GI tract or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Response: see your doctor for an endoscopy for visual inspection and to take tissue samples for biopsy.
Description: nausea or vomiting accompanied by unexplained symptoms, such as fatigue, pain or weight changes.
Possible causes: cancer.
Response: see your doctor for diagnostic tests.
Description: nausea or vomiting after eating certain foods.
Possible causes: food allergy.
Response: eliminate trigger foods; talk with your doctor about allergy tests.
Description: nausea or vomiting that comes on suddenly; accompanied by pain around your navel, fever, loss of appetite or pressure to have a bowel movement.
Possible causes: appendicitis.
Response: go to the hospital. Appendicitis must be treated quickly or the appendix will rupture into the abdomen.
Description: nausea or vomiting accompanied by excessive thirst, fatigue, increased urination and poor wound healing.
Possible causes: diabetes.
Response: see your doctor for help getting your diabetes under control.
Description: nausea or vomiting that comes on gradually and continues or recurs for weeks or months; abdominal pain and other GI symptoms.
Possible causes: a chronic condition such as irritable bowel syndrome or Crohn's disease.
Response: see your doctor for a referral to a gastroenterologist.
Description: nausea and vomiting accompanied by chest pain, excessive thirst, increased or decreased urination, appetite loss, swelling or numbness in the hands or feet and muscle cramps.
Possible causes: heart, liver or kidney failure.
Response: call your doctor immediately for diagnostic tests of these serious conditions.
Description: nausea or vomiting accompanied by throbbing headache and sensitivity to light and sound; flashing lights, blind spots.
Possible causes: a migraine. Migraines last from four hours to three days. Take over-the-counter painkillers and lie down in a dark room.
Response: see your doctor for preventive medication.
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