Choosing the Right Care

911, Urgent Care, or your PCP? When something happens, we are often unsure of what to do. Nowadays the choices can be overwhelming. Knowing where to turn can make all the difference in our peace of mind, our pocketbook, and in outcomes.

Calling 911 

1. Chest Pain/Pressure:  Think heart attack first, ask questions later. Especially when accompanied by nausea, shortness of breath, profuse sweating out of nowhere.  Time is muscle is a true statement and your heart is a muscle.  Every minute without blood flow means heart tissue lost.  

2. Know how to recognize a stroke. Think: F.A.S.T. I have posted about this before.  Medicine has come light years in how we can treat, but you have to know what to look for.  

3. Severe or uncontrolled bleeding: If a wound doesn't stop bleeding with firm and sustained pressure, raising above heart level, or if it is arterial, it requires emergency responders.  

4. Falls with serious injuries.  Loss of consciousness, inability to move your arms or legs, a head injury, or a suspected fracture all need a call to 911. Especially if you take meds to slow down or speed up your blood flow.

5. Shortness of Breath or Difficulty Breathing: Respiratory Distress is ALWAYS an emergency.

6. Unresponsiveness: If someone falls to the floor and doesn't respond or can't be woken up, you need to call immediately. You really need to learn CPR. EVERYONE DOES if they love ANYONE.

If you have a severe allergic reaction: throat closing up, severe welts spreading rapidly, difficulty breathing; a suspected poisoning or overdose, a mental health crisis(harm to yourself or others) are also reasons to not wait and call 911 and let them do what they know how to do.

If you feel something is emergent, call 911 no matter what list you read! What you read is informational only, NEVER medical advice, regardless ofrdless where you read it. 

Urgent Care

When something is not life threatening but still needs care today, think Urgent Care centers.  They are all over the place, a simple search online will show you where and even how busy they are.  You can register online at most as well. They are often open early, late, and on weekends.

1. Urinary Infection Symptoms: Sustained urgency, burning, and frequent urination are often signs of a Urinary Tract Infection.  It is treatable and very common.  UTI's are different than STI's and bladder infections( pain, discharge, etc.)

2. Mild Injuries: If you think you may need stitches, have severe muscle pain, and minor burns can often be treated by an urgent care center.  

3. Vomiting and diarrhea (Persistent, not a few times in a day): Unless you have a high fever and are literally excreting every hour, are very old or very young, or diabetic, the reasoning can be multiple things and urgent care centers are equipped to test you.

4. Mild but new rashes(not accompanied by anaphylaxis) are appropriate for a trip to the urgent care.  

Sinus infections, ear infections, flu or respiratory symptoms, pink eye with pus, and animal bites are also reasons you may want to visit the urgent care center if your PCP can't see you that day.

Primary Care Provider

The person who knows you best and has all your information at his/her fingertips.  

1. Questions about medications: whether you just got out of the hospital and have new medications or are having strange symptoms or the meds aren't working like they use to; this warrants a call to your PCP.

2. Symptom Changes (Gradual Ones):  Maybe fatigue has increased consistently, you are unable to find words more often than not, slow weight loss or gain, increasing shortness of breath while doing activities are all reasons to check in with your provider.

3. Routine and Preventive Care

4. Medication Refills: It is your responsibility to keep track of when your meds need to be filled to prevent not having them.  There are med shortages everywhere. Keep a medication list, either paper or electronic and put alerts on your phone.

Mental health follow ups, advanced care planning, care coordination after ER visits or surgery, specialist referrals, and interpretation of lab results are a few more reason where you would contact your provider, not an urgent care or the emergency room.  

It is so much to think about, especially when you are caring for others.  Here are some important numbers to keep handy if you need them. Remember these posts and all others are for informational use only. Never take anything online as a substitute for medical advice.

• 911: Life threatening emergencies
• Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222 (24/7, free, confidential)
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 (24/7 mental health crisis support)
• Your PCP's After Hours Line: Save this in your phone today
• Your Nearest Urgent Care: Search online now and bookmark it before you need it
• 211: Community Services Help Line