Women's Health: Knowing The Warning Signals

In an attempt to continue our daily lives and commit to our grueling schedules, we sometimes forget to take a step back and see if some of our aches and pains could be caused by an underlying issue. While many of these symptoms are moments we experience here and then, there are accompanying signs that could mean something more serious.

Head Banging Headaches
Headaches are a fairly common occurrence in people's day to day lives and usually remedied by medicine. Halt for a second and consider any other symptoms you could be having.

If your migraine is not accompanied by the typical migraine/headache symptoms such as visual, auditory or olfactory "aura"; pain located near the eye; pain that worsens with physical activity; sensitivity to light/sound; nausea; etc, your condition may be a sign of a brain aneurysm. Brain aneurysms don't cause any trouble and most of the time, people don't know they have one until the weak spot leaks or tears. When the weak spot tears, blood can flood into the surrounding tissue causing the head banging headache and cutting off supply. In this situation, the lack of secondary symptoms is the real wake up call. Call 911 or a see a doctor immediately!

Naughty Tooth Ache
Do you feel a dull throb or a sharp twinge when eating something cold? This can be caused by nerve damage within your tooth because your tooth is cracked or rotting away. Get this checked out right away to fill the exposed nerve! If you continue to ignore it, you increase the amount of bacteria that can infect the nerve. If the nerve becomes infected, you can say hello to the root canal you will be having.

Side Pain
Side pain could just be a momentary muscle cramp or the result from a really good workout the day before. However, if your side pain is accompanied by nausea or fever, you could have appendicitis or an ovarian cyst.

Appendicitis forms when a foreign object (like a stray piece of poop-gross I know) moves into the space where the appendix meets the colon. This foreign object then blocks the opening causing the organ to become inflamed. Ovarian cysts, while for the most part are harmless and heal on its own, can be troublesome if twists or ruptures. 

For both cases, it is important for you to schedule yourself a doctor's appointment and confirm whether the symptoms are actually signs of a serious situation!

Swollen Leg
Do you find that your calf is tender in a certain spot and is swollen, red or warm to the touch? If you find that your calf is on fire, you need to check with your doctor of the possibility of DVT or deep-vein thrombosis. DVT is the medical term for a blood clot.

Blood clots usually start when blood clots in the lower body. As it grows in size, it can actually plug up your vein or artery and the surrounding superficial area will begin to hurt and swell. 

If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, do not massage it to relieve the pain. You risk breaking the clot free from its current location and having it travel back to your lungs where it could cut off your oxygen supply. Have your doctor check it out. They will exam the area with an ultrasound.

Remember, your body is your temple. If something is nagging away at you, listen to it and take the time you need to remedy the pain. You only have one body and one mind. Make sure to take care of both and continue to check on yourself on a regular basis.