Many times, patients call me to say they're not feeling well. When I ask what's wrong, they often can't pinpoint a precise symptom. After we talk for a few minutes, I can usually reassure them that it's nothing to worry about. At other times, patients complain of specific symptoms that have nagged them for weeks or months but which they've ignored.
　　How can you tell the difference between a problem that will go away on its own and one that should be attended to as soon as possible? Here are seven symptoms that you should call your doctor about.
　　1. Continuing Weight Loss
　　Everyone's weight fluctuates. It can go up or down two or three pounds during the course of a day, depending on how recently you've eaten and whether your bladder is full. These small changes are insignificant. But if your face begins to look gaunt, your clothes fit more loosely, or you lose 10 pounds or more without intending to, you should look into it.
　　
　　2. Persistent Headaches

　　Everybody gets headaches now and then. But if you have an unfamiliar type of headache that's persisted for three days or longer and is associated with vomiting or visual changes, it could indicate an abnormality in or near the brain, such as a blood clot. If you have an unremitting headache on only one side of your head, near the temple or above the ear, it may be a condition called temporal arteritis. We can cure it with cortisone or steroids, but, left untreated, it can lead to blindness. The most important thing to remember: Any new or extremely painful headache should prompt you to call your doctor.
　　
　　3. Chest Pain
　　Chest pain can indicate something as simple as a gas bubble in the stomach, or it could be a heart attack.

Sometimes it's hard to distinguish between the two. When a nerve near the heart (called the vagus nerve) becomes irritated because of a heart attack, it can cause stomach symptoms. If the pain goes away with an antacid, it's less likely to be related to the heart. Most times, it's probably not a heart attack, but if dull, pressure-like chest pain comes on for no reason, call an ambulance and get to an emergency room.
　　
　　4. Abdominal Pain
　　All of us suffer abdominal pains occasionally, and their causes are many. In fact, there are entire medical

textbooks on how to evaluate this particular type of pain. In most cases, it's something that can be easily cured. Abdominal pain that occurs before meals and is relieved by food can indicate an ulcer. Treatment is generally simple, so why suffer?
　　
　　5. Bruising and Bleeding
　　If you bump into something and get a bruise, it generally turns blue-purple over a day or two and then slowly fades to yellow over the course of another four or five days. That's normal and is nothing to be concerned about. In addition, many of us develop mysterious bruises from time to time and don't remember bumping into anything. But if you develop spontaneous recurrent bruises in places that aren't prone to being bumped, it could signify a disorder of blood clotting. It could also be because you're taking medications that predispose you to bruising, such as warfarin, which is a blood thinner, or aspirin.
　　
　　6. Breathing Problems
　　If you have a cold, sinus problem, or allergies that cause nasal congestion, you may find it difficult to breathe. A cold will generally clear up on its own in a week, and you'll be back to normal in short order. But if a sinus problem or allergies continue to distress you, call your doctor for an appointment. A simple medication will often do the trick, and you'll be smelling the roses soon.
　　People who are out of shape certainly find strenuous activity more difficult than those who exercise regularly, so difficulty breathing on exertion can be a sign that it's time to start exercising. But it could also raise a red flag that indicates lung problems, heart problems, asthma, or even anemia. Also, if you become short of breath when you're lying down and have to prop yourself up on two or three pillows to sleep comfortably, it might signal heart failure. Call your doctor.
　　
　　7. Sadness

　　I don't know a single person who hasn't felt blue or sad from time to time. These feelings are a normal component of human emotion and deserve attention and recognition, but not necessarily medical intervention. So if you're blue because a friend moved away or someone close to you is ill, that's unfortunate but it's not a reason to call your doctor.
　　If you feel sad or irritable most of the day for at least two weeks, however, and you take less interest in activities that once gave you pleasure, then it's time to seek help. You could

be suffering from depression, which is a painful and disabling problem. Other signs of depression include crying spells for no apparent reason, unexplained aches and pains that won't go away, difficult in making decisions, an inability to concentrate, and a feeling that the future looks grim. Many people believe that persistent feelings of hopelessness are part of aging. That's not true. So by all means talk to your doctor. Fortunately, depression is treatable. Nobody should have to suffer from it, and nobody should have to live with it.

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