Common Symptoms

How do you know when you need urgent care?

Patients often visit Express ER for the following symptoms:

FEVER: A temperature of 103 degrees or higher is a sign that adults need medical help as soon as possible. Children who are 1 year or older need to be seen if their temperature is 101 or higher. Under 1 year, a rectal temperature of 100.4 or higher is considered a fever.

ABDOMINAL PAIN: If your stomach hurts, you may or may not have a serious illness. Most often, it is not serious and can be easily treated. If mild pain lasts more than a couple of days, come visit us. You’ll want to seek immediate medical help if any of the following are present—sharp and sudden pain; pain in stomach as well as chest, neck or shoulder; vomiting blood or blood in stool; your stomach feels hard, rigid and tender to touch.

CHEST PAIN: You may be experiencing chest pain that is not indicative of a heart attack, but still requires diagnosis and treatment. Angina, sore muscles, digestive problems, pneumonia and joint inflammation could all be causes of chest pain. Visit the Express ER clinic immediately if you have chest pain that does not go away; crushing pain or pressure in the chest; or chest pain accompanied by nausea, sweating, dizziness or shortness of breath.

HEADACHE: Everyone has headaches from time to time and they can usually be treated with an over-the-counter medication. The most common type of headache is a tension headache that develops due to tight muscles in the shoulders, neck, scalp and jaw. Stress, depression, anxiety, being overworked, missing sleep, not eating and using alcohol could all be causes of a tension headache. Migraines, cluster headaches and sinus headaches are other common types of headaches. Visit a doctor if you have sudden and severe headaches, if you have a headache following a blow to the head; or if your headache is associated with a stiff neck, high temperature, confusion, loss of consciousness or pain in the eye or ear.

ALLERGY, COLD AND FLU:Your respiratory system is affected by having a cold, the flu, and allergies, making breathing difficult. Each condition has key symptoms that set them apart from each other.

Colds and flu are caused by different viruses, but both can involve a runny, stuffy nose; congestion; cough and sore throat. With the flu, you are likely to have a fever that lasts for a few days, along with a headache, tiredness, chills, vomiting, diarrhea and feeling sore and achy. These symptoms are less common when you have a cold.

Allergies are not caused by a virus, but by your body’s immune system reacting to a trigger, or allergens like pollen or pet dander. You may have a stuffed or runny nose. But allergies can also cause itchy, watery eyes, which you don’t normally have with a cold or flu. Most people with a cold or flu recover on their own without medical care.