Don’t ignore trivial but recurrent symptoms

The human body is very resilient, and is able to deal with lots of trivial ailments without much fuss. We all get the odd headache that goes away by itself. There is also the odd tummy ache, colds and flus that just come and go. Yes, no real reason to rush to your doctor every time you cough or sneeze.

But be wary of trivial but recurrent symptoms.Common things occur more commonly, and this holds true in medicine as well. Some vague abdominal pain is more likely to be due to some disagreeable indulgence, or due to a stomach bug that is self-resolving.

Very unlikely to be anything more sinister, especially if symptoms resolve pretty quickly or with just simple remedies.

Am sure you have had symptoms now and again that amount to nothing. You have simply ignored them and come to no harm. This in itself is acceptable.

But if your symptoms become recurrent, this becomes something else. Recurrent abdominal pains, headaches, chest pain, breathlessness and whatever else, cannot simply be wished away. Recurrent symptoms are more likely to have an underlying medical condition that can account for the recurrent tendencies. The chance becomes less likely that the recurrence is due to a series of unfortunate and unrelated events. The time to wait and see, or try simple remedies is gone. You should be seeking medical care accordingly by this time.

You must always be your own first line of medical defense. This means being vigilant on your ongoing health, and making the right decisions in matters of health. Most medical conditions are unlikely to creep up on you without any tell-tale symptoms. Chronic conditions don’t just go away, that’s why they are called chronic in the first place. If you don’t ignore recurrent symptoms and act early enough, you always stand a better chance of cure or optimal disease control. Your doctor will be more useful to you if they can detect your disease early enough. Come along too late and there will be very little that can be done.

It’s better to error on the side of paranoia and assume your recurrent symptoms imply an improbable diagnosis. Once you get yourself checked out and the worst is excluded, you can always put your feet up and enjoy the moment. But if the improbable turned out to be the grim reality, you can always deal with it. You could always take solace from the fact that you sought medical help early enough, and things might have been much worse.

Get yourself in the habit of reviewing what appear to be trivial symptoms. If it comes out of the blues and goes, it possibly wasn’t anything worth pursuing. But any recurrences of the same symptoms over and over again always warrant some medical attention. Act accordingly.