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Health & Fitness

Listening to Your Body: When Should You Seek Healthcare?

Listening to your body could save your life. It seems like a no brainer but it is amazing how many of us tend to ignore our body's warning signs.

Being in the medical field I have answered my fair share of phone calls from friends and friends of friends asking me for my medical opinion. And without fail I almost always say “Listen to your body.”

We should all become familiar with our own bodies because every one of us is different. What is normal for others is not always normal for you. Determine your baselines for certain things like blood pressure, blood sugars, and even your temperature. If that baseline changes for you and does not return to normal you should see your doctor. If your baseline varies from the norm by a significant amount make sure your doctor is aware so they do not base their exam on the norm.

We all hear of the emergencies that occur, chest pain, shortness of breath, blinding headaches, etc., but many of us choose to ignore the more subtle changes in our body.

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There are unexplained weight losses or gains, bloating, or change in color or frequency of bowel movements, intermittent pains, fatigues, etc. that can be related to serious but undiagnosed illnesses. When you have noticed a change in your body that does not return to normal in a reasonable period of time, give your doctor a call and discuss it.

As we age, these baselines will change so make sure you are seeing your doctor annually. However, most importantly we should also pay attention to that little nagging intuition that we all have that tells us something is just not right and call the doctor.

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We may grow older every year but age is only a number. Let’s live fully, laugh a-lot, and continually learn so that together we can age with grace.


Ann Byrum Ritter, RN
ARitter@nursesandco.com

Facebook.com/NursesandCo

www.NursesandCo.com

636.926.3722

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