Cuts and Scrapes

Your Doctor or Emergency Room Visit

What your doctor will ask you about: when did the injury occur,did it occur at work, how did it occur, was there loss of consciousness(for injuries to the head), was the injury contaminated by feces orsoil, whether there was an animal (and what kind of animal) orhuman bite, whether you have any numbness on or difficulty movingbody parts near the injury, whether you have difficulty breathing (ifit was a deep wound to the chest), or abdominal pain (if it was a deepwound to the abdomen).

Your doctor will want to know if you have any of these condi-tions: diabetes, bleeding disorders, heart disease, immune systemdisorders, organ transplant.

Your doctor will want to know if there is a history of domesticabuse in your home.

What it feels like: varies from simple cough to coughing up sputumor blood, sometimes accompanied by other symptoms, includingsore throat, wheezing, or difficulty breathing.

What can make it worse: cold air, exercise, dust, the changing seasons.

Most sudden cases of cough are caused by a virus, and last for lessthan three weeks.

Your Doctor Visit

What your doctor will ask you about: runny nose, sore throat,facial pain, sputum production, coughing up blood, trouble breath-ing, trouble breathing except when upright, wheezing, chest pain,fever, chills, sweats, weight loss, leg pain, or ankle swelling.

Your doc-tor will also want to know if you’ve ever had a positive test for tuber-culosis, or if you’ve had a chest X-ray, and what it showed.

What it feels like: being quick to bruise after minor injury, sponta-neous bleeding, or bleeding for long periods oftime after a cut.

All bleeding disorders are characterized by a tendency to bruiseeasily.

Your Doctor Visit

What your doctor will ask you about: fever, chills, headache,swollen lymph nodes, joint swelling, dark or bloody urine, black andtar-like bowel movements, jaundice (skin taking on a yellowishappearance), skin rashes, infections.

Your doctor will want to know if you or anyone in your familyhas had any of these conditions: liver disease, valvular heart dis-ease, hemophilia, systemic lupus erythematosus, tendency towardeasy bruising or excess bleeding at the time of birth or later, particu-larly during surgeries or dental work.

What it feels like: losing control of your movements, an alternatingpattern of rigidity and relaxation, sometimes accompanied by a lossof consciousness.

Your Doctor Visit

What your doctor will ask you about: a “funny feeling” before orafter the attack, changes in vision or hearing, changes in your abilityto move, headache, fever or chills, stiff neck, tongue biting, loss ofconsciousness, loss of bladder or bowel control, palpitations, troublebreathing, nausea or vomiting.

Because early treatment of worsening CHF is most ef-fective in preventing hospitalizations, it is very impor-tant for the patient to recognize when his symptomsare getting worse. The early symptoms or warningsigns of a CHF exacerbation can be different for eachperson. The patient is the best person to know if he orshe is having difficulty breathing, feeling more tired, orgaining more weight. Family members or friends mayalso recognize some of these signs. Therefore, it is im-portant that you inform your family and friends ofthese warning signs and let them know what to do ifthey see them. A change or increase in the symptomsusually experienced may be the only early warningsigns you get.

You may notice one or more of the following signs ofworsening CHF:

What it feels like: pain, blistering, and charred skin caused by injuryfrom electricity, fire, or chemicals.

Your Doctor Visit

What your doctor will ask you about: pain, blistering, troublebreathing, loss of consciousness. If the burn was electrical, the doctor will ask where the source touched you, and what the source was.

Your doctor will want to know exactly where on your body you wereburned, and the source of the burn.  If it was a flame, the doctor willwant to know if your face was burned.

What it feels like: an inability to have regular and easy bowelmovements.

The most common cause of “constipation” in children is concernfrom caregivers that they should have a bowel movement every day—even though it is normal for children to pass stool as infrequently asonce or twice a week.

Anxiety from adults about toilet training can also be transmitted tochildren, which can lead to constipation. In this situation, most chil-dren develop normal bowel habits within two years.

What it feels like: an inability to have regular and easy bowel move-ments, often associated with bloating.In adults, the most common and treatable causes of constipation arethe use of certain medications (see below), reliance on laxatives, anda diet high in carbohydrates and low in fiber.

Your Doctor Visit

What your doctor will ask you about: abdominal pain, blood instools, pain with defecation, diarrhea alternating with hard stool,weight loss, anxiety, depression.

What it feels like: feeling unclear as to what is going on around you,often accompanied by disorientation, difficulty maintaining atten-tion, loss of memory, disordered or illogical thoughts.

What can make it worse: head injury, recent intake of alcohol ordrugs, recent end to alcohol or drug habit, recent disease, changes inyour environment, such as your job, home, or relationships.

Your Doctor Visit

What your doctor will ask you — or your caretaker — about:changes in attention span, changes in mood or the ability to concen-trate, hallucinations, lethargy or stupor, excessive activity, changes insensation or the ability to move extremities, headache, fever, vomit-ing, breathing trouble.