Six Flags

SIX FLAGS………….No, we’re not going on a trip to an amusement park………………………
But we are going to take a trip into our bodies…..
Listening to your body can save your life.

There is an old saying; “squeaky wheel gets the grease.” It is vitally important when it comes to your health.

If you know that something is wrong with your body- if you have a severe, crushing headache, but doctors aren’t taking it seriously-
Stand up for yourself. Tell your doctors you know that it is a problem. You should say, “I want you to rule this out.” If they balk, here’s your line, “I want you to write on the chart that you refused to do proper test.” Doctors are human, they get tired and distracted. It sometimes is necessary to get extreme to get their attention. Sometimes you have to make a scene.

The one person most likely to be concerned about whether you live or not is you. You have the greatest empathy for yourself. All adults should be familiar with some medical symptoms to insure them of their good health. Here are some medical symptoms that you should be aware of: I call them the Six Flags.

Unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite.
If you are on a diet you expect this to happen. However, if you are not and find yourself having to adjust your belt a few inches tighter with no real reason, then there is possibly an underlying issue.
With ovarian cancer the opposite can be true. Fluids can build up in a woman’s abdomen making her think that she is just gaining weight. It could be a serious problem. If you have been the same weight for years and you are doing nothing to change this, and gain an excess amount of weight over a short period of time, then you will want to check out the possible cause.

Slurred speech, paralysis, weakness, tingling, burning pains, numbness and confusion are signs of a stroke. You should get immediate appropriate medical attention. Go straight to the emergency room. Early treatment may prevent permanent damage to the brain or bleeding in a blood vessel.
Try to keep a sharp mind and focus on what is taking place. This step could save your life.

Black tarry stools may indicate a hemorrhage from an ulcer of the stomach or the intestine.
It is important to stop the bleeding and to rule out cancer as a cause. What you eat changes the color of your stool. But black, tarry stools mean there may be bleeding higher in the intestine. It could be a sign of a bleeding ulcer or cancer in the intestine.

A severe headache accompanied by a stiff neck and fever is an indicator of a serious infection called meningitis. In fact if you can not put your chin to your chest, that’s a sign that you may have bacterial meningitis. You need antibiotics immediately to kill the bacteria before it infects and scars the brain.

A sudden agonizing headache, more severe than any you have ever felt before, could mean you are bleeding in the brain. A brain aneurysm is rare, but it can happen. It can be very disastrous if it is not treated. If you have a crushing headache, you may have an aneurysm, which is a blood filled pouch bulging out from a weak spot in the wall of a brain artery. If treated before it burst it could save your life.

For women, vaginal bleeding after menopause is a warning sign of possible cancer, which is treatable if caught early. Some women are in denial when they discover post menopausal bleeding. Don’t be.

For men, a lump in your testicle with or without a small lump in your groin could be serious. Testicular cancer is more commonly found in testicles that did not naturally descend from the abdomen to the scrotum. Guys, when you take a shower check yourself. It doesn’t mean that you have to do it every day, but do it occasionally. Remember, if you are aware of what normal feels like, then you will know when it is abnormal.

Sassy