Click on the dropdown below that relates most closely to what you're experiencing to find the best course of action.
Symptoms
Care at home for mild symptoms. Here is what you can do: OTC Pain Relievers, rest in a quiet, dark room, and ice or heat to neck or shoulders.
Contact your physician if: you have a headache with fever or vomiting, you have a headache lasting more than 2 days, or you have dizziness interfering with daily activities.
Go to the Emergency Room if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms: severe headache, localized weakness or numbness or blurred vision.
Care at home for mild symptoms. Here is what you can do: Drink plenty of fluids, especially sports drinks or clear soups. Eat bland foods (crackers, toast, scrambled eggs, applesauce).
Contact your physician if: illness lasts more than 2 days, if there is blood in diarrhea, or you have a fever of 102 degrees or greater.
Go to the Emergency Room if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms: persistent abdominal pain or signs of dehydration: dizziness, sunken eyes, marked weakness.
Care at home for mild symptoms. Here is what you can do: drink plenty of fluids, refrain from exercise and use OTC medicines (expectorants with guaifenesin, cough suppressants with dextromethorphan).
Contact your physician if: you have a cough with significant fever, you have worsening thick mucus or phlegm, or a cough that interferes with sleep or persists for a week.
Go to the Emergency Room if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms: difficulty breathing.
Care at home for mild symptoms. Here is what you can do: take acetaminophen and drink plenty of fluids.
Contact your physician if: you are unable to bring fever below 103 degrees, you have a fever lasting more than 2 days, you have a rash, or you have redness, swelling or tenderness of skin.
Go to the Emergency Room if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms: difficulty breathing, repeated vomiting or diarrhea, or severe headache and/or stiff neck.
Care at home for mild symptoms. Here is what you can do: use Calamine lotion for contact dermatitis, Aloe lotion for sunburn, and OTC medicines (Diphenhydramine tablets for itch, Ibuprofen for sunburn).
Contact your physician if: your rash includes the upper face and eyelids or if you have mouth sores that impair eating or drinking.
Go to the Emergency Room if you are experiencing the following symptom: generalized, blistering rash.
Conditions
For care at home, here is what you can do: monitor blood pressure regularly, avoid excessive salt, maintain exercise routine, and take prescribed medication.
Contact your physician if: blood pressure is higher than your typical reading.
Go to the Emergency Room if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms: severe headache, persistent nosebleed, and/or chest pain.
For care at home, here is what you can do: avoid excessive salt, take prescribed medications, and weigh yourself daily.
Contact your physician if: you experience weight gain, have worsening swelling of ankles, you have shortness of breath while lying down or awakening from sleep, or you have worsening exercise tolerance (e.g., climbing stairs).
Go to the Emergency Room if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms: difficulty breathing or chest discomfort.
For care at home, here is what you can do: take prescribed baseline/rescue medications, avoid cigarette smoke and other irritants, and avoid exercise when asthma flares.
Contact your physician if: you have shortness of breath interfering with daily activities or increased need for rescue medication.
Go to the Emergency Room if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms: difficulty breathing or persistent wheezing.
For care at home, here is what you can do: wear a medical alert bracelet, monitor your blood sugar, and take prescribed medications.
Contact your physician if you experience any of the following symptoms: increased thirst, nausea/vomiting, trembling/weakness, persistently elevated blood sugar, recurrently low blood sugar.
Go to the Emergency Room if you have: Persistent low blood sugar, especially with confusion/loss of consciousness and rapid breathing.