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Common Health Problems

Knowledge is power. Knowing what to do to prevent common health problems can help keep you from getting sick. When you do get sick, you should know what to do, too.

1. •Should you get medical help fast?
   

2. •Should you call your doctor?
   

3. •Should you wait and see if the problem gets better?
   

4. •Can you take care of the problem yourself?
   

5. •What things should you do?
   

This section can help you answer these questions. It tells what you can do to help prevent getting common health problems and what to do when you have one of them. Sometimes you can treat these problems with self-care. Sometimes you need medical help. This section can help you ask the right questions and find the answers to take care of your health. It may even save your life!

How to Use this Section

1. •Read about the problem, its symptoms, what causes it (if known), and treatments.
   

2. •Scrutinize the “Questions to Ask.” Start at the top of the flowchart and answer YES or NO to each question.
   

Follow the arrows in the flowchart until you get to one of these answers:

Get Immediate Care

You should get help immediately. If symptoms threaten life, go to a hospital emergency department, if you can do so quickly and safely. If not, call 9-1-1 or your local rescue squad. Symptoms that threaten life include:

1. •No breathing.
   

2. •Unconsciousness.
   

3. •Difficulty breathing.
   

4. •Severe bleeding.
   

5. •Head or neck injury.
   

6. •Suicidal or homicidal intent.
   

7. •Choking.
   

For symptoms that don’t threaten life, immediate care means seeing your health care provider or going to an urgent care center right away. If your school has a health service center, find out where it is and when it is open. Find out where to go for urgent care, both on and off campus. Make sure you know phone numbers for these places and write them down.

Find out, now, how your health insurance covers medical emergencies when you are in the state you live in, when you are out of state, and even out of the country. Then you’ll know what to do if something occurs. You may need to get additional insurance when you travel or study abroad.

See Provider

You should get help immediately. If symptoms threaten life, go to a hospital emergency department, if you can do so quickly and safely. If not, call 9-1-1 or your local rescue squad. Symptoms that threaten life include:

1. •No breathing.
   

2. •Unconsciousness.
   

3. •Difficulty breathing.
   

4. •Severe bleeding.
   

5. •Head or neck injury.
   

6. •Suicidal or homicidal intent.
   

7. •Choking.
   

For symptoms that don’t threaten life, immediate care means seeing your health care provider or going to an urgent care center right away. If your school has a health service center, find out where it is and when it is open. Find out where to go for urgent care, both on and off campus. Make sure you know phone numbers for these places and write them down.

Find out, now, how your health insurance covers medical emergencies when you are in the state you live in, when you are out of state, and even out of the country. Then you’ll know what to do if something occurs. You may need to get additional insurance when you travel or study abroad.

Call Provider

Call your health care provider and state the problem. You will be given advice on what to do.

Use Self-Care

You can probably take care of the problem yourself if you answered NO to all questions in the flowcharts. Use the self-care items that are listed, but call your health care provider if you don’t feel better soon. You may have some other problem.