Colds are common and they don’t always necessitate a trip to the doctor. Most of the time you can wait it out over the course of a week with plenty of liquids and rest. But how do you know when your cold is something worse?
A bad cold can leave you feeling weak, dizzy, and worse but it can be hard to know what to go to urgent care for. Here’s when you should bring your cold symptoms to an urgent care.
It hasn’t gone away
A cold typically clears up over the course of 14 days regardless of whether you’re treating it with medication. If you don’t show significant improvement in this time, you should visit an urgent care nearby.
You’re experiencing chest pain or trouble breathing
A cold should never cause you to feel short of breath or cause any other chest pain. Though a bad cold or flu might result in body aches, trouble breathing could be a sign of a larger health issue like heart disease or pneumonia. In the event you cannot breathe properly, visit your local clinic with the help of a friend or family member.
You have trouble eating
If you can’t keep anything down, you can get dehydrated quickly. This can take the form of severe diarrhea, frequent vomiting, or the inability to eat. This can lead to possibly detrimental health effects if you don’t become hydrated quickly.
Frequent vomiting can also injure your throat. If you have throat pain or trouble swallowing, you should visit an urgent care or local hospital for aid.
You have a high or prolonged fever
You will have a fever if your body temperature exceeds 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. A high fever is usually typified as a fever over 102 degrees. If the fever persists, it’s a sign that your body is fighting a serious infection.
Just go
There’s no wrong time to visit an urgent care if you fear your cold symptoms are getting out of hand. In the end, there’s no wrong answer to “what to go to urgent care for.” The average child will catch between six and ten cold each year growing up and you shouldn’t hesitate to visit an urgent care for emergency services when you think it’s necessary.