Sometimes it can hard to tell if you should visit in an emergency walk in clinic or not. We don’t want to be labeled as dramatic or a hypochondriac, but sometimes the issue is legitimate. Heart attack symptoms would definitely send us to the emergency room but what about this swollen ankle or a deep cut? Does it really require going to the emergency room near me? In any case, where is there an emergency room near me? Let’s go over a few things you should know before being faced with an emergency situation. A few reasons that you would need to go to the emergency room are:

Heart attack symptoms

1. Chest pain
2. Left arm pain
3. Jaw pain
4. Shortness of breath
5. Sudden dizziness or weakness or nausea
6. Sweating
7. Fatigue

Any combination of the above symptoms should send you to the emergency room immediately. It’s better to ask the doctors what is going on than to try and figure it out yourself.

Stroke symptoms

1. Sudden numbness or weakness on one side of the face
2. Speech difficulties
3. Trouble seeing out of one eye
4. Excruciating headache
5. Dizziness

Any one of these symptoms is cause to visit an emergency room.

A head blow
If you have hit your head hard enough to cause unconsciousness, a seizure or vomiting even hours later, you need to go. In fact, any loss of consciousness should be seen to because although it could just be that you haven’t eaten anything that day, it could also indicate a deeper problem that you have no way of determining on your own.

Broken bones
Any bones or joints that look out of shape or out of place and are excruciatingly painful to bear any weight on could be an indication of a broken bone.

Bleeding that won’t stop
If you have applied pressure for more than 15 minutes and the wound is still bleeding you may need stitches or some other type of medical attention.

Sudden confusion
If all of a sudden you are not sure of where you are or are disorientated this could be a symptom of a possible stroke or dehydration or some other problem that is in need of medical help.

Serious burns
A serious burn is one that is bigger than about 3 inches. You also want to go to the emergency room if the burn has broken the skin or is numb.

Severe pain
Chest pain always needs to be seen at an emergency room but so does lower back pain and abdominal pain. Chest pain could indicate a heart attack, back pain could indicate a kidney stone and abdominal pain could indicate gallstones or appendicitis, just to name a few possibilities.

Punctures
Whether it is a bite from something or you have stepped on a nail or something else that is punctured your skin, you may be in need of a tetanus shot or a round of antibiotics to stave off any infection.

It is not necessary to go to the emergency room if one of the following happens:

1. A very mild head injury
2. A cut that is less than half an inch long and not bleeding very much
3. A burn that does not blister or break the skin and is less than 3 inches
4. A very mild sprain that does not hinder your ability to walk or move

Now to address the question “where is there an emergency room near me?” You should always know where the closest emergency room is before you are faced with a life or death situation. You can always call an ambulance but knowing where the emergency room is yourself is a wise piece of knowledge to have. Don’t wait until something happens that you are not sure is severe enough for an ambulance to find out where the emergency room is. Sometimes these situations can be high stress and questions such as “is there an emergency room near me?” are very unnecessary problems to have.