Which is more distressing: Waking up in the middle of the night with a fever of 105 or coughing up blood? Or waking up with mild chest pressure or a somewhat itchy new rash?
In one important way, it can be more stressful to decide what to do about mild symptoms. Unless you are really out of it or in major denial, if you develop a high fever or begin coughing up blood you wouldn't hesitate to call 911, hop in the car and go to a nearby hospital, or, at least, call your doctor.
But if you develop a sign or symptom that is tolerable, you enter the "gray zone": "Do I call the doctor or call 911, or not? Do I wait until the office opens in the morning?"
In my next post I'll offer some tips for dealing with this sort of situation.
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