A Guide to Analyzing your Symptoms
This guide has been constructed with the help of doctors and medical texts. It can be beneficial for conversations with your doctor or when using a symptom checker to help better determine what might be going on in your body.
If you're using the guide for a symptom checker, please note that a symptom checker is not to be used in place of seeing a medical professional.
A symptom checker can be worrying to use, often making us think they'll lead to a scary diagnosis. Don't let this cause you to avoid them altogether, as they can have very useful information and can help you be in tune with your health.
When you think about your symptoms, consider the following:
1. How would you characterize the pain or symptom?
UPPER LEFT TUMMY
LOWER RIGHT TUMMY
2. Where is the pain located specifically?
3. How long do the symptoms last?
MINUTES
HOURS
DAYS
4. Do the symptoms occur at a certain time of day?
5. Are they related to any certain type of activity?
COUGHING
EXERCISING
EATING
6. Do they occur at a certain time of year?
7. How severe is the pain on a scale from 1-10?
Potential illnesses:
After you’ve received your possible outcomes from a symptom checker - Don’t panic! If you are seeing outcomes that could be very minor, such as a canker sore, vs. outcomes that could be much more serious, such as mouth cancer, DON’T WORRY.
There is a reason that symptom checkers have not taken the place of real doctors. A symptom checker is never meant to be used in the place of a real medical professional. Each person is unique and therefore it is impossible for a symptom checker to know exactly what’s going on with you.
However, listen to your body and read the resources available. Educate yourself on both canker sores and mouth cancer and pay attention to the signs or symptoms as you go about your day. Based on further description, if it sounds like you may have a disorder or condition you have come across, consult a doctor. The doctor will appreciate that you are recording your symptoms and listening to your body because this will help them be able to answer more questions about what is going on with you and if necessary, give you the necessary tests to find out more information.