That pain in your lower abdomen doesn’t know you’re 970 miles away from home and your family physician, and that throbbing in your temple is unaware you’re three days away from any home time.
Symptom Checker: For those times you can’t get to a doctor.While it may not be able to give you complete diagnosis and prescribe a course of treatment, Symptom Checker for Women at least can steer you in the right direction and even provide a little piece of mind.
The online medical advice source allows you to enter your gender, age and ZIP code (which is optional) and then has you select a part of the body in which you’re having problems. Then up pops a list of symptoms. Once you select the symptoms, you’re presented with a series of questions to help narrow down the problem. After you answer those, Symptom Checker gives you a list of possible conditions and details on:
- an overview of the possible ailment
- what to do if it presents an emergency condition
- what to expect
- what makes the condition worse
- treatment options
- self care
- when to see the doctor
- questions to ask when you do see a health care provider
- how common the ailment is
- risk factors
It also comes with this common sense warning: “This symptoms and signs guide is not a substitute for a medical opinion. It’s only intended for informational purposes.”
