Quick reference · September 2026
Should I go, or can it wait? A doctor's short list
The six red flags I'd never wait on, in plain words. Sudden, severe, or worsening fast: go be seen.
Six strangers' health threads this week: a worst-ever headache, a sinus question, a nosebleed, a fever, a strep scare, a sore throat. Same short list under nearly all of them.
- The worst headache of your life, or one peaking within a minute (the thunderclap pattern). Straight to an emergency department.
- A fever with a stiff neck, confusion, or a rash that doesn't fade under pressure. Same.
- A nosebleed still going after 15 minutes of steady pinching, or one that comes with feeling faint. Get seen.
- A sore throat that blocks swallowing your own saliva, or a drooling, muffled voice. The rest are usually viral; a test decides antibiotics, not how red it looks.
- A cough after a cold can tail two to three weeks. What earns a visit: breathlessness, chest pain, coughing blood, or fever returning after it settles.
Sudden, severe, or worsening faster than a body should: go be seen. Mild, slow, improving: rest and watch. I'd rather you be seen for nothing than wait on something.
Not a diagnosis. If it's happening now: your emergency number or the nearest department, not a website.
Want yours answered plainly? Write to julian@plainanswers.ca. One question, an answer back, no charge for the first one.