The decision can sometimes be a little daunting, but a good rule of thumb is to trust your instincts. While cost and convenience are top of mind for many healthcare consumers these days, never compromise your health for these reasons alone. If you have had particular symptoms for several days or longer, chances are you could wait to see your primary care physician. Acute injuries, like sprains, strains, eye injuries, burns and cuts are best treated soon. If you are concerned about an acute infection and cannot be seen by your doctor within 24 hours, that would also be a great reason to be seen in a certified urgent care. If you are having a serious potentially life-threatening issue like chest pain, extreme difficulty breathing or any stroke-like symptoms, immediately call 911 or proceed to your closest ER. When your condition is urgent, but less serious, Lakes Urgent Care can save you time and money. Insurance co-pays can be much more expensive at a hospital ER. And you may wait for a long time in a hospital ER for minor health concerns. At Lakes Urgent Care, you’ll be seen quickly by a highly trained physician. And by visiting us, you’ll help keep the ER free to concentrate on more seriously ill patients.
All urgent cares are NOT created equal and in Michigan, urgent care centers are not regulated. Many facilities holding themselves out to the public as an urgent care do not actually qualify under the national guidelines of the Urgent Care Association of America (UCA). Always seek out an urgent care that is certified or accredited by the UCA. Lakes Urgent Care was one of the first certified urgent cares in southeastern Michigan accredited by the UCA. We hold ourselves to a higher standard because our patients deserve the best and most comprehensive care possible at a lower cost than visiting a hospital’s ER.
At Lakes Urgent Care, we provide a very wide array of treatments including on-site lab testing, digital radiology, EKG’s, pulmonary testing and treatments in addition to
IV therapies which most urgent cares do not provide. We like to call it “ER Lite”, where you are seen by physicians with training in emergency medicine who have access to many of the capabilities of the ER without the wait or cost. To learn more about all the great care we provide, visit our website, lakesurgentcare.com, where you will find comprehensive information and resources to help you. We also have a page on our website called “Urgent Care or ER” where you will find an easy to read graphic that we created in conjunction with the Greater Detroit Area Health Council. And stop by our office anytime and pick up a free “Urgent Care or ER” magnet graphic to display in your home, school or office.
The term food poisoning is oftentimes misused and applied to a broad range of gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses. However, generally speaking if food that you have eaten was tainted with a virus, bacteria or parasite, the symptoms often begin within an hour of ingestion. Most often, this type of gastrointestinal illness is self-limited and will spontaneously resolve once your immune system gets to work on the infecting agent. Tolerating and keeping up with the symptoms is usually the challenge.
It can be very challenging to differentiate the cause of stomach upset initially. Generally speaking, food borne illnesses come on very quickly after eating, are very intense for a short period of time and then quickly resolve. More significant viral, bacterial or parasitic GI illnesses often come on gradually and may last for several days. GI infections have many similar symptoms regardless of cause and may include fever, nausea, with vomiting and/or diarrhea. Most mild foodborne illnesses do not have the feature of fever.
Food allergy typically presents with different symptoms including skin rash, tongue or lip swelling, difficulty swallowing and difficulty breathing. Simple food intolerance, such as, lactose intolerance, will have symptoms of gas, bloating and possibly mild isolated diarrhea. If you believe that you are having an allergic reaction to a food, try taking diphenhydramine and contact your primary care physician for follow-up. However, if you are having difficulty breathing or swallowing as a result of a possible food allergy you should seek care in a certified urgent care or emergency center.
The greatest concern associated with foodborne illness is the intensity and length of the symptoms experienced. If there is a significant amount of fluid loss associated with vomiting and diarrhea, this can lead to electrolyte imbalances and dehydration. These more advanced symptoms typically will not occur unless the illness has lasted more than 24 hours and are the initial reason to seek medical attention. The signs of dehydration will include dry mouth, increased thirst and a reduction in urine output. If you begin to feel weak, lightheaded and unable to tolerate oral fluid rehydration to keep pace with fluid losses, it is wise to seek care in a certified urgent care like Lakes Urgent Care, where you can be treated with IV hydration and medications to mitigate the nausea and vomiting. If you begin to experience confusion, intolerable abdominal pain, notice yellowing of your skin or eyes (otherwise known as jaundice) or see any blood in your stool, you should seek care in an emergency center.
Aside from sunburns, the most common household causes are scalds, contact with hot surfaces, electrical and chemical burns. Burns are further classified into first, second and third degree based upon the depth and tissue involved in the burn injury. A good rule of thumb is if blisters develop, the burn is a second-degree burn. Seek medical attention if the burn is second or third degree, is larger than 3 inches in diameter or involves the face, hands, joint surfaces, or genitals, especially in children and the elderly. Also seek medical attention if the burn looks like it may be infected (swelling, pus or red streaks nearby) or if the source of the burn is from an electrical plug or wire. The best place to get qualified medical attention for burns is at a certified urgent care like Lakes Urgent Care, your primary care physician, or in hospital emergency department.
After removing the source of the burn, immerse the burn in cool water or apply a cool compress for 10-15 minutes. Never apply ointments, butter or grease to a burn as this can lead to infection. Do not apply ice directly to a burn as it can cause additional destruction to the already delicate skin involved. Avoid breaking any blisters if they form. Once cooling has been completed, dry the area involved and cover the burn with a clean cloth, sterile gauze or non-adhesive bandage. Over the counter pain medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen are safe to use to help with discomfort. Once the initial burn discomfort has subsided, you can apply 100% pure aloe gel.
Scalding water, hot stoves and unsecured electrical plugs are the most common sources of burns within the home, especially with small children. In the kitchen, never leave a hot stove unattended and make sure to turn pot handles inward so they cannot be pulled down by a child. Never cook over a stove while holding a small child. Place them safely in a high chair nearby. Do not heat baby bottles in microwaves due to uneven heating and risk of oral burns. Set hot water tank thermostats to less than 120F and always check water temps with your wrist or elbow. In the bathroom, secure any hot items such as curling irons, clothes irons and unplug hair dryers to avoid children pulling these items off counter tops resulting in mechanical injury or burn.
After reviewing 25 years of scientific research from 1990 to 2015, there are now new guidelines for the diagnosis and management of a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), commonly known as a concussion. One of the more important aspects is the recommendation to not perform a complete diagnostic brain imaging by CT scan unless there is a specific set of signs and symptoms present indicating high risk factor that would justify the use of neuroimaging. There are a number of excellent updated validated concussion assessment tools now available to physicians to help guide in the diagnosis and treatment of TBI. The Centers for Disease Control has excellent resources for patients and families who wish to learn more about head injuries and more, at CDC.gov.