American Medical Association Family Medical Guide - American Medical Association [154]
Raised spots and lumps
Raised areas on the skin that may be inflamed, dark-colored, rough, or hard.
Painful eye
Continuous or intermittent pain in or around the eye.
Disturbed or impaired vision
Vision problems, including blurring, double vision, or seeing flashing lights or floating spots.
Earache
Pain in one or both ears.
Noises in the ear
Sounds (such as ringing, buzzing, or hissing) that have no external source and that only you can hear.
Hearing loss
Impaired ability to hear in one or both ears.
Runny nose
A partially or completely blocked nose, with a liquid discharge.
Sore throat
A rough or raw feeling at the back of the throat that causes discomfort, especially when swallowing.
Hoarseness or loss of voice
Abnormal huskiness in the voice.
Coughing
A sudden, forceful release of air from the lungs that helps clear material from breathing passages. A cough that clears mucus from the lungs is called a productive cough. A cough that does not produce mucus (usually brought on by minor irritation in the throat) is called a dry cough. For children 2 to 12 years, see the chart COUGHING IN CHILDREN, p. 360.
Coughing up blood
Coughing up blood or mucus that is colored or streaked bright red or rusty brown, contains dark flecks or spots, or is pink and frothy.
Wheezing
Noisy, difficult breathing.
Difficulty breathing
Shortness of breath or tightness in your chest that makes you aware of your breathing.
Toothache
Pain in the teeth or gums.
Difficulty swallowing
Discomfort or pain when swallowing, or the inability to swallow.
Sore mouth or tongue
Soreness inside the mouth or on or around the tongue or lips.
Bad breath
Foul-smelling breath that may be temporary or persistent.
Vomiting
Throwing up. For children under 6 months, see the chart VOMITING IN INFANTS, p. 346.
Recurring vomiting
Vomiting several times within a week. For children under 6 months, see the chart VOMITING IN INFANTS, p. 346.
Abdominal pain
Pain between the bottom of the rib cage and the groin. For children 2 to 12 years, see the chart ABDOMINAL PAIN IN CHILDREN, p. 358.
Recurring abdominal pain
Abdominal pain that comes and goes. For children 2 to 12 years, see the chart ABDOMINAL PAIN IN CHILDREN, p. 358.
Swollen abdomen
Generalized swelling over the entire abdomen between the bottom of the rib cage and the groin.
Gas and belching
The expulsion of gas from the digestive tract through the mouth or the anus (also called flatulence).
Diarrhea
Frequent passing of unusually loose stools. For infants up to 6 months, see the chart DIARRHEA IN INFANTS, p. 348.
Constipation
Infrequent, difficult passage of hard stools.
Abnormal-looking stools
Stools that are not the usual color or consistency.
Palpitations
A feeling that your heart is beating irregularly or more strongly or rapidly than usual.
Chest pain
Any pain between the neck and the bottom of the rib cage.
Abnormally frequent urination
Feeling the urge to urinate and urinating more often than usual.
Abnormal-looking urine
Urine that differs from its usual color or that is cloudy or tinged with blood.
Painful urination
Discomfort when urinating, sometimes accompanied by pain in the lower abdomen.
Lack of bladder control
Involuntary urination. If you are over 65, see also the chart LACK OF BLADDER CONTROL IN OLDER PEOPLE, p. 366.
Backache
Continuous or intermittent pain or stiffness in the back.
Cramp
Involuntary, painful tightening of muscles other than the abdominal muscles. For abdominal cramps, see the chart ABDOMINAL PAIN, p. 284.
Painful or stiff neck
Pain or discomfort or inability to move the neck.
Painful arm or hand
Pain in the arm, elbow, wrist, or hand. For pain in the shoulder, see the chart PAINFUL SHOULDER, p. 316.
Painful leg
Intermittent or continuous pain in the thigh or calf.
Painful knee
Pain in or around the knee joint.
Painful shoulder