Caregivers Observe Assisted Living Residents For Signs Of Pain

How many times have you heard the so called reminder, Big boys dont cry, coming from a mother or father? Its no wonder some of us, and in many cases, grown men, tend to ignore or minimize pain or the seriousness of an injury. Athletes in particular, seem to pop up from the ground after a hard hit, shake it off and pretend to be just fine. Ignoring pain however, is not being tough, its being dumb, and doing so can put your life in danger.
Healthcare workers in Assisted Living Communities and hospitals are trained to listen, observe and report any signs of distress from any of their residents, even if they dont actually verbalize that theyre experiencing pain. Man of the House has put together a list of pain symptoms that can possibly indicate the onset of much more serious conditions.
Headache
The onset of a severe, debilitating headache unlike anything youve ever suffered, could be a warning of serious medical conditions including:
Stroke
Aneurysm
Bleeding on the Brain especially if you suffered a blow to the head recently
Brain tumor
Meningitis
If the headache is accompanied by mental confusion, speaking difficulties or changes in vision, which suggests a stroke, it should be considered an emergency.

Abdominal Pain
Most people have had indigestion after a big meal of fried or spicy food but persistent or intense pain could be:
An Ulcer
Abdominal Aneurysm which also can cause severe back pain and can be fatal
Appendicitis especially if the pain is in your lower right abdomen, which usually requires immediate surgery. It can be very serious if it bursts before the appendix is removed
Gallbladder especially if its in the upper abdomen, again requiring removal
Pancreatitis again in the upper abdomen, but treated without surgery
Intestinal blockage which may require surgery

For Men, an Extremely Tender Scrotum. If the most sensitive spots have become so tender that its painful and does not go away, theres a good chance there is a problem that should not be ignored. It could be:
Testicular torsion, a condition where a testicle and blood vessels, twist inside the scrotum; if its serious enough, it can cut off the blood supply and require emergency surgery to save the testicle
Epididymitis, an infection of the testicle that could be caused by an enlarged prostate from a sexually transmitted disease
Kidney stone, pain from a kidney stone can radiate into the scrotum area; kidney stones also can cause lower back pain
Testicular cancer or tumor
Inguinal hernia, a hernia bulge that can protrude into the scrotum
Chest Pain
Everyone knows sharp chest pains can be a heart attack unfolding but the pain can be more subtle. Chest pain could be a heart attack or even pneumonia if the pain or discomfort is accompanied by:
Sweating or nausea
A feeling you cant catch your breath or you feel chest squeezing or fullness
Pain, discomfort or tingling radiating into your jaw, neck or down your arms
Weakness or a lethargic feeling
Surviving a heart attack often is determined by how quickly one receives medical attention. And, while pneumonia can be treated with antibiotics, its only going to get worse if left untreated. If ignored or left untreated, pneumonia can be fatal.

Leg Pain
Most people have probably heard the advice about getting up and moving around if youre on a long flight overseas. Sitting anywhere for long periods of time can cause a blood clot in your legs thats also called deep vein thrombosis. This throbbing leg pain is usually accompanied by swelling and tenderness.
The problem with blood clots is they can be fatal if they travel up to the heart and lungs. Clots can be dissolved if discovered soon enough.