Flu season in the Sugar Land area usually picks up in the fall and can run well into spring. Most people with the flu recover at home with rest and fluids in about a week. But influenza can turn serious quickly, especially for young children, older adults, pregnant women, and anyone with asthma, diabetes, or…
Tetanus is caused by Clostridium tetani, a bacterium whose spores live in soil, dust, and animal waste. The spores get into the body through broken skin, where they can produce a toxin that attacks the nerves controlling your muscles. It is rare in the U.S. because most people are vaccinated, but it is serious when…
Clammy skin is skin that feels cool and damp at the same time, often with a pale or grayish look. It happens when the body starts sweating while blood is being pulled away from the skin, which is part of the body’s stress response. Sometimes the trigger is harmless, like a wave of anxiety or…
A thunderclap headache is a severe head pain that reaches its maximum intensity almost instantly, usually within 60 seconds of starting. That speed is what makes it different from every other headache. Most headaches, including bad migraines, build over minutes or hours. A thunderclap headache is at full strength before you can sit down, and…
A car accident is a sudden transfer of force through your body, and the damage it causes does not always match the damage to the vehicle. Low-speed collisions routinely produce soft tissue injuries, concussions, and internal bruising, because your body stops when the seatbelt catches it while your organs and brain keep moving for a…
Shortness of breath is the feeling that you cannot get enough air, and it can be frightening when it happens suddenly. Sometimes it is caused by something minor, like overexertion or a stuffy nose. But other times it can signal a serious problem with your heart or lungs, or it can be part of a…
Fall sports season is an exciting time, but it also brings a spike in injuries. As kids return to football, soccer, volleyball, cross country running, and other activities, emergency rooms see more ankle sprains, fractures, concussions, and heat-related illnesses. Some of these injuries are obvious right away, while others may seem mild at first but…
When cramping abdominal pain arrives and you suddenly cannot pass gas or have a bowel movement, the concern is a bowel obstruction. That means something is physically blocking the intestine, so food, fluid, and gas have nowhere to go. Pressure builds behind the blockage, the intestine swells, and blood flow to that stretch of bowel…
A water emergency happens when someone, especially a child, struggles in the water and either inhales water, loses consciousness, or stops breathing. Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1 to 4 in the United States, according to the CDC, and it can happen in just a few inches of water.…