From tripping over the dog to accidentally slicing your finger with a knife, accidents happen all the time. Add kids to the mix, and it seems as if there’s a never-ending potential for minor emergencies. No one understands this better than Dr. Martin G. McElya, who’s equipped to handle most small medical emergencies at his Dallas practice, Neighborhood Medical Center. If you need to see a doctor quickly, call to make an appointment.
A minor emergency is anything that requires timely medical attention, but isn’t serious enough to send you to the emergency room. First, to determine whether your injury is minor or not, you should always err on the side of caution. If any of the following are present, seek urgent care by calling 911 immediately:
If you’re at all unsure, call Neighborhood Medical Center for advice.
Most minor emergencies mean that while you may be in some pain or discomfort, you can wait to see a doctor. The most common injuries of these types are:
You may also want to seek medical help for things like persistent earaches, colds, or infections.
Dr. McElya can handle most minor emergencies and offers:
Dr. McElya is also able to prescribe the necessary medications to tackle your problem, from antibiotics to pain relief drugs.
This largely depends on the nature of your injury, but there are a few rules of thumb for minor emergencies:
RICE
If you suspect you have a sprain or a fracture, you should rest, apply ice and compression, and elevate the area while you wait for your appointment.
Bleeding
If you’ve cut yourself, your first order of business is to stop the bleeding by applying pressure to the wound with a clean cloth or gauze to stem the flow of blood. Also, try and keep the laceration from becoming larger by holding the edges together.
In any medical situation, it’s best to let common sense prevail and call ahead for recommendations.
If you have a minor medical emergency, Dr. McElya tries to accommodate all of his patients with same-day appointments. It’s best to call ahead to ensure that the doctor can see you and, if he can’t, his helpful staff will point you in the right direction.
If you or a loved one needs prompt medical attention, call Neighborhood Medical Center for an appointment.
