Why Seeking Medical Care for Illness Symptoms Early Is Vital for a Fast Recovery

February 7, 2024

When you wake up with mild illness symptoms, you may assume that you just have a light cold that will go away within a couple of days. However, many illnesses share the same early symptoms, meaning that your mild illness symptoms can quickly progress and worsen without treatment. Learn about when to seek medical care for illness symptoms, and how early action can impact your recovery time. Visit AFC Urgent Care Aurora Saddle Rock for same-day illness care available without an appointment.


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Common Winter Illness Symptoms to Watch Out For

Cold and flu season is the time of year when illness cases spike. The colder weather forces us indoors, which exposes us to viruses and bacteria through close contact with others. This increased exposure makes us more vulnerable to a variety of illnesses, not just cold and the flu.

Common winter illnesses include: 
  • Strep throat 
  • Colds 
  • The flu 
  • RSV 
  • COVID-19
  • Norovirus (stomach bug)

When to Seek Medical Care for Illness Symptoms

If you’re experiencing illness symptoms, it can be tempting to power through your symptoms at home. At home treatments and over the counter medications can help you manage symptoms, however, there are some cases in which you should seek medical care for symptoms to ensure that you don’t have an illness that requires medical intervention for treatment.

Viral infections such as the flu and colds cannot be treated by a medical provider - your immune system will fight off the infection on it’s own over time. However, if you are experiencing severe symptoms or symptoms that indicate something more serious than just a cold, you should always seek medical care earlier rather than later in case treatment is needed.

  • A high fever
  • A fever that lasts more than 24 hours
  • A sore throat that causes you to have trouble swallowing
  • Swollen tonsils or neck tenderness
  • A cough that produces discolored mucus

Why Seeking Care Early Can Benefit Your Recovery

Although you may be experiencing mild symptoms now, most illnesses gradually worsen over time. This means that what appears to be a cold can quickly progress into a more serious illness. Delaying medical care can allow your symptoms to worsen. Seeking care while your symptoms are still mild will allow you to get a diagnosis early and start treatment before your symptoms have the opportunity to worsen.

Not only will early treatment allow you to hopefully avoid more severe symptoms from manifesting, but it also means that you can go back to your daily life faster. This will help you avoid missing working, school and appointments that you may have missed otherwise due to being sick. Although seeking medical care for mild symptoms may seem like a hassle, AFC Urgent Care Aurora Saddle Rock offers walk-in illness diagnosis and treatment with short wait times for patients in Aurora, CO.

Visit AFC Urgent Care Aurora Saddle Rock for same-day illness diagnosis & treatment in Aurora, CO

If you’re feeling sick, seeking medical care can help you get on the road to recovery faster than waiting and seeing if your symptoms worsen. The walk-in clinic at AFC Urgent Care Aurora Saddle Rock offers rapid illness care that is both convenient and comprehensive. Simply walk into our clinic when it’s convenient for you, or pre-register your visit online.


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Our clinic is equipped with a state-of-the-art laboratory, allowing our board-certified medical providers to preform rapid diagnostic testing at the time of your visit. We accept most medical insurance plans and offer affordable care options. Walk in today. For more information, contact the clinic directly by calling (303) 529-3300.

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