7 Symptoms Never to Hide From Your Doctor

"Context is everything here," says Dr. Favini. "If you've had a headache that's been going on a while, it's okay to wait to see your doctor, but a really rapid onset headache that feels like a thunderclap? Like the worst headache of your life? Take that seriously and go to the ER. It could be a sign of bleeding in your brain or a stroke."

Age is also a differentiating factor if you start experiencing new headaches after turning 50. "It's more rare to start getting migraines at that age," Dr. Favini continues. "If you already have migraines and find them changing — like the pain feels really different, more severe, or you're getting migraines more frequently — make an appointment to see your doctor."

"The most common causes for this are going to be benign — like earwax problems, or water in the ear after you take a shower — so you want to eliminate those as possibilities first," says Dr. Favini. "But sudden loss of hearing could also have some serious causes. You could have a tumor of the auditory nerve; hearing loss can also be a sign of MS. It would be surprising if sudden hearing loss was a symptom of anything that's a true emergency, but it could conceivably be a symptom of a stroke." Contact your doctor, describe what you're experiencing, and ask him or her if you need to get to the ER.

If the scale doesn't say you've gained weight, but your jeans aren't fitting, don't ignore it. "In addition to the bloating, if you experience a gnawing pain in the top middle part of your abdomen, it could mean you have a gastric ulcer," Dr. Favini explains. "Pain in the right lower part of your abdomen with bloating could mean appendicitis. Watch for a fever here, too. If you experience nausea, diarrhea, a feeling of fullness that stops you from eating, or unintentional weight loss, those could be signs of cancer when experienced with bloating. Take those symptoms to your doctor."

Feeling dizzy is often no big deal. It could mean you're dehydrated or have an inner ear issue that causes vertigo (meaning everything seems to spinning around you). "If you don't feel dizzy when you're lying down, but you feel it when you stand up, you could very well be dehydrated," says Dr. Favini. "However, if you experience dizziness with any bleeding, that could be serious. Dizziness that gets much worse when you turn your head to side to side is not likely to be vertigo. It could have a neurological cause, as could dizziness with a super-sudden onset. You want to make sure you aren't experiencing a stroke symptom, so get immediate medical attention." Also, go to the ER if you feel dizzy after any recent head injury.

"That could indicate that you could have nerve damage due to a tumor, or often a herniated disk," says Dr. Favini. Try to drink some water. If that doesn't work, but you feel the physical need to go, call your doctor right away.

"It's serious, potentially, when the pain is severe, accompanied by weakness, or is extensive," says Dr. Favini. "If you experience back pain and you can't control your urine or your stool, these can be signs of nerve compression from a mass, or from infection of the joints of the back." Head to the ER pronto.

You probably know this already, but you can never hear it enough: Never ignore even brief symptoms of weakness, loss of vision, or trouble speaking. "Those symptoms are very concerning in terms of stroke, so you want to go to the ER," says Dr. Favini. Being proactive is always the right thing to do.