When Ordinary Symptoms Turn Serious

Symptom: Indigestion

Normal causes include eating a heavy meal or having too much caffeine or alcohol. if antacids make your stomach feel better, it's not an emergency.

When to get help: If the indigestion develops into an aching pain around your navel that shifts to the lower right of your abdomen and becomes tender (you may also have nausea or vomiting). This could signal appendicitis. Call 911 immediately or go to an urgent-care center or emergency room. If you repeatedly develop indigestion-like symptoms after exercise that aren't relieved by antacids, it may be a sign of heart disease. Mild to severe upper-right abdominal pain, especially after eating a fatty meal, can signal gallstones. Although the situation is not always an emergency, follow up with your doctor right away.