A weekend barbecue is a fun way to take advantage of a beautiful day. While you may try hard to follow all of the safety rules for cooking food on a grill, there are times when an accident still happens. Dealing with a sudden health issue on the weekend can seem like a major annoyance, and you might even be tempted to wait it out until Monday. However, you need to seek urgent care services in these situations so that you can get prompt relief from your symptoms and prevent the health problem from getting worse.
You Get a Bad Cut
Sharp knives are one of your most important tools when you are prepping the meat. In fact, a sharper knife is safer to use than a dull one since it helps you to avoid having to saw at the meat. Unfortunately, knives can sometimes slip and cause you to experience a nasty cut. As a general rule, you should seek medical attention for any cut that does not stop bleeding within a short period of time. Your cut might also need stitches if it is particularly long, deep, or has jagged edges that will not come together with just a little pressure. When in doubt, it's better to get the cut checked out.
You Experience a Severe Burn
Burns are another potential injury that commonly occurs during backyard barbecues. Whether you accidentally reached to flip the meat during a flame flare-up or you grabbed a hot dish, burns can often be severe. For a mild burn that merely causes slight pain and redness, you can use strategies such as running cool water over it to find relief. Severe burns, however, affect the deeper layers of your skin. You may experience blistering or changes in your skin color. A burn that is white, brown, or black instead of a soft pink needs to be seen at the urgent care.
You Develop Symptoms of Food Poisoning
There is typically a risk of food poisoning any time that you cook, and it is possible to accidentally fail to get meats to the right temperature on the grill. Cross-contamination can also happen if you accidentally use the same utensils to handle raw meat as you to the sides. Food poisoning symptoms, such as diarrhea and vomiting, can appear within a few hours. If they do not subside quickly, then a trip to urgent care can help you find ways to treat the food poisoning so that you prevent dehydration.
Look for an urgent care center like 75th St Injury & Illness Center and ask the staff any questions.