We recently wrote an article in which medical professionals revealed health warning signs you should never ignore, and it was pretty eye-opening. In the comments, doctors, nurses and other professionals revealed subtle (and not-so-subtle) signs of health that could be downright dangerous. This is what they said:
NOTE: Some replies were pulled from these two Reddit threads.
1. “This is MD. Unexplained weight loss. Fever that cannot be explained by illness. Night sweats. Blood in the stool. Please continue with routine cancer screenings.”
—u/fat ostrich
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2. “If your medications taste bad, smell bad, look discolored, or have something else strange about them, tell your pharmacy! We can check to see if they are counterfeit or have been recalled, or if we are giving you the wrong medication. Ineffective or incorrect medications can make you sick or even fatal. By telling us, you can actually save a life because we can correct it and alert the FDA to investigate.”
——Bad daughter
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3. “Shortness of breath – this could be a life-threatening pulmonary embolism.”
-anonymous
4. “If there’s anything about your finger (or toe) nails that’s different than most people’s, don’t just assume it’s ‘normal for you.’ Nails that are wrinkled, dome-shaped, pitted, covered in wrinkles, or have dark spots (which are not an obvious result of injury but will show visible signs of healing) *could* be a sign of anything from a mild but persistent nutritional deficiency, to heart/lung disease, to cancer.”
“Point this out to your doctor. Let them figure out whether you can safely ignore it.”
—Et Connor
5. “Red blood in your stool is not necessarily a sign of hemorrhoids, nor is it normal. I see many patients with colon cancer, rectal cancer, Crohn’s disease, or ulcerative colitis.”
-anonymous
6. “Sleep experts here. Waking up three or more times during the night to go to the bathroom. This is a predictor of early death and is often a symptom of unrecognized sleep apnea. Assessing and treating this symptom can extend your life, not to mention greatly improve your quality of life.”
——Anonymous, 53 years old, Canada
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7. “I am a caregiver. For women: Neck pain, mid-back pain, jaw pain, headache, nausea, and vomiting are all symptoms of a heart attack (STEMI: ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction). For men: Blood in the urine (hematuria) may be a sign of kidney cancer. For both: A tearing sensation in the abdominal area may be a sign of an ascending aortic aneurysm. It is often accompanied by a pulsating mass in the abdomen and back pain.”
—u/according-Drop-2067
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8. “When your vision goes back and forth between darkness and visibility, you can pass out very quickly. Try to find a place to sit so you at least don’t fall too hard, and if possible, try to be close to someone else so they can help you if you lose consciousness completely.”
—u/Strict_Common156
9. “Weakness, drowsiness and fatigue that shouldn’t be there. This is a sign of iron deficiency. It’s very unsafe, especially when driving.”
—u/indigowaters23
10. “Any new skin lesion that is rough, itchy, oddly shaped, or any change in an old lesion, mole, etc., needs to be examined by your primary care physician or dermatologist. It may be normal, precancerous, or cancerous; if it is precancerous, it can be removed by an MD. Cancerous ones will also need to be removed as part of treatment, and other treatments may be needed.”
“Also, when doing a full-body exam for abnormalities, don’t forget The soles of the feet and toes also need to be checked.“
—fabprincess48
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11. “Unable to have a bowel movement.”
——Anonymous, 50 years old, Canada
12. “Chest Pain. This may sound obvious, but there are many cases of cardiac arrest that end up with the patient being pronounced dead at the scene and a relative/partner says, ‘He had chest pain for a few days/today but chalked it up to indigestion.’ Chest pain is an emergency. Call 911!!!”
-u/energetic music
13. “Ear examination for sudden sensorineural hearing loss is normal. However, in addition to hearing loss, symptoms can include ear blockage and tinnitus. … If you suspect sudden hearing loss, please call your favorite otolaryngologist. We will be happy to perform an evaluation.”
—u/head expert
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14. “This is MD. New onset of hyperreflexia and a positive Hoffman sign, especially if accompanied by balance problems or tingling in the hands, warrants an MRI of both the cervical spine and brain. As soon as possible.”
“I found that more than 10 patients with cervical stenosis and myelopathy were sent for electromyography with a presumed diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. Upper extremity reflexes were always elevated.”
—u/olifishmouth
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at last…
15. “Pain in general. Honestly, people need to stop doing the ‘get out there’ and ‘get through it’ kind of thing. Pain is your body’s warning signal to you that something is wrong. That’s what pain physically feels like right now, and that’s what 👏👏pain👏represents👏. Of course, there are exceptions, but for the most part, it’s not good that you don’t know the cause of the pain.”
—u/proud_not_prejudiced
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NOTE: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
Doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, what are some other “little” signs of health that people should never ignore? Let us know in the comments, or if you’d like to remain anonymous, you can use the form below.
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