While each person may experience unique symptoms from different illnesses, most people experience common symptoms (such as sneezing, coughing, and runny nose with a cold). So when Reddit user William_Narso asked, “What signal is your body sending that you should never ignore?” I thought it would be helpful to share what they had to say below:
1. “Any sudden, severe headache that’s worse than anything you’ve experienced before could be a stroke or an aneurysm. Your brain is not made for gambling.”
Ekaterina Goncharova/Getty Images
—Next – Independent 905
“A family friend who was staying with us for a short period was home alone making pumpkin pie. She suddenly felt ill and I believe she felt short of breath. She lay down for, I don’t remember how long (but it was after she finished making the pie because I remember seeing the finished pie). She got up After bed, she still felt terrible and called 911. She had a transient ischemic attack and was lucky it didn’t progress to more than that (you shouldn’t lie) I think the doctors would stress how lucky she was when something like this happened and it could have been much worse.
This was over ten years ago. She just turned 82 a few days ago and is the sweetest lady. “
—1 sweet sub
2. “Blood in your stool or urine.”
—Useful satisfaction39
“Especially when you’re approaching 45.”
—HeronFew990
RELATED: These 19 Internet Posts Are So Helpful, They Actually Restored My Faith in Humanity in Five Minutes
3. “Severe chest pain, especially if it’s accompanied by shortness of breath or radiates down your arm. Don’t mess with this stuff — a heart attack isn’t always like in the movies with someone dramatically clutching their chest.”
Photo/Getty Images
—Next – Independent 905
4. “Heart attack symptoms in women often differ from those in men. The American Heart Association (AHA) states: Heart attack symptoms in women often differ from the severe chest pain typical of men and often include more subtle symptoms such as extreme fatigue, nausea, dizziness, cold sweats, and back, neck, or jaw pain. These symptoms may come on slowly and appear weeks before a major heart event. If these symptoms occur, call 911 immediately.”
“Key symptoms of heart attack in women:
Unusual fatigue or sleep disturbance: Extreme, unexpected fatigue that can last days or weeks before an event occurs is an often reported but often ignored early warning sign.
Shortness of breath: This condition can occur with or without chest discomfort and usually occurs during normal daily activities.
Upper body pain: Pain, pressure, or discomfort in the neck, jaw, shoulders, upper back, or one/arm.
Stomach upset: Indigestion, nausea, or vomiting may be mistaken for the flu or food poisoning.
Cold sweats and dizziness: Sudden onset of cold sweats, often accompanied by dizziness, lightheadedness, or a feeling of “doom”.
Chest discomfort: While not always sharp, the feeling is like pressure, tightness, or squeezing in the center of the chest. “
—Confusion Digging 2687
“This is important information. My wife went to the ER much later than she should have because she only had upper back pain, which coincided with lifting something heavy the day before. So she took a hot bath, figuring a good soak would usually relieve the discomfort.”
—eager
5. “Extreme muscle weakness. The inability to stand up from a sitting position and the sudden inability to run or climb stairs were some of the early signs of ALS that I had.”
Nitat Temi/Getty Images
—Friendly_Road5083
RELATED: 26 People with Overwhelming Instincts That Can’t Be Ignored… And They’re Right
6. “A persistent runny nose with more fluid-like mucus. This is a sign that the spinal cord or cranial membrane has been punctured. This is more common in people with head or spinal cord injuries, but can also occur for a variety of other reasons. If you always have a runny nose, get it checked out!”
—honey badger 90
7. “I’ve been experiencing severe body pain for several months, which I thought was simply due to my aging (I’m 32) and working a desk job. I mentioned this to my doctor and just got the results back – I’m vitamin D deficient.”
Techa Tungateja/Getty Images
—BEWARE-RACOON-341
8. “Not to scare anyone, but the severe stomach pain was over and even though the doctors did tests and they said there was nothing wrong, in reality, my appendix leaked all over my stomach and another hospital fixed the problem. They thought if they didn’t fix it, I wouldn’t be able to make it another day.”
—sea of anxiety
RELATED: 21 Funny, Wholesome, and Absolutely Cute Posts This Week That Low-Key Restored My Faith in Humanity
9. “Losing vision, even for a second, even if it comes back. My husband had a stroke and that was his only symptom. Clots lodged in the eyes.”
Daniel De La Hoz/Getty Images
—Cold Valkyrie
10. Finally, “Everyone gets tired sometimes. That’s normal. But if you’re sleeping seven to eight hours, eating decently, not training like a maniac, and you feel exhausted every day for a few weeks, it’s not just busy. It could be stress, exhaustion, low iron, hormonal issues, depression, etc. Your body is whispering before it starts screaming.”
—Cherry routine 9397
11. “I know two people who were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and their common symptom was itching all over their bodies.”
Oscar Huang/Getty Images
—Lenny Briscoe for the win
12. “Any pain that won’t go away. Don’t let your doctor tell you it’s nothing. My ex-boyfriend had terrible pain in his lower abdomen for a long time, but because he was 25, the doctor thought he was being dramatic, and so did he, thinking it was pain from a previous stabbing he had. It turned out he had colon cancer, and he almost died because the doctors refused to take him seriously. By the time they found him, his body was so riddled with cancer that it had spread to his liver, so they had to remove part of him. He’s OK now, but he almost died.”
—Jenkins 94
RELATED: 23 Absolutely Hilarious Posts That Have Nothing to Do with Politics and Just Make You Laugh
13. “[Diabetes.] Super thirsty and need to pee a lot! ! “
Half Point Pictures/Getty Images
—Resident_Trouble8966
14. “Headache. The first step after frequent headaches is to check your blood pressure. I just knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what. I was feeling sluggish with horrible migraine-like headaches. Checked my blood pressure and there it was! 170/110. Also, when they tell you to take your meds, don’t stop taking them Use them!! You will feel better because you give your blood vessels a rest, but guess what happens when you stop taking them? So ignore those parts of your brain that are too proud.”
—jchetra83
15. “Iron-deficiency anemia can be a sign of colon cancer. Many younger people are now getting colon cancer, which used to be a disease of those over 60 years old. If you have a blood test and find anemia and low iron levels, get tested immediately.”
Varavan Thongsri/Getty Images
—Don Barzini
“I don’t understand. Are you saying anemia causes colon cancer?”
—Wipe it
“No. That’s not the cause. But iron deficiency anemia is a symptom of colon cancer that many doctors ignore. When you get your blood work done, get the lab report and read it. Look for IDA. Many girls are told it’s OK because they have their period right before the blood test. Bullshit. More than three oncologists have told me that if a person develops iron deficiency anemia, consider colon cancer until ruled out. IDA There may be other causes, but if the cause is colon cancer, especially if you are
—Don Barzini
Are there other physical signs that people shouldn’t ignore? Please tell us what they are and why in the comments below or anonymously:
You May Like: 29 Lazy Ways to Deep Clean Your Home You’ll Wish You Knew Sooner
You May Like: 36 Products in Amazon’s “Most Wanted” Section That Will Blow Your Mind!
Other finds from around the internet: ‘It still gives me chills’: 22 unexplainably terrifying real-life stories that have me sleeping with the lights on tonight
Read it on BuzzFeed.com