We recently wrote a post where medical professionals revealed the health warning signs you should never ignore, and it was quite an eye-opener. In the comments, my fellow doctors, nurses, and other professionals revealed the subtle (and not so subtle) health signs that can be very dangerous. Here’s what they had to say:
Note: Some answers were pulled from these two Reddit threads.
1. “MD here. Unexplained weight loss. Fevers unexplained by illness. Flying night sweats. Blood in stool. Please keep up with routine cancer screening.”
—u/chubbyostrich
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2. “If your meds taste bad, smell bad, or look discolored or otherwise strange, tell your pharmacy! We can check if they are fake or recalled – or if we gave you the wrong meds. Ineffective or incorrect meds can make you sick or even kill you. By telling us, you can literally save her life, we investigate the FDA.”
—banti
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3. “Shortness of breath – it could be a life-threatening pulmonary embolism.”
—Anonymous
4. “If there’s something about your fingernails (or toenails) that’s different from most people, don’t just assume it’s ‘normal for you’. Nails that are wrinkled, extremely domed, concave, lined, or that show dark spots (that aren’t an obvious result of injury, which then show clear signs of healing) *could* be signs of several things ranging from minor nutritional deficiencies but persistent, to heart/lung conditions, to cancer.”
“Point it out to your doctor. Let them figure out if it’s something you can safely ignore or not.”
—etconner
5. “Red blood when pooping is not always hemorrhoids and is not normal. I have seen many patients with colon or rectal cancer, Crohn’s, or ulcerative colitis.”
—Anonymous
6. “Sleep specialist here. You wake up three or more times a night to go to the bathroom. This is a predictor of early mortality and often a symptom of unrecognized sleep apnea. The evaluation and treatment of this can add years to your life, not to mention improve the quality of life immensely.”
—Anonymous, 53, Canada
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7. “I’m a paramedic. For women: Neck pain, mid-back pain, jaw pain, headache, nausea, and vomiting are all symptoms of a heart attack (STEMI: ST-elevation myocardial infarction). For men: Blood in the urine (hematuria) can be a sign of kidney cancer. An aneurysm is usually accompanied by a pulsating mass in the abdomen and pain in the back.”
—u/According-Drop-2067
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8. “When your vision is switching back and forth between black and visibility, you’re probably going to pass out soon. Try to sit somewhere so at least the fall isn’t too bad, and try to be close to other people if possible, so they can help you if you pass out completely.”
—u/Strict_Common156
9. “Weakness, sleepiness, and fatigue when you shouldn’t be. It’s a sign of iron deficiency. It’s very dangerous, especially when you’re driving.”
—u/indigowaters23
10. “Any new skin lesions that are rough, itchy, odd shaped, or any changes in old lesions, moles, etc., need to be checked by a primary doctor or dermatologist. It can be normal, precancerous, or cancer; if it is precancerous, it can be removed by an MD. Cancer also has removal as part of the treatment and may also require other treatment.”
“Also, when a full body check is being done for abnormalities, don’t forget this the soles of the feet and toes need to be checked, too.“
—fabprincess48
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11. “That you can’t have a bowel movement.”
—Anonymous, 50, Canada
12. “Chest pain. It may be obvious, but there are so many cardiac arrests that end with the patient pronounced dead at the scene, and the relative/partner says, “He had chest pain for a few days/today, but put it down to indigestion.” Chest pain is an emergency. Call 911!!!”
—u/energizemusic
13. “Sudden sensorineural hearing loss has a normal ear exam. However, the symptoms, in addition to the hearing loss, are a plugged ear and ringing. … If you suspect sudden hearing loss, call your favorite otolaryngologist. We’re happy to get that evaluated.”
—u/headholeologist
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14. “MD here. New hyperreflexia and a positive Hoffman sign— especially if accompanied by balance problems or tingling in the hands — requires an MRI of the cervical spine and possibly the brain at the same time. ASAP.”
“I have caught more than 10 cervical stenosis with myelopathy in patients sent for EMG with a presumed diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. Always with elevated reflexes in the upper extremities.”
—and/Olyfishmouth
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And finally…
15. “Pain in general. Honestly, people need to stop ‘stuffing’ and ‘pushing’ through it. Pain is a warning sign your body gives you that something is wrong. Now the physical sensation of pain which is the feeling, is 👏 that 👏 the 👏 pain 👏, there can be no 👏 exception, of course, there can be no pain, exception. you know the cause is BAD.”
—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 “small” health signs that people should never ignore? Let us know in the comments, or if you prefer to remain anonymous, you can use the form below.
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