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“Nearly Cost Me My Life”: 82 Body Warning Signs You Shouldn’t Brush Off
The body keeps the score. It's not just the title of the 2014 book by Bessel van der Kolk. It's also a good reminder that our bodies can often tell us things about our health before we realize something serious is going on. Most of us tend to brush off things like minor pain, a rash, or a sleepless night. In fact, 60% of Americans say they ignore symptoms that don't feel "serious."
But our bodies have a way of telling us something is wrong, we just have to listen. To make people more aware of the red flags our bodies sometimes wave at us, one netizen recently asked: "What's a sign from your body you should never ignore?" From how to recognize dangerous moles to learning to trust your gut, folks had all kinds of answers.
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#1
A swollen Lymph node, especially only on one side of your neck. I ended up losing 1/4th of my tongue and part of the tonsil area and had 2 neck dissections to cancer. I had the swollen node for around 3-4 months. It didn’t hurt and I kept forgetting about it. Don’t be me. Go to your doc. Good news I am now totally cancer free but use me as a cautionary tale.
xaniram:
I’ve had a swollen lymph node under my jaw for years. Ive seen multiple drs and had multiple ultrasounds. Referred to an ent who said he sees this all the time and it’s from severe tmj. Referred to an oral surgeon and his suggestion was “just stop clenching your jaw” and gave me muscle relaxers. Once I have new health insurance I plan on going back to my pcp and begging them to cut it open and do a biopsy. I just want to know it is!!
TaniaYukanana:
My husband had that, then got an ulcer that wouldn't heal after around 3 weeks. The first doctor said it was nothing to worry about, but hubby just 'had a feeling'. Second doctor recognised cancer. He [passed] 19 months later.
Also, if you have an ulcer and also a sweet-but-burning scent in your mouth (you'll know it if you've smelt it before) get to a doctor. It's cancer.
RELATED:
#2
Unintended weight loss. If you didn't change anything and the scale drops fast, get checked.
chalk_in_boots:
Dropped 18kg in under 3 months without changing anything. Whaddya know, next time I donate plasma I get flagged for an unexplained low red cell, and very low white cell count. Cue the 5 month process of repeated blood tests to check for bone cancer.
kejudo:
In my case, it was leukemia.
#3
Blood: to put it bluntly from your colon, mouth or any other orifice. Don't ignore it.
ensiferum888:
I ignored it for a almost a year, kept seeing a few drops of blood on toilet paper after wiping maybe 1 in 6 times. Figured it was probably just a hemorrhoid, my father used to have those, I just turned 32 I thought eh, part of life.
Then one night I'm at a friends house having dinner, at some point I go to the rest room and I strain like an idiot. I wipe and I look at the paper it's drenched in thick blood (bright red), I look down in the toilet and it's like all the water turned to blood and there are blood stain all over the bowl, my first thought was literally "How am I still alive?". I felt something "itchy" but not painful, certainly not to justify that amount of blood.
I panicked for a while and eventually managed to wipe without any blood so whatever it was closed up again I guess. But then I get out, I look at my girlfriend and I say I'm super tired and we should leave and I broke down crying in the car because I had kept all of that to myself up to that point, the next day I made an appointment to a GP. Explained the situation and he did an exam and he said he couldn't see or feel an hemorrhoid or fissure but he did not feel any reason to do other screening because I was so young.
At that point I was just looking for good news and thought that was the end of it, went back home and was fine for about 3 weeks. Then the blood came back, sometimes a drop, sometimes enough to entirely coat the paper and turn the water red. Kept reminding myself that the doc said everything was fine and not to worry.
I held that again for a few months until lo and behold another episode with a ridiculous amount of blood, I went back to the clinic and again he did an exam and this time he said there was an internal hemorrhoid that was clearly swollen. But I said I really thought something was wrong and was getting anxious so he referred me to a specialist (6 weeks wait). I got there and they did another exam, and asked me if I wanted to do a coloscopy to be sure, I said yes.
Fast forward 7 months, I finally get a coloscopy and thankfully enough it was a ruptured hemorrhoid, I need to be careful about what I eat and how I sit down otherwise it tends to burst again but they found no polyps or any signs of anything serious.
Between when the fear settled in and when I got confirmation (almost a year) that it was not life threatening I felt extremely stupid and ashamed of not seeking help before on top of fearing for my life.
#4
Dizziness can seem like no big deal. But if you're a little dizzy sitting down, it can be 10x worse when you stand up. And if you're dizzy walking around, it can get even worse in other situations.
Basically, if you pass out standing up, you're probably going to hit your head on the way down. And despite what you may have learned in the movies, hitting your head is Very Bad For You.
Source: I passed out in the shower once and my dad had to break down the bathroom door and get me sitting upright. Turned out I didn't have enough sodium in my diet and my blood pressure crashed because of the hot water. I'd felt light-headed for days but didn't think it was a big deal.
righthandpulltrigger:
If you're aware that you get dizzy sometimes, you also need to be shameless about sitting down whenever and wherever you are if you feel a bout coming. At least in my experience there's always a buildup before I pass out (fuzzy hearing, vision going white, numb/static-y limbs, coldness) so if the slight dizziness upon standing doesn't go away in a normal amount of time, I get as close to the ground as possible.
Doesn't matter if I'm alone or with friends or with strangers or in public. I'd rather sit on the ground in the supermarket for 2 minutes than pass out, hit my head, and cause a far bigger scene.
I'm pretty sure being in a more horizontal position also helps with the dizziness in general since the blood doesn't have to pump as far to the brain, so sitting on the ground is preferable to sitting in a chair since your feet are closer to your head, if that makes sense.
#5
Impending doom is tied to severe life-threatening medical emergencies — such as heart attacks, anaphylaxis, pulmonary embolisms, or neurological events.
It signals that the brain is detecting a severe physiological crisis, making it a critical red flag in emergency medicine.
Sun_Bearzerker:
Had this in conjunction with profuse sweating, clamminess, shaking, loss of feeling in my arms, and lightheadnedness.
Told my partner at the time that I need to go to the ER. He didn't listen and told me just calm down, if anything were wrong he'd take me, I remember yelling at him I'M THE CERTIFIED FIRST RESPONDER, YOU'RE NOT, TAKE ME TO THE ER.
He still wouldn't. I couldn't find my phone to call an ambulance. I was afraid if I stood up from the kitchen table I'd lose consciousness and was afraid of fighting more and further elevating my heart rate.
To this day I have no idea what happened. Went to an urgent care the next morning, they ran an EKG and saw nothing out of the norm, but I'm still convinced I had some sort of cardiac event.
I will never, ever, be with someone who doesn't take my health concerns seriously again.
DerpPlerp 2 hours ago (edited)
This is true. I had blood clots riddled throughout my lungs and didn't know. I was at the gym doing squats and I got really dizzy and out of breath. I just abandoned the squat rack without putting anything away and went and sat down in one of the more private sections (dumb idea). After a few minutes I felt normal again but the whole time I was sitting there I had this overwhelming feeling of doom, like I was not in control of my body and something was seriously wrong. It was the oddest, most acute feeling I've ever experienced, distinct from a panic attack which I've had before. Anyways, I ignored it and a week later developed debilitating chest pain which I also ignored for a day or two until I couldn't take it anymore and begged my mom to come pick me up and take me to the doctor. I've never seen a radiologist run until then. 😂
#6
For post menopausal folks, don’t ignore bleeding and think it’s just a period! It is a sign of uterine cancer! Getting this checked out saved my mom’s life! It was caught early thank god but it was an extremely aggressive cancer!
#7
I started sleeping much more than normal. I have a chronic illness and was getting older so I ignored it.
So, about three months ago I’m at my doctor’s and she realizes she hasn’t checked my blood pressure for a long time. Typically, people in my family have abnormally low blood pressure. She takes it three times in a row. I’m getting ready to tell her about the family low blood pressure when she tells me that I have extremely high blood pressure.
This along with me suddenly needing 18 hours of sleep,a day, made her send me for sleep apnea testing. I was so certain that it would be a waste of time, that I apologized to the people at the clinic. The test revealed that I had extremely severe sleep apnoea and was spending most of my sleeping hours with a blood oxygen level around 66%. Given that it was due to neurological damage to the muscles in my throat from my chronic illness, I probably never would have been tested without my doctor putting the clues together.
Huddo's sister 1 hour ago
I was getting tired more than normal, falling asleep on the couch at 8.30pm. I thought it was just a fibromyalgia flare up, but turned out to be legionella. Mind you, I'm still having problems with sleep but not as bad as before.
#8
Spontaneous vomiting and sweat profusely were my symptoms when I had a heart attack. Women’s symptoms are WAY different than men's.
Mother_of_Brains:
My aunt had a heart attack at 44 and was misdiagnosed for over 36h as just a bad acid reflux. She lost 40% of her heart muscle and it was a medical miracle she lived another 15 years. I was a teen and was the only person with her all night long as it was happening. It was so traumatic. But the silver lining is that I have helped identify early signs of heart attack in at least 3 women over the years, because they all had the same symptoms.
#9
LONG TERM Irregular stool patterns. Colors that are bad (black, red, pink, white/beige), changes in regularity of stool, and changes in hardness or softness.
Also, everyone should know the acronym to recognize stroke.
BE FAST (Balance, Eyes, Face, Arm, Speech, Time). Off balance, loss of vision, droopy face, numb or weak arm(s), slurred speech means it’s TIME to call 911 or get them to the hospital as fast as humanly possible.
Edit: Time is “time recorded last normal”.
Alpizzle:
I have heard strokes are incredibly reversible if intervention is performed soon after the onset. Of course, this is not always the case, but these symptoms are not to be messed with
arrrrghhhhhh:
YES. I work on stroke rehab and this is it. Please don't "sleep it off" like my poor uncle did.
#10
Unexpected weight loss. Pain. Crushing, unexplained fatigue.
At 31, I was diagnosed with advanced, aggressive Stage IIIB colon cancer.
I knew it was cancer. It took eight doctors and nine months before someone finally listened. That delay nearly cost me my life.
smbpy7:
I've had more Dr's ignore me than listen to me unfortunately. It took me several Dr's and nearly a year to get an ovarian cyst diagnosed. It was MASSIVE, nearly 20cm, and completely blocking my colon so it wasn't exactly excusable to miss. The first Dr who missed it was doing a PELVIC EXAM at the time and literally rolled her eyes at me when I listed the symptoms and begged her to at least feel my abdomen (I find it ridiculous that had to ask MORE THAN ONCE), and just told me to "take Miralax forever." Taking that too long caused the levels of my other medicine to drop in my system and I had my first ever seizure while awake, and DRIVING.
Thankfully, in my case, the mass wasn't cancerous. I still hate that Dr though.
Huddo's sister 1 hour ago
Wow! I had an ovarian cyst that was 10cms, and that was considered very big. I had no warning beforehand though, until it was causing ovarian torsion and severe acute pain. I got it removed within 24 hours.
#11
A good mnemonic to remember moles suspicious for melanoma:
A: Asymmetrical
B: Borders irregular
C: Colors (more than one color in a mole)
D: Diameter >6mm
E: Evolving (mole changes over time; this is the most important risk factor)
If caught early, melanoma has a good prognosis. If it has spread systematically, the prognosis is poor.
ThrowawayTheLube69:
I had basal cell carcinoma. I lookup up a bunch about skin cancer and over 1 in 3 people get skin cancer in their lives, and 90% of cases are from UV damage from the sun. I don't go in the sun much, but got sunburn as a kid.
My symptoms were it was a mole that appeared that I didn't have before. It was flatter than a normal mole and also more pink colored. When I scratched it with a brush while showering, it still felt irritated wayyyyy longer than a normal scratch would. A normal scratch would feel like normal in like a day or 2 max. I felt irritation much later.
I waited until my annual physical to ask my doctor about it (probably shouldn't have waited - If there is a weird skin spot like it's worth setting an appointment sooner). Doctor sent me to a dermatologist who did a skin-shave biopsy. Came back as cancerous. I had it removed a month after the skin-shave biopsy because i couldn't get in sooner. I feel lucky it didn't spread because I had it for around a year.
The worst part about it is I am now more likely to get skin cancer and I have to worry about getting it again, even though it was removed. I got another spot that looked like acne at first and now it's a pink mark. At my skin check they asked if I wanted a skin-shave, but because it was recent (less than a month old at the time of my skin check) i opted to wait for my next skin-check (3 months later - still yet to have it). It's been like 2 months since the acne appeared and 1 month since the skin check. It heals normally when i scratched it. I might get another biopsy in a couple months just to be sure. That would be nice if there were an easy way to get tested without having to have my skin removed.
#12
I had about 30 seconds of what seemed like someone pulling the shade halfway down over my eyes; otherwise, nothing new.
I ignored it for about a month, and something told me to make a doc appt. The doc sent me straight to the ER.
Turns out, my carotid artery was about 80-percent occluded on the right side. I had to have an endarterectomy to have it cleaned out.
Wienerwrld:
Amaurosis Fugax! I learned about it when it happened to my dad. Glad you’re ok.
#13
Two differently sized pupils! Can be a complete emergency.
Think_Shake_1646:
Interestingly my wife has this all the time. She had no other signs of stroke/brain injury, saw an optician. The diagnosis was basically "that's weird."
#14
Exhaustion. You shouldn't just push through.
Galaxy_Hitchhiking:
I assumed I was exhausted being a mom.. but the years went by and I pushed through miserably. Finally got some bloodwork done and my iron was a big ole 4 and I needed infusions badly. My god I had no idea how hard my body was working to pump blood. I now can stand up without feeling dizzy lol
BubonicBabe:
I ended up in the hospital after a month of working 2 jobs, roughly 18 hours a day plus driving back and forth, taking care of my animals when I got home, trying to eat and sleep in 6 hours with only one scheduled day off a week.
Found myself at my job suddenly sweating, my hands drew up into little claws I couldn’t uncurl, shaking all over uncontrollably, and turning so grey my coworkers called an ambulance for me. We all thought I was having a stroke.
Diagnosed with exhaustion and caffeine overdose from crushing Monsters to keep me awake.
Had to take two days off work and sleep.
#15
Severe headache hours or days after a blow to the head. Symptom of brain hemorrhage that will be fatal without treatment.
Edit: or even a headache that’s mild but not getting better.
_axolotl_questions:
My BIL is an exceptionally healthy, fit, and active 60 year-old who got severely ill traveling in South America last year. He got so dehydrated that he passed out in the bathroom & hit his face on the sink on the way down. He spent a day in the hospital receiving IV fluids. He had an X-ray of his face & nothing was broken.
Although he had to be pushed in a wheelchair through the airport, they made it back to the states where he resumed his normal active lifestyle.
He didn’t have any follow up medical care after the fall & assumed he was just bruised & needed to build back his strength.
4 weeks later & he was getting increasingly worse headaches & starting to feel dizzy, sleeping a lot, & having some confusion. He finally decides to go to urgent care & they immediately send him to the ER & then to neurosurgery due to a bleeding subdural hematoma. Graphic, but there was so much pressure built up from the blood on his brain from the hematoma that it shot out & had to be siphoned off of his brain when the neurosurgeon made a port.
He was told he would’ve [been gone] for sure had he not gone in that night. Also, he would have not even made it 4 weeks had his injury been on top of his brain, rather than on the back. He was then unwilling to rest & recuperate… working as usual, outside gardening, out getting groceries, cooking big meals, & my sister came home to find him on the floor, passed out, with blood all over his face, & no idea what happened. He seemed to have fallen & hit his head on the stereo on the way down. He got dehydrated & fatigued from doing so much.
He now is on strict recovery restrictions, needs to retire, & he & my sister are seeing life through new eyes with the realization of how little time they may have left together. If he were writing this, I think his advice would be not to ignore headaches after a fall & to take activity restrictions seriously.
#16
As a 29 y/o who survived stage 3 cervical cancer last year, if you bleed even a *tiny* bit after intimacy (and you’re not on your period), GO TO THE DOCTOR.
No-Sprinkles-370:
Nonstop bleeding for months could be cancer. Better to see a gynecological oncologist not just regular gynecologist..
#17
Nobody should ignore long term pain especially if it is a new pain. Better to be safe than sorry.
The_Sedgend:
Can verify this one, I apparently have a "medically dangerous" high pain threshold.
And thats how I walked around with 2 dozen break in my spine for years until a minor fall re-broke my neck and paralysed my left arm for almost a year before the titanium went in. At which point all the nerves were firing on full mega turbo, my diabetes (t1) went rabid and multiple organ dysregulation and failure became a way of life.
Who would have thought being tough would ruin your life
jenmovies:
I can confirm. Put up with extreme period pain for years and finally did some research and asked for an implant that stopped it. Well, turned out the pain was from the most severe endometriosis one can get and I have huge cysts on my ovaries, a fibroid on my uterus, and my bowel is fused to my uterus. Also, one of the cysts might be cancer! Getting everything removed in May. Do not ignore pain!
#18
For me, getting out on breath waking up like 3 steps. Or farther than 50 yards. Clogged arteries are no joke.
AnnabethDaring:
Personal trainer in training here!
AHA (American Heart Association) recommends 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. This can be like a 20-30 minute walk a day outside. But one of the best things for your heart is to get your heart rate pumping in your cardio zone! Things like an aerobic dance class, or a run-walk-run-walk pattern on a treadmill 5 minutes each segment for about 30 minutes are great ways to improve cardiovascular health and lower blood pressure, lower heart rate, and even increase your lifespan :)
So if you can, challenge yourself to go for a jog or do jumping jacks or a dance class etc! It doesn’t have to be intense like weightlifting or HIIT for you to really reap the benefits. But best thing for your health is to get to that point where your heart is pumping fast!
#19
A lump in your chest.
MamaCass:
Or for men, in your testicles. Check for lumps monthly, folks. It can save your life.
#20
Drinking too much water, can be a sign of diabetes. That’s how we found out my little sister was diabetic.
#21
A pinched nerve not healing. Could be a problem in your spinal cord.
I was 19 when I got a pinched nerve in my neck. It never healed, doctors ignored me, and when I was 22 the new PCP in our area was like "you want imaging and not pills? Hell yeah!" and sent me to a neurologist who ordered an MRI. Turned out to be a spinal cord tumor and it had to be removed and that WAS NOT FUN. Basically I got cursed with an incomplete spinal cord injury from it; but it saved my life. I'm 32 and fighting for disability benefits now because my body just cannot do the things and neither can my mind.
_grumble-bee_:
My "pinched nerve" ended up being MS, a lesion on my c-spine. The pain and tightness did eventually go away but still flares up, my fingers are permanently partially numb.
ThereHasToBeMore1387:
My mom went to a bunch of doctors over a few years because she thought she had a pinched nerve in her neck because every now and then (like every few weeks) her arm would curl into this weird position for a few minutes before relaxing again. She was at a chiropractors office when her arm did the thing. To the chiropractors credit, as soon as he saw what was happening he immediately told her she needed to go see a neurologist. She was diagnosed with MS shortly after that. Sadly, it was a long 20 year progression of the disease before she passed.
#22
For men, erectile dysfunction. My husband passed away of complications from undiagnosed diabetes, and a huge red flag for diabetes is ED, which he had been experiencing for over a year, but just chalked it up to stress and getting older. So men, if you have issues with ED don't be too proud or embarrassed to get checked out. If we had known this was a symptom and he got checked out sooner, he probably wouldn't have passed away.
aalorni:
This! They found my husband had a tumor on his pituitary and his main symptom was only ED but after treatment so many other things also got better.
#23
Increased thirst and [going to the bathroom] more often.
Edit: yes, it can be benign, however the point is that you should get it checked to be sure as it can be a symptom of an underlying condition, especially if it comes on suddenly.
virora:
Had that for years. Not diabetic, not pre-diabetic, kidneys fine, no reason ever found. Just thirst.
maffajaffa:
Same here. For about a year I’ve had this.
Full body scans and blood tests everything normal. I’m just thirsty and [going to the bathroom] like 20mins after havign a drink.
It’s weird and annoying
#24
Your gut telling you danger is near.
Patient_Friend_2609:
I had had this mild pain in my abdomen for years. I would mention it to doctors and was diagnosed with reflux. My gut told me it wasn't reflux. One day, i woke up and just had this feeling in my chest. Like my body was telling me I was in danger. You know how, in horror movies, the suspenseful music plays in the lead up to a jump scare? Quiet at first, but then it gradually gets louder. That's what this feeling was like. At first, I could ignore it. I would be told it was just anxiety. But then, that feeling got stronger. The suspenseful music got louder. I went to the hospital, got dismissed, and sent home after being told that it was probably just reflux. This went on for a few months until finally, that feeling in my chest got too strong to ignore... and the mild pain was suddenly severe. I went back to the hospital, hunched over in pain. The doctor told me it was probably reflux and tried to dismiss me. The nurse, however, refused to let me leave without having the doctor run every test. Turns out it was my gallbladder. They removed it the next morning.
chubbypaws:
When I was a kid my mom took me on a ski trip. We were on our way back home and she decided to pull over to do a final snow saucer ride even though just a day ago we were doing the same thing just in a different place. I never felt such fear and absolute dread. I begged her to just go home like I was almost to the point of tears. She just brushed it off as me having anxiety.
We went down the slope together and there was an icy bit at the bottom and we caught some air. When we landed she shattered a couple of her vertebrae and had to get airlifted out.
#25
I've seen a good number of posts over on r/mildlyinteresting where someone notices that one of their legs is turning purple/red for some reason.
Usually, this is indicative of a blood clot. Go to the ER.
captainmouse86:
My legs are always like this. I wear compression socks. Elevate my legs to help. Am careful about salt intake. But the number of times people look at my purple legs and freak out, there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t live with my legs constantly elevated.
This isn’t medical advice: but for me, I’m always checking the “rebound.” That’s when you push on the purple/red area, it should turn white and then the white goes away fairly quickly. If the area doesn’t turn white, or the white doesn’t quickly go away, it’s time for me to go to the ER.
#26
Red streak running from an injury heading towards heart (infection). Shortness of breath (PE’s). Vomiting what looks like coffee grounds (internally bleeding). All 3 have happened to me.
WhimsicallyWired:
I had the red streak one once, it started with a very small needle injury at the tip of my pinky, then the red like appeared, followed by pain on its path, which started to go up my arm.
#27
Started getting really bad heartburn out of the blue after eating food I’ve never EVER had a problem with like pastas or pizzas for a few weeks. Then crippling, to the point the fetal position didn’t even help, contracting pain with violent vomiting. Allllll this just came in waves about every 20 min or so.
Mind you I was 14 weeks pregnant and thought I was miscarrying.
Went to ER to be dismissed as heartburn and “phantom contractions” where my body was “used to becoming pregnant. Ive had 3 kids before this and knew it was nonsense.
Starting getting the sweats really bad, so dehydrated I couldn’t even get my head up.
Thank god for my partner who’s an L&D nurse and researching the whole time what could actually be wrong because he came to the conclusion: gallbladder stones. He called my OBGYN who called the ER back to get my as* back to the ER to get an ultrasound on my gallbladder. I had stones that were about to burst. Had to get surgery right then and there.
#28
Unexplained pain in your lower legs. Like the kind of pain that doesn’t let you sleep. Not from overexertion or injury. It could be a blood clot called a deep vein thrombosis or DVT waiting to break free and head to your lungs as a pulmonary embolism. Serious serious problem.
melissaak_:
My sister passed away from this at 32. She called the doctor and explained that leg pain and shortness of breath and shakiness, they told her she was having a severe panic attack! From the pain started she was [unalive] within a day. Never in my life will I left someone ignore that pain again
#29
Black floaters arising in one or both eyes. It's normal in middle age for a membrane in the eyes to start dissolving, causing floaters, but in some people the membrane tugs at the retina potentially causing permanent vision damage. So you must get an optometrist to check to make sure that it is dissolving harmlessly.
Lower back pain on one side, if you don't know of a specific cause. Could be kidney trouble.
Urine that is any color other than pale transparent yellow. If it is dark or orange you're dehydrated and need to hydrate. If it is any shade of red there is blood so see a doctor immediately (unless you ate beets recently). If urine is cloudy, thick or has pus, or is smelly,* there may be a bacterial infection or STD: see a doctor immediately. Ignoring these signs can lead to kidney damage.
(*Unless the smell came from eating asparagus.)
Pain in the wrist or forearm that arose from repetitive work. Avoid that movement and let the hand(s) rest as much as possible until the pain is gone, and consider getting a supportive hand brace, to avoid longterm ligament damage.
Minor signs of an allergy to a food such as lips tingling or minor hives. Because if there is a known mild reaction, then next time when exposed, life-threatening anaphalactic shock can happen out of the blue.
#30
If you see bright flashes in your eye, go to an ER immediately. Your retina could be tearing.
bobbyrob1:
Yep. Started having white flashes around the periphery of my vision in my right eye for a couple of weeks, then I was driving down the freeway and all of a sudden it was like somebody pulled a shade over 1/3 of my eye. Full-blown detached retina with a couple of tears, and the recovery from that surgery is not something I would wish on anyone!
#31
Don't ignore if you notice that your urine is cloudy. Its a big sign of infection in Kidneys and can be life threatening. Learnt it this week as my mom had the same and had to go through a minor surgery to get a stent to remove all pus from Kidney. She has a big stone as well in the Kidney.
captainmouse86:
I’m going to add here: cloudy for a 1-2 days is normal, especially if dehydrated. Persistent cloudiness and/or a combination of: really bad smell (for more than a day, as food can cause weird smells, too), painful when urinating, stomach pain, flank pain, or back pain, nausea/vomiting and/or a fever.
If you notice cloudy urine, but have no other symptoms, uptake your water. If it persists, the cloudiness increases or you have any other symptoms, go to the doctor.
If you get regular UTIs, buy test strips from Amazon. I get regular UTIs and the strips help determine when it’s time to call the doctor.
#32
Reoccurring heartburn, indigestion, nausea and episodes of what felt like acute pain in the chest and back. These were signs that my gallbladder was [perishing]. I didn’t catch it until the whites of my eyes started turning yellow and I had another episode of pain from passing a gallstone.
I was misdiagnosed and treated with stomach issues by every doctor, even at the ER, for three years leading up to the emergency removal.
#33
Turning yellow. Happened to me a year ago today. New liver and one year sober and still bored.
#34
As a surgeon, sudden intense abdominal pain in the middle of the night. I’ve operated so many perforations that were fatal because they chose to ignore the pain for a few days.
Squidgie1:
I was at work one Friday and my husband was working from home. He'd been feeling slightly off all week, but nothing major.
At 3 pm, my husband, who won't even take an aspirin for a headache, called me and asked me to come home and take him to the emergency room, so I knew it was bad.
His colon had ruptured (diverticulitis that he didn't even know he had), and they removed a foot of it along with his appendix. He had an ostomy bag for 7 months before having an anastomosis
#35
Swelling in your feet and legs. My legs started blowing up and I could not get it to go away. I thought I was having a circulation issue; turns out the backlog was my liver. Within a few months of diagnoses, I was on the transplant list and a total of 8 months I had a new liver. My disease progressed very quickly went into full shutdown and almost didn't make it. Couple of years later and I am doing great, but there was still a lot of damage done.
Swelling is a good first sign that something is wrong with you, but if you are at that point there were probably other warnings as well.
#36
Probably not what you're looking for, but if you're ever outside and your hair starts standing up on its own, immediately move away from any tall objects or water and get as low to the ground as you can without lying down. A lightning bolt is about to be dispatched to your location.
WhimsicallyWired:
Bald people hate this simple trick.
#37
If there is blood coming out of a body part that usually don't bleed...that's probably not a good sign.
Of course there are times where it's completely normal, e.g. nose bleed once in a while is fine. But if you get nose bleed (most simple example) multiple times during a day, or many consecutive days, you should probably check it out.
Fair-Hedgehog2832:
I’ve never had a nosebleed but ended up waking up with one two weekends in a row. I still took me a week or two to get that I was pregnant.
#38
The worst headache of your life. In my case, I ended up in ICU for a month, and needed several brain surgeries.
Jerome_Wireman:
I’ve had migraines for over 30 years. This one was very different. Very sudden onset, accompanied by falling over, puking, and unable to stand. If it’s the worst pain you’ve ever had, get checked out.
#39
Unexplained weakness and easily fatigued. You could be very anemic.
paraprosdokians:
Or iron deficient. I thought I was just really out of shape because a 10-minute walk with my dog left me drained and I had to take breaks while washing my hair from being so tired. Nope, ferritin was at a 13; normal starts at ~30 and ideal is 100.
#40
For women… when someone (a man) makes you feel uneasy, don’t ignore it.
punk_book_jockey8:
It’s funny because I thought I did not have this until I finally experienced it the first time. I was in a well populated workplace, was introduced to someone I only was half paying attention to. He shook my hand and the second his hand touched mine my whole body was hit with this electric current that screamed “RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!”. I moved my office away from him, and bought a shirt with a weird pocket for my phone that allowed me to record someone like a body camera.
The worst part? He has not ever been charged with anything and is an otherwise normal person. When I mentioned this feeling to someone they said “almost every person he works with says he makes them fear for their lives but can’t articulate why..”
#41
Reoccurring abcess in the same location, MRSA is no joke. Wash your hands people!
Expert_Slip7543:
A friend of mine got MRSA from a toilet seat (through a butt pimple) while getting training for a support staff role in a hospital. MRSA ate away a large portion of one butt cheek. It now lies in wait, reappearing as a sore anywhere in her body if she gets stressed enough. It is awful.
#42
Abdominal and back pain that doesn’t ease up unless you self induce vomit. This is how I found out my gallbladder needed removed asap.
#43
A migraine headache for weeks. I was one of those so called "tough guys" that refused to see a doctor, no matter what. I even tore my ACL, both meniscus, and chipped my femur and tibia then went back to work for a year, before I had it fixed. But, on this job, I ignored my increasingly major headache for weeks, trying to push through it to finish the job to get paid. Ended up finishing it, then starting another commercial job, 4 hours away in Visalia Ca. Ended up getting the worst case of hiccups that I've ever heard of, let alone experienced. It lasted 24hrs a day, for the entire job. (12 days).
When I arrived home, I ended up getting a sickness from my grandchildren that had been staying at my house, while I was away for work. Ended up drinking massive amounts of water to try and get rid of the hiccups and ended up throwing up all of the water, dehydrating my body even more, to where I passed out on my bathroom floor and my poor wife found me whisked me to the hospital where they found a mass on my brain and told me that I had to have emergency surgery to remove it. Since I was so malnourished and dehydrated, they kept me for a few days to regain strength for brain surgery. After I woke up, an extremely tall Indian doctor was standing over me and asked me if I remember what had just happened. I replied yes, I had a mass removed from my brain. He said good, but unfortunately for me, it was the [most fatal] brain tumor on the planet and is pretty much 100% fatal and I would only live for another year, or 13 months if I was lucky. If I did make it 13 months, then I would definitely pass away by 15 months.
This was on May 7th of 2021. I am still fighting like a madman. 11 head surgeries total, with 5 being full craniotomies with the last one having skin and arteries harvested from my left wrist, and right thigh. I now look like a frickin Halloween prop or animatronic. I refused to go to the doctors for my entire adult life. With my situation, though, it really wouldn't have made much of a difference. But I'm still alive nearly 58 painful months later!
#44
Sharp pain in your left arm, but not on the right. You're getting a heart attack.
Sharp pain in your right lower stomach. It could be appendicitis.
#45
If you always feel tired/sore and unmotivated. In my case it was very low B12 and iron, caused by autoimmune gastritis (and maybe ibs).
Huddo's sister 26 minutes ago
I am on supplements for both iron and B12 (plus magnesium, calcium and folic acid) because of my fibromyalgia, because it causes the body to not store them. Even with those supplements I am exhausted!
#46
Urinating frequently.
Dry mouth.
Constipation.
Exhaustion.
All signs of DKA, diabetic ketoacidosis. It put me in the hospital and i was lucky.
#47
Eye floaters! Thought it was just a sign of aging eyes (everyone in my family wears glasses). Turns out my optic nerves are just swollen and I’m losing my eyesight..
Apollo_Of_The_Pines:
I'm in my early 20s and I have had floaters since I was a preteen. They get worse when I have migraines. My eye doctor and neurologist aren't that concerned about them but to me they can be especially on the days they make it hard to focus.
#48
Anything new in your vision that isn’t going away. A dark spot, possibly brownish, which is what mine was, but maybe another color. Flashing lights when you’re in a dark room. Like lightning or old fashioned flashbulbs, especially when you blink. Anything that doesn’t look right but doesn’t go away.
it could be a serious retinal problem that could rob you of your eyesight. Go to a retina specialist NOW! Don’t call for an appointment. Go right to the office and tell the receptionist what’s going on. The doctor will probably see you right away. A colleague of mine waited three days To straighten out his insurance. He lost part of his eyesight. Don’t wait.
Huddo's sister 21 minutes ago
Also get an amsler grid (a small grid on card with a dot in the middle) to check for macular degeneration. If the lines look wavy, get checked by an opthomologist.
#50
Sudden hearing loss in one ear. If you wake up one day and one ear can’t hear and you’re having a hard time standing up, go to an ENT as soon as you can.
This happened to me this last September. I was visiting family in Puerto Rico, I went out to get drinks with my cousin and mid way through the night I was getting these weird tinges in my right ear, I thought I was having a little bit of ear congestion due to allergies. Then like a few hours later I felt my ear close up and I just couldn’t hear out of it.
The next morning I woke up dizzy as all hell, I couldn’t stand up I couldn’t hear anything out of my right ear and I just thought maybe I was a little hungover over and allergies got the best of me.
I eventually went to my pcp, and didn’t see any real results after 2 weeks of antihistamines and an antibiotics that I was prescribed. After talking to a friend whose mother was an audiologist I was told to see an ENT as soon as I can.
Once I got there I was pretty much told that I experienced sudden sensorineural hearing loss. Where the nerves in my ear just gave out.
If I went to an ENT within 72 hours they could have recovered my hearing. But nope I waited too long because I thought it was bad allergies.
TL;DR go to an ENT the moment you have ANY hearing loss.
#51
If you experience the following:
- Intermittent daily headaches
- Wake with a migraine
- Vomiting & dizziness with the migraine
- Extreme exhaustion
- Stumbling &/or tripping
Get to your family doctor immediately, or go to emerg and get a CT or MRI. You might have a brain tumour. I did, and those were my symptoms.
#52
Persistent fatigue.
Not “I slept 5 hours” tired.
“I slept 9 and still feel like I got hit by a truck” tired.
Your body doesn’t do that for fun.
#53
Insomnia. If you know you know. If you don’t get regular sleep your brain will start acting up, affecting memory, cognition, balance, coordination and whatnot. If you suddenly (or even generally) have regular 24 hour days because you can’t sleep, get to a doctor. It might be neurological and even if it’s not, it still needs fixing.
#54
If you're pregnant, sudden onset, severe, painful swelling. If you're post-partum, a severe headache that doesn't go away with treatment, and feeling unsteady on your feet to the point of stumbling. Preeclampsia can be fatal and not everyone knows it doesn't always resolve with delivery! DON'T IGNORE A NAGGING POSTPARTUM HEADACHE!
Huddo's sister 13 minutes ago
My obstetrician has put me on a low dose of asprin (which is otherwise not recommended for pregnancy) because my age and ivf conception put me into the high risk category for preeclampsia. I haven't shown any symptoms, it's just one of those 'just in case' things.
#55
Sudden change in your natural body odor. Not hormones, hygiene, stress sweat, workout sweat etc. you’ll know the difference. It can indicate a potential cardiac event is near. Combined with other personal symptoms it can be a sign to check in with your doctor before it becomes involuntary.
#56
Unreasonable amounts of nausea without any contributing outside factors (like medicine changes and such). That's how my aunt's stomach cancer was discovered. But that's a worst case scenario. Sometimes it's something simple like GERD or IBS.
#58
A feeling of absolute doom. Not a panic attack (although doctors kept telling me that’s what I was having), but a feeling of “oh my god something is horribly wrong, I am about to [pass away] at any second”. If it’s paired with anything like face flushing, wheezing, tingly tongue/throat, cognitive dysfunction, dizziness, vomiting, 10/10 abdominal pain, face flushing, severe diarrhea, etc… yeah, that’s anaphylaxis.
moonharrier42:
PCP told me I was experiencing panic attacks and prescribed Xanax .
Turns out I had AFIB.
Heart ablation solved the issue.
I'm glad that I got a second opinion from a cardiologist.
RotaryMicrotome:
Spent several months experiencing this with increasing frequency, but didn’t put it together because my throat and tongue didn’t swell, so we just thought it was ‘strange episodes,’ that happened after rich foods (aka dairy allergy where everyone told me to eat lots of fettuccine Alfredo because should be safer for the stomach) so it might be my gallbladder.
Family doctor freaked out when I finally came to them because my reactions could have resulted in throat swelling at any time, since anaphylaxis is At least two systems reacting and doesn’t need to involve swelling.
The swelling finally happened when I ate a peanut butter donut in a hospital for unrelated reasons. The ER doctor was VERY amused and brought the medical students.
#59
I have one for the ladies. I was in early pregnancy and planning to get an abortion when I started bleeding and assumed it to be a miscarriage. Online it said you can just stay home and let it happen. But on one side the pain was getting unbearable and so at 3 am I went to hospital, turned out it was ectopic and the fétus was growing in my fallopian tube and once it was too big the tube exploded. If I hadn’t gone in I would have been dead by morning. So if you get pain just on the one side it could be very serious.
#60
If your vomit looks like coffee grounds and/or your stool is black and tar like without eating anything weird, you may have an upper GI bleed.
Also, if you have those symptoms and you get checked out and they try to send you home with just a blood test, it might be worth pushing for more testing if possible.
A few years ago I had those symptoms, went to the ER, my hemoglobin levels were only 'slightly' below normal and they sent me home. A week later I was so tired I could barely function so I went back. Had to get 2 units of blood and they finally did a scan and a scope. Haha OOPS. TONS of GI issues that they had missed, including an active bleed.
#61
Mild feelings of unease that last for days or weeks.
If you are starting to feel drained, weary and generally uneasy about things you were fine with before, I would highly recommend speaking with a family member you trust or a close friend. Don't be ashamed to seek professional help.
#62
Sudden pain in an arm or leg with weakness and the limb changing color. Family member had a giant clot in their arm that if it had broken free would have been really bad. Fortunately another family member called paramedics and surgery was a success.
On that note, ANY fall while on blood thinners is an emergency.
#63
Blood in stool.
There is no scenario where it's okay.
At best it'll be something that you just need to be patient with some medication and it'll get better.
At worst.....
#65
Irregularly reoccurring pain in your lower abdomen. If you’re female your doctors are going to tell you it’s ovulation related. Unless you can map it to your cycle with a period tracker, DO NOT TAKE THEIR WORD FOR IT, ask for a colonoscopy.
#66
Anything eating disorder related…could be a variety of things but you know if you struggle with EDs what they are…could be severe stomach pains from bingeing, stress fractures or pains from over/compulsive exercise (yet you still want to keep working out), health arrhythmias, dehydration, sore throat, headaches, puking up blood, fainting or feel like you’re going to pass out, constipation, constant body checks, obsessions with food and nonstop rumination around food or eating, and so much more…. Also: You do not need severe or concerning symptoms to seek help for EDs. Eating disorders can be lethal.
#68
From what I've seen on here, lines on your finger nails could be cancer.
Huddo's sister 10 minutes ago
They can also be a lack of certain vitamins or trauma to nail bed.
#70
Eating and drinking shouldn't hurt. If drinking even water hurts and you've ruled out other intolerances, get the endoscope and checked for gastritis.
#71
The utter inability to think, focus, or concentrate (things no longer make sense) while having a slight hold on consciousness. After several days or hours of vomiting. Debilitated functioning. Sluggishness and exhaustion. Lack of appetite or not eating. That's how I found out I had hyponatremia.
It's when your body is so leeched out of salt/ sodium that it can no longer function. It can be extremely dangerous and lead you right into a coma.
It can be caused by medication, overhydration, poor nutrition/hydration, and certain medical conditions. Honestly I'm not sure how it doesn't affect more people...
Huddo's sister 3 minutes ago
I was diagnosed with chronic gastritis as a teen, by my paediatrician. It was only after we had failed to find a cause that I was sent for an endoscopy. All that found was I had chronic gastritis with no known cause!
#73
Lower back pain, specifically over your kidneys. If you knock lightly on the pain and you also feel the rebound pain deeper inside or in the front, likely somethinf going on with your kidneys, either infection, cysts, stones, etc.
I used get kidney infections fairly often(at least once a year, if not more) because I have kinked ureters. I don't get typical uti pain because urine backflushes into my kidneys. Now I just get a urine test done every three months in case.
#74
Random bouts of 24 hr viruses where nobody around you also catches it. Thought I was just unlucky. Turns out I had chronic appendicitis and just fought it off every couple months for about two years. No other symptoms, only caught it because my gallbladder needed to come out and they happened to see my appendix looking inflamed on a scan.
#75
If you ever have dark brown urine after physical exertion (even 24+ hrs after) immediately go to the emergency room as you may have rhabdomyolysis. So grateful we had a nurse hotline tell us we needed to go to the ER; my husband was in the hospital 3 days on fluids but fully recovered.
#76
The color of a bruise, the more colors there are at one time the faster you should be going to a hospital.
#78
Being thirsty. If you're thirsty, it doesn't mean you're almost dehydrated, it means you're already dehydrated. Drink some water before the headaches start.
#79
Loosing the ability to sleep laying down also pitting adema in the legs both signs of heart failure.
#80
I ignored a UTI once, thought it would clear up on its own given that it wasnt bad. Next day I was passing blood, the infection went to my bladder and was about to attack my kidneys. If you EVER suspect a UTI, please, for the love of all things, DO NOT ignore it. You will pay for it greatly if you do.
#81
Anything strange that appears in your mouth and doesn’t go after a week should probably get checked out. if it doesn’t go after two weeks, get it checked out urgently.
i was told this by a nurse after i finally decided to go to the hospital for a small pimple that had appeared on the side of my tongue two months back. i then got diagnosed with tongue cancer lol.
#82
If the cut on your arm is bleeding for HOURS without stopping, (bloody rags everywhere and if you go through a whole roll of paper towels to get it to stop) then you need to go to the hospital.
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