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79 Times People Thought They Were Sharing Normal Symptoms Only To See Doctors Stop And Stare
Doctors and therapists have seen and heard a lot. From car accidents, to terminal illnesses, panic attacks and mental breakdowns, they're trained to treat serious cases in a calm and professional manner. Many healthcare experts aren't easily shocked, and when they are, they're unlikely to show it.
But every now and again, a patient arrives with a plot twist. They casually walk in and make some nonchalant comment about a 'minor' issue that isn't so minor after all. Someone asked, "What's something you had to explain to a doctor/therapist that felt totally normal to you but turned out to be genuinely alarming to them?" and what followed might easily make it into the script of our next new favorite medical drama.
Bored Panda has put together a list of the top responses for you to scroll through while you contemplate whether to consult Dr Google or a real medical expert about that nagging pain in your pinky finger.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I told my therapist I think that sometimes when I walk around poles, cars, any time I have to make a decision between two things I think that the parallel version of me is making that opposite decision and if I choose the wrong one my grandma will pass away, my husband will cheat on me, I'll lose the house. So I always have to pause and just feel which one will be right.
Yeah she said I have OCD. Apparently if you don't flick a light switch three times, the oceans won't dry up.
Many people brush off their health symptoms as nothing too serious, when in fact they probably should be high-tailing it to their doctor, or even the hospital. According to experts, there are certain symptoms that you should never ignore but we'll get to that a little later. First, let's distinguish between signs and symptoms...
According to Brown University School of Public Health, a sign is something that can be seen by others. "For instance, a rash may be a sign of a skin condition, while an elevated blood sugar level may indicate diabetes," explains the site. "It can be observed or measured by others, including your family and doctor."
Symptoms cannot be seen or measured. They are only experienced by and apparent to the person who is experiencing them. "A ringing in the ear may be a symptom of tinnitus – but no one else can hear it," the site notes. "Symptoms indicate when something is wrong in your body. It could be an illness, injury, or medical condition."
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#2
My intrusive thoughts. Fresh adult, right out of college, no career aspects, and the Dr. gave the usual "everyone has intrusive thoughts like what if I fail this interview. I have a toddler at home and worry all the time about her getting into things".
I asked him what does he do to curb it, because it's really difficult to drive with those. He asked what I meant. I explained "well like when you drive over a bridge and get the intrusive thought of what would happen if you swerved and landed in the water? Could I actually survive? How heartbroken my parents would be and would my books go to the right friends afterwards? Before I know it I'm crying behind the wheel! That's dangerous!"
He prescribed me anxiety medication before I stopped talking.
#3
Since I couldn’t lock my bedroom door, I would close it and chuck pennies rhythmically and then my dad wouldn’t angrily burst in because he could hear that he’d get a penny to the forehead if he opened the door. I shared this as an example of how creative I am with problem solving. Therapist was like…. “So tell me more about your childhood…”.
Symptoms can be classified into three categories: remitting, relapsing and chronic.
Remitting symptoms are ones that improve or go away completely, relapsing symptoms those that were previously experienced and resolved, but return again, and chronic symptoms are long-lasting.
Certain symptoms list can indicate the possibility of a dangerous or life-threatening condition. And if you experience them, warns Brown University, you should seek immediate medical attention.
#4
How many bowel movements I have had in a single afternoon. Twenty with what look like pine needles and charcoal is not a 'normal' apparently.
#5
I was talking about my problems with communication during stuff and that maybe I’ve done some things I didn’t want to because I couldn’t communicate perfectly in the moment and that I tried really hard to communicate outside of that to make up for it.
She asked for examples and I told her about the time I asked for certain things not to happen during intercourse because I’d actively had pain and some physical issues after wards. It was ignored until I cried.
I made extra sure that none of that happened for the foreseeable future. Then after that I thought they understood to not do it… They did it again and I just disassociated through it. My therapist had to stop me and be walk me through how that is not a failure of me communicating and was in fact r**e.
Turns out I was communicating, to a r**ist.
#6
When my mom sent me to a therapist as a child because she thought I was “difficult,” I could kind of tell the therapist wasn’t really believing me when I would describe how my mom acted towards me and the things she said.
Then one day at the end of a session after my mom had screamed at me for whatever reason on the car ride over, she decided to call me to scream at me some more over the phone.
Well, I put that on speaker and let my therapist hear the whole thing, and I could see the look of shock and realization in his face. He had a chat with my mom soon after and wouldn’t you know it, I never went to that therapist again.
The first symptom you never want to ignore is chest pain, or pressure and pain that radiates to your jaw or upper back. "These are classic heart attack symptoms and require immediate medical attention," warn the experts, adding that shortness of breath or difficulty breathing are also symptoms you should take seriously.
"If you feel like you can’t breathe, or can’t get enough air in your lungs, you should call 9-1-1," reads Brown's site. "Known as dyspnea, this could indicate several dangerous conditions, including asthma, heart issues, pneumonia, or a blood clot in the lungs."
#7
That my period was so heavy at night I was wearing adult diapers to bed so I wouldn't wake up in the prom scene from Carrie. I thought it was genius and she was horrified I was living with twice a month periods that were that bad.
She sent me to a gynecologist and last month I got my uterine ablation. It's been so much better living without every other week of excruciating pain and extreme bleeding.
#8
I had my therapist apologize to me today for showing emotion when I told her how my mom's mind games worked during my childhood.
#9
Whenever I know someone is arriving home while I am already home, I feel a strong urge to hide. I used to hide in closets or under beds, but thankfully I've been pushing myself to stop and practicing over years. Now I don't hide, but the urge is still there.
She said that she was surprised because nothing else in my therapy really told her I was still struggling with fear. She was really worried about it. She started doing a different type of therapy with me based on that revelation.
While some people would be happy at the thought of unexplained weight loss, experts say it's not something you should take lightly.
"Losing weight without trying, especially a significant decrease in weight or over an extended time, can be the symptom of something more serious,' warns the Brown University team. "In general, doctors recommend that any loss of more than five percent of your body weight without trying is reason for concern."
#10
I didn't feel my labor contractions.
Or rather, I simply did not notice them beyond the baseline level of abdominal pain I was accustomed to.
They stuck the monitors on my belly and kept saying, "There's another one. And another. And that was a BIG ONE! Are you sure you don't feel anything???"
Turns out, when you live with chronic constipation for 30 or so years, you forget what it's like to have a relaxed, comfortable gut.
#11
I went to the dentist and they mentioned I had TMJ. I asked questions and was told the "resting position" for your mouth is a relaxed opened jaw. For like 15 years I thought it was supposed to be your teeth touching 24/7.
#12
Apparently it's not normal to start having "episodes" where you're weirdly scared and can't talk, and sometimes you can't remeber what happened and feel really disoriented afterwards. Those are actually seizures. Crazy to find out I started having them at 32 due to a condition I developed out of nowhere that acts like a tumor. Now I can't drive or work due to seizure frequency.
Unexplained weight loss can be caused by several underlying conditions, including diabetes, inflammatory bowel diseases, overactive thyroid, cancer, heart conditions and more. Experts advise that you see a doctor if you've been losing a lot of weight without trying.
The same goes for sudden swelling of your legs. While this can happen due to extended periods of sitting, standing, or even from being overweight, there are other more serious causes. If your legs are swollen, it's wise to have them checked by a medical professional because it could be a sign of heart disease, vein issues, or kidney problems.
#13
My middle school made my parents send me to a psychologist a few times. Apparently the answer to "do you think about harming yourself or others?" Is not "yeah, but just like the normal amount I think".
#14
“Sometimes my right knee just locks in a bent position and it’s been doing it since I was a kid - it’s no big deal, I just have to manually straighten it and then have residual weakness for a day or two!”
Apparently that’s not supposed to happen. Oops.
#15
I got a ride to the ER and walked in on my own, Apparently that's really unusual for someone with sepsis and huge kidney stones.
Headaches aren't uncommon but there are certain instances that they could point to something serious.
"Any sudden onset of an intense headache, 'the worst headache of your life,' or headaches accompanied by other neurological symptoms (weakness on one side, confusion, or seizures), are reasons to seek immediate medical attention," warn Brown's experts. "Severe, sudden headaches could indicate a stroke, aneurysm, or head injury."
#16
I asked the doctor if it was normal to p**p as often as I did. Turns out I have Bile Acid Malabsorption and after taking medication I’m so much better. I had forgotten what it was like to be normal.
#17
When I was postpartum, I kept hearing one of my cats "crying like a demon baby", and couldn't figure out when she learned to make that sound. Turns out I was in psychosis.
#18
Not so much explained, but last year I had my gallbladder removed after 7 years of constant pain. I'd been back and forth to doctors about it countless times. Multiple visits to A&E, multiple scans and tests, multiple GP appointments etc etc. Every time I was told I had a polyp but that wasn't what was causing the pain and I had no stones, so nothing was done. I just got worse and worse over time to the point I was grey all the time and barely eating, and pain had completely overtaken my life. I was genuinely s******l over it. Still no one cared until a new GP saw me and referred me to general surgery because the polyp had gone from 2mm to 1.5cm and I outright asked if they would be happy to be held responsible if it turned out to be malignant because a rapidly growing mass is a pretty f*****g big red flag.
The surgeon I saw was horrified I'd been left like that for so long and agreed it was probably best to remove it. 6 months later he did the procedure and found that the polyp had been growing into my bile duct, partly blocking it. The walls of the actual gallbladder had become so thin as a result of constant inflammation they were one hard sneeze away from straight up splitting open, and it was full of sludge and small grit like stones. It had also become stuck on the outward facing side of my liver with scar tissue and had to be peeled off of it. He apologised to me afterwards because I should never have been allowed to get that bad. During the following up I explained that I have chronic pain and so basically just got used to it. I live with pain every single day, so over time the gallbladder pain just blurred in with the rest of it. I got on with life like that. Went to work, visited friends, took part in hobbies etc etc. The look on his face while he digested that was one of the few times I've seen genuine empathy from a medical professional when talking about chronic pain and what it's like living with it. I lived in spite of it because I had no other option. I went 7 years like that because for a good 2 years I stopped trying to get help for it because it became clear to me no one was interested and I wasn't going to waste my time just to get accused of d**g seeking. His apology was genuine and I hope it opened his eyes a little into the fact that just because a patient isn't screaming and crying, it doesn't mean they aren't in pain. Some of us just have a lifetime of practice at hiding it.
Feeling dizzy can also be caused by various things, some more serious than other.
Infection, vertigo, medication reactions, and dehydration are among the many culprits. But if you experience severe dizziness, or you feel dizzy while at the same time have a high fever, numbness, weakness, chest pain, vomiting, or a stiff neck, experts advise that you seek urgent medical attention.
#19
I went to therapy in college mentioned off-handedly "of course, it could just be because I'm a lazy person" and my therapist was like "you're taking extra classes at one of the most competitive colleges in the country, why do you think you're lazy" and I had a moment of having to rethink my entire life.
On the opposite side of things, I was in therapy at that time for my bipolar disorder which had been acting up since I was 12 and I explained that one of the ways my agitation manifested was imagining extreme violence happening to the people who were irritating me as a way to vent my emotions. And my therapist was so chill about it and was like "I understand if you at times are thinking about that when talking to me and that's okay."
So don't forget that also the stuff you might think is abnormal and awful about yourself is a symptom profile they've seen before and understand.
#20
When I told my therapist, who thankfully is been with for a while, that I had taken the Autism tests online, but they were really confusingly worded, and that i'd been reading up on it for about 6 months.
She laughed and told me that I'd just basically diagnosed myself, but we went through what the questions were ACTUALLY asking, and it was like a lightbulb went off
Yeah that's how I ended up with my Autism diagnosis at 34.
SaveIt 57 minutes ago (edited)
Getting diagnosed with ADD later in life changed my life. Instead of trying to cope with the craziness of my life on my own, once I had a diagnosis I looked online to see how others handled specific situations. There are so many sources of information, so many people who share how they handle things, etc. I had a smorgasbord of solutions that worked for others and selected the ones I thought might work for me. After a while, I was much happier, and so were the people around me. It changed my whole perspective.
#21
Describing my pain as the normal, everyday pain everyone has that apparently everyone doesn't have. Also, explaining the mildly concerning pain that should have been an immediate trip to the er. And there were two times where a doctor has told me "You'd know if it was this" and then it turned out to be that thing and they were alarmed that I didn't know. My current doctor is aware that my pain tolerance is high and it's been so helpful because she will give me clear-cut guidelines about when to be concerned.
While the above symptoms point to physical health issues, you should never let your mental health fall by the wayside. Depression and anxiety can have fatal effects but both are treatable.
See a therapist or doctor if you feeling sad, empty, or hopeless most of the day, nearly every day. Or if the activities that once brought you joy no longer do. Seek help if you experience fear, tension or worry that feels hard to control. And if you ever no longer have the will to live, please speak to someone about it. Help is available.
#22
That apparently there's no such thing as "baseline itchy". Gave my allergist' team a full blown panic on the day of my first allergy shots when they asked if I was itchy anywhere and I was like, "Well yeah, my nose itches and then of course where the shots went in.".
#23
Not to brag but I made not one but 2 of my therapists cry.
I was explaining my family dynamics and how things worked at home. Very factual based, not emotional, just establishing the family dynamics. Its why it confused me when she started tearing up, had to work hard to contain herself to remain professional while expressing her desire that she really wished she could give me a hug.
Nothing I described was that bad, I had a big house, parents, little brother. There was no substance use. No alcoholism. No money issues. I wasn't really beaten or anything. No things severe enough to warrant such a response. It wasn't bad in comparison to the other horrors that happen behind closed doors.
It took years of therapy for me to grasp that she was responding to the severe emotional neglect that I endured growing up. I was so emotionally disconnected while she watched as I basically road mapped how my parents failed me in every other way that mattered. Utterly clueless at the significance of it all.
Her heart broke for me where mine should've. Tbh I still struggle to accept that it was emotional neglect, to call it emotional neglect, but I cannot deny the damage it had done to my mental health.
Ophelia Poe 1 hour ago
Well. I thought I had all of my diagnosis sorted out: PTSD, OCD, ADHD, anxiety. But this is making me seriously consider exploring what emotional neglect consists of because this hits a little too close to home.
#24
Every single aspect of having adhd. I didn’t get my son evaluated until he almost flunked out of high school because he was exactly like me so I thought it was just character flaws.
#25
That I felt faint every time I showered or stood in on spot. People would always say they were going to pass out when they got home and I didn’t realize they meant sleep so I thought it was normal.
Also that my mom was a serial cheater and her and her husband would lock me in the basement in the dark for hours if I didn’t finish my food. I was told my brother was exempt from everything because he was a boy.
#26
Doctor: Define “under a lot of stress”
Me: Tells him everything going on….
Doctor: “Well s**t, how are you doing this unmedicated and you are always so happy”
Me: “because my kids need me, it’s either try to be happy or you admit me on s*****e watch”.
#27
I told my doctor that I needed to use incontinence underwear to deal with my period every month and even then it was not enough to contain my period so I couldn't go a day without staining my pants with blood.
Anyway, I no longer have a uterus.
#28
I used to fanit all the time, like almost daily since I was a child. All pediatricians told my mom that because I was very skinny I must not be eating enough so I was on a sweets and vitamins, fine by me but still fainted. In med school I fainted plenty in front of other doctors, again skinny girl faints she must not have had lunch, until the ED doctor told me you know that's not normal right? I did not lol or I was very used to it by then.
She did an ultrasound to make sure I did not have a tumor eating away all my blood sugar, which I did not, she said this is either your brain or your heart. Great! then an head MRI and EEG and I was diagnosed with Epilepsy. Next was a Holter, then a tilt table test that I did horribly in, that I knew I was going to fail cause everytime I stand up I black out. So it was both! the brain and the heart, such fun.
#31
My mother kept me isolated from the world most of my childhood
She divorced my dad age 1, moved countries and so no family, and had me homeschooling for a long time too. So many things that weren’t normal I didn’t know/understand for a ling time. It’s been a gradual, decades long breakdown and rebuilding to unlearn harmful behaviors and relearn healthy thoughts and behaviors.
Didn’t know it wasn’t normal to not know how to ride the bus at age 18, or never had a metro card. Didn’t know it wasn’t normal to have a 2 pm curfew in high school (or whenever school let out back then), and a 10 pm curfew in my 20s until i moved out (running the hell away).
There’s many darker things she normalized too.
Had a lot of negative effects as i navigated my youth and realized how behind i was, socially. Specifically in terms of common sense (like not following a stranger home) or staying safe or not trusting just anyone.
The worst thing i had to learn the long way was that mistreatment from others wasn’t normal. Like when my boss didn’t have a proper contract for me, so i had no legal protection when she verbally a****d me, and made me work 14 hrs 6 days a week. Or just a much higher bs standard—when i worked at a restaurant, my coworkers were shocked at how well i handled customers who were belligerent and rude, not batting an eye. Until i realized they weren’t used to being screamed at, used, or cursed out. It felt like normal stuff to me.
So much more 😂
I’m much better these days, and very happy and at peace 🥰.
#32
After a month on a new-to-me brain medicine, I finally asked my pharmacist "how long before the voices & music go away?".
She very quietly & professionally freaked out.
Had me call my doctor, who also very quietly & professionally freaked out.
I thought it was just a new side effect that would go away once my body was adjusted to the new d**g. Apparently not ...
The doctor said as long as they're not bothering me, if the d**g worked she'd keep me on it. I knew it wasn't any more real than tinnitus, so we continued it.
ETA:
These were most noticeable in a quiet environment. The voices were like a quiet TV news broadcast in the next room - it's happening but I can't make out what they said. Music was big band or swing.
The medicine was an antidepressant, don't remember which one, likely an SSRI or combo SSRI/SNRI. They can take weeks to have full effect, which is why I waited a month hoping it was just an adjustment issue.
Ophelia Poe 1 hour ago
I experienced the music thing for a brief period of time, maybe a few days? A week? It's odd and you wonder if you might be going crazy but that aside it really isn't bothersome, just like someone is playing music quietly in the next room and you can barely hear it but yet are aware of it.
#33
On the flip side of this, I've explained to multiple doctors that visual hallucinations are very very common among people who are blind or have extremely low vision. As long as the hallucinations do not interact with me, I just changed the lighting in the room or go take a walk.
I'm perfectly aware the woman drinking the teacup full of ants isn't there, I see her much too clearly.
#34
My right shoulder used to pop out a bunch but it would always go back in and not hurt too much. Then one time it popped out, went back in, but stayed painful. So I finally went to the doctor. When they asked me how long it had been going on I said my mid-teens (I was late 30s at the time). They were horrified. I honestly just thought everyone's shoulders popped out from time to time.
#35
Stepped on a toothpick and a piece of it broke off in my foot. Went to a podiatrist first thing in the am. Was waiting on doorstep when they opened.
After he numbed my foot up and extracted the tiny wooden tip, was writing a script for me. I inquired about a tetanus shot. He said he didn't think it would be necessary.
I said " Picture this: My boyfriend puts the toothpick he was using in a dirty ashtray, meanwhile, my cat who was sitting in the window, licking his b**t, takes note of said toothpick".
"A bit later, my cat retrieves the used toothpick from the dirty ashtray and probably spends a few minutes chewing on it and batting it about before leaving it on the kitchen floor."
"The kitchen floor that is covered with a filthy carpet, oil and ground in grime." (I had just bought the house and hadn't had time to replace the flooring.)
Whatever rx he was writing was ceremoniously ripped up in favor of a much stronger rx and I got my tetanus shot.
#36
Told my doctor i hadn't slept more than 4 hours a night in two years and genuinely thought that was just adulthood.
#37
That one time early in my relationship when my bf hopped a curb in his truck and drove us into the middle of a field, turned off the truck, calmly turned to me and said “this is it, if I can’t have you no one can,” and stared at me until I was visibly uncomfortable, then started the truck up and kept driving like nothing happened.
#38
I got help bathing from my mum until I was 16. She just put shampoo in my hair and washed my back and helped me out of the tub, between that I was alone. I never saw anything weird with it, she asked several times if I wanted to bathe alone and I said no. To be clear I’m in no way disabled or otherwise needed help.
My therapist saw it as another thing that I was scared to change and finally do alone like others my age.
#39
That I’ve had a constant headache for 20 years. She was really alarmed and sympathetic, told me it was not normal and I was too young to live with something like this, and referred me to a headache specialist.
The headache specialist was neither alarmed nor sympathetic, told me it was normal for someone with my medical and psychiatric conditions, and said there weren’t really any treatment options unless I wanted to try getting Botox injected into my head. I was like dude, I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t desperate, let’s try the Botox. So we’ll see how that goes.
#40
When the word ‘rumination’ was explained to me, and my therapist said its not a way to solve problems, it just keeps you stuck in them. Had to rethink my life and my coping strategies.
#41
I told things about how my parents spoke to me or insane s**t they did. I considered most of them as fodder for funny stories. My therapist was not laughing, to say the least.
#42
Yesterday i finally had to go to the er after a fall, minor brain injury. however they seemed concerned I faint almost daily and hit my head daily? but if its just a usual minor concussion for me im good. Mostly went because I hit my neck that time.
#43
When I was 19 and in psychiatry, I explained to the therapist they assigned me that I never had any plans for the future because I never thought I would survive till adulthood. To me that was the most normal and natural thing in the world, but for some reason it made the therapist real sad...
#44
He asked me what I thought about the violence I suffered at home. I said there was no violence because nobody was phisically hitting anyone.
He stared at me and wrote something down.
#45
I was seeing a therapist for depression and anxiety, and she asked me to keep a record of my negative thoughts for a week. When I showed it to her she looked horrified and was like, "Wow. There's some pretty dark stuff here." Well, yes, that would be the major depressive disorder...
#46
The amount of times I've made a therapist or doctor cry as I described what I thought was a normal childhood. Apparently it's not normal for your parents to write letters about how much they hate you before disappearing for multiple weeks having only left $100 on the table. But don't worry they returned once they thought me and my siblings were grateful again.
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