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From time to time, we can all feel a little off. Maybe we didn't sleep well and have no energy, or grabbed some questionable takeout and now our stomach's acting up.
Often, it's nothing — just a small thing that passes. But sometimes, our body is trying to tell us something wrong.
So, Reddit user BigTuna0890 asked everyone to list the symptoms that might seem harmless but actually require immediate medical attention. Here are some of the most surprising (and potentially life-saving) responses.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I was 25 weeks pregnant and noticed some watery discharge/ I was confused I might have been [urinating] myself a little. If you google "watery discharge while pregnant" google tells you its totally normal. I felt totally normal otherwise, no cramping, blood, or anything else unusual. I called my OB after about 12 hours of this, just to check in after my husband felt concern. I expected her to set up an appointment with me the next day, or go to urgent care in the morning, but she said to go to the ER immediately. Once I arrived at the ER I expected to wait for hours. But they admitted me immediately. Turns out my water had broken (I was expecting a huge gush like you see in the movies!) and I was having contractions 1 minute apart that I couldn't feel, and I was going into preterm labor. (something called PPROM)
At 25 weeks I was still in my second trimester, hadn't planned a baby shower, labor was something that felt a long way off... I hadn't even started prepping our nursery! I spent 46 days in the antepartum unit of the hospital on magnesium drips and trying to delay labor as much as possible, and ended up having my baby at 32 weeks. After my long hospital stay and some time he spent in the NICU, he's a happy and healthy 1-year-old now!
Rafael 6 months ago
Corporations are infantilizing us through their anodyne ad placement policies...
Load More Replies...
Coffeetime2 6 months ago
I had the same experience: assumed it was just a pregnancy thing when in fact my water was leaking. My baby was delivered by emergency c-section that day, a month early. So glad I called the doctor on my lunch break and was told to come in immediately.
RELATED:
#2
My great grandfather died from an untreated blister on his foot. Even when his leg turned colors and he couldn’t walk he refused to go to see a doctor. I tell people he died of toxic masculinity. Idiot.
Liz Rutherford 6 months ago
My grandmother lost her foot to Gangrene in 1992 because she refused to see the doctor. She hadn't been since she was expecting her youngest child...in 1952.
#3
My earache ended up being a heart attack! Women have different symptoms, so pay attention!
Maim 6 months ago
This knowledge freaks me out so bad. I'll have a toothache and think about the lady who complained of her jaw hurting - heart attack. My shoulder will twinge and I'll think about that woman who complained of a sore shoulder - heart attack. Yikes.
Michelle Gosney 6 months ago
I felt mild indigestion one evening , still there following morning so called 111 as I thought it was related to a recent surgery. Ten mins later I was in surgery for a heart attack.
Load More Replies... #4
Acid reflux. I was diagnosed with a hiatus hernia about 20 yrs ago.im 54 you male. I was sitting after dinner,tilted my chair back and dozed off in front of the T.V. I woke up coughing and tasting reflux in the back of my throat. Leaning forward in my chair I coughed to the point of needing a deep breathe took a gasping breath and felt something was wrong . Ten minutes later it was getting harder and harder to take a big deep breath. My wife called an ambulance and when the doors on the ambulance closed I stopped breathing all together. 13 minutes and 42 seconds later we arrived at the hospital for resuscitation. From there I went into a medically induced coma for 10 days . Aspirated pneumonia. The gasp of air I took in my chair filled my lungs with stomach acid. The acid burned holes in my lungs and no oxygen to my brain.
Simple acid reflux k**led me. Literally. So be careful it don't take much to visit the other side. I was thankful I returned to my wife and two kids my wife would call the hospital three times a day. For 9 days, 27 calls of them telling her there's no improvements my family prepared for the worst. On the tenth day she got the call that I was awake and alive. Thanks for a place to tell my story.
#5
Cold/flu like symptoms the day after a drowning scare. Especially in kids. It's the main symptom of leftover water in the lungs causing "Secondary drowning". Easily fatal if untreated.
Ace 6 months ago
If you wait until you notice there symptoms a day later then it's too late, a lot of damage has already been done. Anyone who's had water in their airways should be taken to hospital immediately.
AsylumWalker 6 months ago
It can still happen the next day even after a hospital visit
Load More Replies... #6
Sudden change in vision.
In my case it turned out to be a brain tumor. I waited too long and now my vision loss is permanent. But I went early enough to still be alive.
Robert T 6 months ago
Sudden change in vision can be a lot of thigs, and almost all of them need checking out. I have a bleed caused by a tumour which took away some of my peripheral vision (in both eyes). My mum had blurry vision caused by high sugar levels - it was how we discovered she was diabetic. A colleague went blind in one eye due to part of a heart valve detaching. Can also be a detatched retina, and many many other things.
#7
Cat bites.
They can become infected super easily and be bad.
Not an "OMG you gonna die" but definitely take a trip soon to get any cat bites checked. Even if not deep.
Upstaged75 6 months ago
I once had to break up a cat fight and my cat accidentally bit me on the wrist when I grabbed her. She got me right in a vein, so I was spurting blood everywhere. Ended up in the ER having it scrubbed out and had to wear a brace on my arm for a week. Antibiotics too. The worst was they had to report it to Animal Control, who wanted me to quarantine her to make sure it wasn't rabies. They wouldn't believe me that there was no chance she had rabies. (She was an indoor only cat and was vaccinated) Thankfully my vicious attack cat turned out to be fine and so was I. :) Still have a scar though.
LookASquirrel 6 months ago
Just woke up in the middle of the night and read you post thinking I wrote it! Even though all of them were fixed and indoors Mom who adopted us scented a male outside, her large Void son was angry about it and baby sis was all confused, just like me with all the commotion at 3am on a weekday. Luckily they believed me about rabies shots and never going outside but I got the bites and scratches up and down my right arm. Looked like i put it in a meat grinder. I've been bit by 3 dogs. The cat was the worst.
Load More Replies... LookASquirrel 6 months ago
Cat Scratch Fever is not only a dumb song by a deranged man it's a deadly thing. Get your Dtap, It's not going to k**l you like RFK Jr Brain worm says. I've been getting it for years. Had my aunt she wouldn't have been hospitalized for weeks. Yeah, It's a little achy in the arm/shoulder for a day or 2 but it beats being in the hospital for a week!
MaryHadaLittleLamb 6 months ago
I had cat scratch fever when I was 14. Definitely not fun. I still loved my kitten, though. RIP, Milla ❤️
Load More Replies... kayteeisdabomb 6 months ago
Yep. I work in an ER and see many people come in with badly infected cat bites and scratches. Always wash the wound immediately with soap and water, better if you have polysporin to apply after.
Ace 6 months ago
Risk of serious infection is massive - most cats' mouths are full of nasty bacteria. Immediate cleaning of any broken skin with antiseptic is usually enough, but keep any eye on it and if it's red and itchy more than an hour later you should get to your nearest emergency centre for treatment, BT DT, GTTS.
ylloPytterP 6 months ago
Sure ! A cat bites once. So light, just a pinch, no blood. But my finger became red, painful and started to swell. Go to ER... 12hours of waiting to have a surgery. They have to clean nerves, tendon and bone : 9 stitches and antibiotics. Never get back full movement on my finger.
Uncle Schmickle 5 months ago
In a cat fight, don't attempt to physically break it up, but yell or clap your hands together. I know several people who received bad injuries ( from bites and claws ) by doing this.
Robert T 6 months ago (edited)
Depends on the cat, but my gf was bitten my a friend's slightly feral cat after someone managed to lock it in the house and she was next one in to go and feed it. Didn't go to hospital immediately, but probably should have, as by next day the bite was red and swollen. Did an x-ray to check for debris and gave her a tetanus shot and a course of antibiotics. Never minding that little furry barsteward again!
#8
I thought i had a mild UTI or a small kidney stone. Family and personal history of stones and I was in the middle of redoing my entire diet to prevent them better. Well turns out that wasnt the issue. I had an ovary do a little flip in there and get stuck. Now the cool part, there was a cyst encasing the ovary, gave it just enough blood flow to keep it from rotting while still inside me. It had been flipped for awhile, that cyst saved me from severe infection or worse. Not bragging but im told pathology was super stoked to see that. No clue why im proud of that.
Shark Lady 6 months ago
I've had a few occasions where either the lab or the ward staff tell me they haven't seen something before. One of them was 5 different areas of necrotic bowel at the same time.
Trisec Tebeakesse 6 months ago
My cancer was diagnosed because the tumor was sitting at the opening to my appendix, which caused it to become inflamed. I presented with appendicitis, but the surgeon was astonished by his find. My ER nurse friend told me she had only ever heard of such a case once, and she read it in a textbook.
Huddo's sister 6 months ago
For me, the cyst didn't bother me (I didn't know I had it but it must have been there a while) until it was 10cms and twisting the ovary. Sudden extreme pain and I was close to losing the ovary, and might have if my dad hadn't insisted on calling the ambulance.
#9
I had an abscessed tooth at a time when I had no dental insurance (god bless America, no seriously, I mean like actually do it, please). It went away after a few days and I didn't think much of it other than that it just really sucked for a few days. Within the next few weeks my teeth just started painlessly falling out. I came up with the money to see a dentist again, they did the X-rays and found that the infection had k**led the roots to all of my teeth and that there was nothing that could be done at that point to save my teeth.
And that's the story of why I've had dentures since I was 28. Dentures suck, but having no teeth sucks a lot more. Implants are nice if you're a millionaire, but my full realistic-looking dentures cost about as much as one tooth would cost if I got implants.
Sam Trudeau 6 months ago
As a Canadian, these stories sting. USA is a weird place
Load More Replies... LookASquirrel 6 months ago
This is what we are going through right now. USA. Dental is an add on to medical insurance so not the same deductible. My husband needs a tooth pulled. His new HR screwed up one year and didn't enroll us in the dental plan so when we scheduled an appointment it wasn't covered. Now he's waiting 2 months just for an exam. We pay for our own vision coverage. How is this stuff not medical? But when I needed foot surgery I got in immediately. I could have put it off further. I was able to schedule it around a road trip with my mom. At least AFA got me free IUD's. Won't pay for vasectomies though. how dumb is that.
Beth Wheeler 6 months ago
You can always try calling the health department for their dental clinic
Bored Sailor 6 months ago
Feel this one, not exactly the same but 51 and full dentures. No major issues leading up to the teeth and the lose was spread out. Four different dentist took one and every time the same thing was said, "This is the nicest looking tooth I ever removed."
#10
I got a small cut, little more than a scratch, on my arm cleaning under a conveyor at work. The sort of thing one barely notices. It was black with coal dust, so I rinsed it off. I didn’t give it a good soap and water scrub until I got home several hours later.
A few days later I had a dark red bump with what looked like a pimple on it where the scratch had been. I figured it could be an infection, but there was no pain or discomfort so I figured it would heal. After a few days of it remaining the same, it suddenly grew larger and nastier looking. Still no pain or discomfort.
I figured I needed antibiotics, so I made an appointment with my doctor. It was going to be a few days. When talking to my mom, who is a nurse, on the phone she said it’s serious and if I can’t see the doctor that same day then I need to go to urgent care.
I went to urgent care and the nurse practitioner didn’t seem too worried. Then I rolled my sleeve all the way up and they saw red streaks going from the infected area up towards my arm pit. I was very surprised what happened next since I imagine people in urgent care see all sorts of bad stuff. They freaked out saying I needed to go to the emergency room immediately. They asked if I felt ok and could drive myself. When I said yes, they said they’d call the hospital and give them my info and let them know I’m coming. They said I may have to stay for a couple days on IV antibiotics because I had sepsis, an infection spreading through my blood stream.
I had to get lots of medicine, but only stayed in the hospital for one day. Apparently it was so serious because once the infection passes a certain threshold, people go from feeling fine like I did to deathly ill in minutes. Make sure to clean any cuts well right away.
The Majestic Opossum 6 months ago
This is why I would always tell my staff to report any cuts etc immediately if it happens at work. Otherwise the insurance company will try to say it wasn't work comp. I've had someone get a tiny cut on their toe while working in an office. She didn't report it, but luckily someone else did. It got infected and her toe had to be freaking amputated. Luckily I had reported it as work comp when it happened so she didn't have to pay out of pocket.
CatD 6 months ago
"Luckily" my back injury happened at work, or I would have been scréwed.
Load More Replies...
Beth Wheeler 6 months ago
Staph infection, a y time there are red streaks from a bite, scratch or cut it's bad. My oldest son was in college and called me 1 evening and said he needed a Dr the next day. When he had red streaks going up his arm ... OH NO YOU HAVE TO GO NOW! I called an Urgent Care that was 1 exit away from him to see if they took my husband's insurance. The gave him a shot in the butt, had him come back in the morning & a shot in the other butt cheek. If this isn't better or goes past this line. He called me at work at 3 to tell me he was being admitted for 3 days. They said the staph came from bed bug bites. Somebody in another apartment had brought them in his apartment was treated & I went there with a small steamer and went over everything. He had to wash everything, put it in black bags after drying and out on the balcony. I got him bedbug proof mattress & pillow covers.
April Pickett 6 months ago
They make Band-Aids with Neosporin on the pad. It will help, but it is not a cure-all. Try to get as much dirt as possible off, slap that sucker on there and it'll hold you until you can get it thoroughly cleaned and taken care of.
kayteeisdabomb 6 months ago
If it was Sepsis you would not have been discharged in less than a day. Sepsis is deadly. This sounds like a case of blood poisoning. Lets try not to over exaggerate
Bi.Felicia 6 months ago
They likely aren't over exaggerating, Septicemia aka blood poisoning is the infection and sepsis is the body's severe reaction to the infection.
Load More Replies... #11
I was at the gym doing kangaroo hops and I fell face first. My legs never moved with the rest of my body. My husband, the trainers, and owner of the gym all tried to tell me to relax and try again. I just looked at them saying "my legs aren't working."
We all brushed it off as "weird". It only lasted 30 seconds in random moments throughout the session so maybe a total of 10 minutes off and on. 5 weeks go by, each work out session, my legs "stop working" for various activities.
If I went to the hospital and got clear answers, I could have prevented a very serious onset of Functional Neurological Disorder that left me 9 months suffering from seizures everyday. Some days 30+ a day. They are non epileptic but you aren't in control of your body. I was trapped in side frozen in place, only able to blink for some days.
I always wondered if I made the changes I needed to live with the disorder in those 5 weeks, would it have gotten so bad? I had to relearn how to walk, talk, and function without seizures taking over my body.
It was rough. .
#12
Headache and a neck so stiff that you're unable to look straight up.
Sign of meningitis (inflammation and swelling of the brain) that has gone so far that your brain is pressing down on the brainstem. Could be lethal within hours.
OneHappyPuppy 6 months ago
A childhood friend of mine recently contracted meningitis. She's in hospital, can't speak, can't move. I was in shock when I heard, never knew the symptoms until I looked into it
#13
Hit your head hard? Get it checked out.
I had a friend who fell out of a chair at a work party and hit their head hard on the ground. They shook it off. Started complaining about vision problems over the next several weeks. Their work performance suffered. Then, between work and their wife, the people around them pieced together that they could no longer read at the same level. It wasn't their vision, it was their comprehension. They couldn't even perceive what was actually wrong.
Long story short, it was a serious TBI. They had to go on disability and into rehabilitation therapy for over a year.
Edit:
Man, a lot of folks are not seeing the forest for the trees. There are plenty of stories below of people who could have had surgery to save their life after a bleed (thank you for sharing, I am so sorry). Plenty of people that might have gotten other interventions or monitoring to intervene earlier to help.
Yes, there are s****y doctors out there that will not care about concussions or TBI (traumatic brain injury) risk. Health systems everywhere have them. There are also good doctors as well. Give yourself a chance.
Also, consider the importance of documentation. Some more details about my friend is that they had to go through the hell of claiming worker's comp (since it happened at a work event) and having several months of reduced duties. Since they didn't get checked out right away, it was tough to have a timeline. It was also difficult to get a proper referral to a TBI specialist clinic and physical therapy. Things worked out for them in the long run, thankfully, but documentation and a timeline of changes help immensely with disability claims. Disability can happen to anyone, including you. Document everything.
Also the people who care about my friend's gender are weird. I used they because they use they. Look at the 99.9999% of 3k upvotes that didn't care because it doesn't matter and is unrelated to the topic. Stop inserting your discomfort and hate into everything.
Sara Frazer 6 months ago (edited)
Oh yes, I know a tragic story within my old social circle that involves a hit to the head. Old security guard at my last job had a 12-year old daughter who fell off her skateboard, hit her head, was not wearing a helmet. Apparently she seemed fine, went through the rest of the day, had dinner, acted normal. Went to bed and did not wake up. Brain bleed. That occurrence has me so freaked out about anyone hitting their head. Also, WEAR YOUR HELMET, people of all ages, please!
Judy Reynolds 6 months ago
Because I take warfarin regularly, I have been instructed to go to Emergency for any head injury.
#14
If you feel like your chest is tight and you vomit, go straight to the ER. These are common heart attack symptoms in women and often go unnoticed.
Beth Wheeler 6 months ago
Call 911 if you're in somebody's car you might not make it to the ER. Do not call your PCP office because they will tell you ER now.
#15
Sweet smelling breath! Could be diabetic ketoacidosis.
Upstaged75 6 months ago
There was a super nice diabetic guy who worked at our local barn taking care of the horses. A sign posted by the door mentioned symptoms to look out for that meant he was having a crisis. Like if he seemed to be staggering/drunk or smelled like fruit. Apparently someone once thought he was just drunk and got mad instead of helping him. He ended up in ketoacidosis and was pretty sick. :( Not sure who it was, but we all knew he wasn't drinking around the horses! Some people just suck.
Liz Rutherford 6 months ago
Spent 5 days in the hospital with DKA in 2021. Couldn't keep anything down; not even water. Type 1 Diabetes if f'ing awesome :/
#16
A migraine that's much more painful than usual. Apparently a stroke is not always accompanied by the other well known symptoms. I'm on blood thinners now.
Rafael 6 months ago
On a similar note, I had something called reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome, which on me manifested as a sharp pang to the back of my neck during a certain event of physical activity (yep, that one). I was ready to discount it as a muscle spasm or something like that, and casually mentioned it to my GP a few days later on an unrelated appointment. It just so happens that he was a good GP and was reading about this, and directed me to urgent care right away (as in, don't drive home, drive to the ER). Stayed on the hospital for 10 days, they said that since I also have high blood pressure I could've had a stroke. That comment and that doctor probably saved my life.
Lyone Fein 6 months ago
According to the AMA 25-40% of strokes begin as migraines. A migraine is not a headache. It is a neurological event caused by swelling blood vessels in the brain. These swollen vessels press on brain tissue. Sometimes headaches are a symptom, sometimes not. This internal tissue pressure can cause symptoms throughout the body: changes in vision and hearing, nausea, weakened muscles, painful joints, confusion, mood changes, exhaustion.
My O My 6 months ago
Thanks for that. Now I can add panic of having a stroke to the migrain pain
Load More Replies... Huddo's sister 6 months ago
My mum had this. Went to the emergency department and they didn't do much, mostly treated it as a migraine, maybe did an xray. It was only when she got the same symptoms again and went to a neurologist that she got the MRI and found out she had at least two TIAs.
Uncle Schmickle 5 months ago
An unbelievably bad headache ( like you want to pass out of this world ), could be a " sentinel headache ", just before a major event, such as stroke, ruptured aneurysm etc. My late Aunt experienced this just before her passing from a burst aneurysm in the brain.
#17
Each of your pupils is a different size than the other.
It can signal a brain bleed, mini stroke, aneurysm, or other brain trauma.
Go now!!
Tim Douglass 6 months ago
After eye surgery one of my pupils doesn't react the same as the other. It confused my doctor the first time she saw it. After several years it's almost normal, but still reacts to bright light slower than the other one.
Colleen Glim 6 months ago
My pupils are normally different sizes. Multiple laser surgeries for a detached retina left me with nerve damage in one eye
#18
Before I was admitted to the ICU for 2 weeks I had muscle tetany (felt like pins/needles) in my feet, arms, chest and weirdly enough what felt like my nose for weeks. Thought it was just poor circulation and turns out I had undetectable potassium and phosphate levels which did bad damage to my liver and kidneys!! I went months without going to the ER because I thought I was being dramatic. Literally never write things off as something else, it’s always better to look crazy than be dead. Also for those that are biologically female, losing your period or prolonged amenorrhea is oftentimes a sign of something larger going on thats attributed by doctors as stress. Always get it checked!!
#19
Pain in one breast after lying on it and/or feeling a lump in the breast AS A MAN.
Breast cancer can and does happen for men. What's worse, doctors can be dismissive about it. Do not give up until it's checked through ultrasonography, even if you have to get a second or third opinion.
Edit: Just realised that's not an ER kind of emergency, but leaving it up for awareness. The reason I posted it is, because it "seems to be harmless" if it happens to a man instead of a woman, but it's not. .
"Disembodied voice" 6 months ago
If you have breast tissue you can get breast cancer, men and women have breast tissue.
#20
Being tired all the time (suddenly). Last year around the fall we noticed my dad getting tired really easily, needing to sit down when going for a walk, sleeping in way later than usual etc. He had gained some weight so we told him he should lose it cause it's obviously affecting him. Even our doctor told him he should really watch his health and eating habits if it's causing him discomfort. It got to a point where we got bloodtests done to see if he's pre-diabetic or something. Then they noticed he's got really bad anemia, and very very high iron levels, which is unusual. They sent him to the ER for an emergency blood transfusion, where he met with a hematologist who immediately told him it looks like his bone marrow basically stopped working.
After a week in the ER they diagnosed him with MDS (a form of bloodcancer) and his only way of survival was a stem cell transplant. He got very lucky that they found a 100% matching donor fairly quickly and he's seemingly recovering now.
Always go to the doctor:|.
Beth Wheeler 6 months ago
This is contradictory, low iron is anemia & really high iron is hemachromatosis. I had a cousin that had hemachromatosis and lost both lower legs before they knew what it was. He basically had to go to the cancer hospital for dialysis to remove the extra iron.
Feathered Dinosaur 6 months ago
Usually yes, but not in this case. Since his bone marrow stopped working no new red blood cells were made- you need iron to do so. Thus all the unused iron kept floating around. With hemochromatosis you Usually also get a very high count of red blood cells, which can cause clotting.
Load More Replies... #21
My stomach was bloated for five days. I saw my general practitioner. He did an ultrasound right then and saw fluid in my stomach, which usually indicates cirrhosis of the liver or advanced stage cancer. He told me to go to the ER, where I was diagnosed that night with advanced stage ovarian cancer.
nomnomborkbork 6 months ago (edited)
I hope that since you're writing this, you're in treatment or have beaten it.
Ria C. 6 months ago (edited)
This og post was just 5 days ago and og poster said they were just diagnosed last month and no other treatment/diagnosis info was given. Edit: word
Load More Replies... Huddo's sister 6 months ago
When I had a large ovarian cyst and torsion, I had to have emergency surgery. The doctors asked my if my stomach was bloated compared to normal as it's a common symptom, but I wasn't sure. Lucky me (/s), it was just my regular fattness, because it didn't change after the surgery.
#22
I had an infection in my toe(ingrown nail) when I was 16 or so and they gave me antibiotics. The next day in school I developed a fever of 104F, my leg went numb, and the skin on my leg was discolored and hot.
The antibiotics they gave me weren't working for some reason, the infection went up my leg, and I developed cellulitis. They gave me different antibiotics and those worked. But at the urgent care they told me if we had waited any longer to go in I could have needed IV antibiotics.
If you have an infection and start developing new or worsening symptoms, despite being on antibiotics, talk to your doctor or go to urgent care asap.
Shark Lady 6 months ago
Not all antibiotics work for the same type of infection and some require a much higher dose. Any infection I have I'm given massive doses as I'm allergic to most antibiotics, I'm literally down to one type left.
Beth Wheeler 6 months ago
I would have taken you to the ER instead of UC for that and you would have most likely would have been admitted for IV antibiotics
Little Bit 6 months ago
Were you allergic to the antibiotics? I once knew someone who was allergic to certain types of antibiotics.
Lyone Fein 6 months ago
Being allergic to penicillin and the others in its class is common.
Load More Replies... #23
911 dispatcher here- 2 things immediately came to mind. 1: UTIs in older women. They can cause a change in mental status that often gets looked over as dementia. 2: Strong urge to poop(mostly men). It's pretty common that people are found dead on the toilet because they were having abdominal pain and thought they had to poop but were having a heart attack instead.
LookASquirrel 6 months ago
UTI's in any age person can cause hallucinations. I have had 2 in my life. one in my 30's and one at 51. The ER Dr.s didn't know that even though I said I was hallucinating and had a UTI. The Dr assigned to me for a week in the ICU didn't know that. But the young nurse in the step down unit knew it when she saw what I was admitted for (hallucinations from OD) and my tox screen came back negative for anything! When the Dr came to check on me i told him what the nurse said, he grabbed his laptop and said he would be back, I was released that day Pretty sure they gave me narcan and almost killed me. the lawyers will sort that out..
CatD 6 months ago
Narcan won't hurt you if you haven't taken drúgs. It'll have no effect.
Load More Replies... Beth Wheeler 6 months ago
Sudden mental status change in either male or female can be a UTI, worked in Urology for 6 years.
#24
We were on vacation. My youngest was 3. I started to notice he wasn't turning his head normally, like his neck was stiff. No other symptoms, no fever. Might not have thought much of it except for the fact our local news had just done a story on meningitis so I immediately called the pediatrician for advice and they said take him to ER now. ER didn't have a peds unit and couldn't rule out or confirm meningitis so they rushed us to a children's hospital in the nearby city where they discovered he had a retropharyngeal abscess (abscess in the back of his neck). If left untreated it would've grown and suffocated him. Needed immediate surgery and was back to being his sweet little self after a couple days in the hospital.
#25
Superficial burns to the face typically from bbq or stove lighting accidents. It may seem like just some singed eyebrows, but if you were inhaling at all when the accident happened you could have burned the inside of your throat. Most people present with normal breathing, but as the injured tissues swell, it can close the airway. Most of these people feel fine directly following the accident and end up intubated if they make it to the hospital.
#26
If you have sciatica the pain is down one leg. If the pain switches to the other side or goes down both sides you need to get to ER. It's a sign of cauda equina and signals irreversible spinal cord damage. Can cause paralysis.
Mere Cat 6 months ago
Incontinence with bowel, and the opposite with urination (being unable to empty the bladder)
Load More Replies... Robert T 6 months ago
I have a partially collapsed vertebra and have had various pains down my legs and in my feet for the last 20 years. It traps different nerves are the vertebra moves about a bit. I was told to go to hospital immediately if I had problems with incontinence or bowel problems.
Patrisia Sheremeta 6 months ago
Numbness in your saddle area is another tell tale sign. Or inability to pee or poop.
#27
This might not be “immediate trip to the ER,” but it certainly is “immediately make a doctor’s appointment ASAP.”
If you notice a red spot on one breast that isn’t going away, if you have new orange-peel-like dimpling on one breast, or one breast appears swollen, any of those can be a sign of inflammatory breast cancer. That’s a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer that’s usually only found in more advanced stages. You usually don’t have a lump.
Kira Okah 6 months ago
Adding in an unusual firmness or hardness, and a flattening or inversion of the nïpple. A lump can be very much present in inflammatory breast cancer too.
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 6 months ago
Remember to periodically squish your b***s! I believe the proper method is to make a circular rub around the breast, starting on the outside and moving towards the nipples, then press down in the same manner around the breast, and then gently squeeze the n****e to check for discharge.
Load More Replies... Upstaged75 6 months ago
Who else read/watched Firefly Lane? I don't usually cry, but I sobbed while reading it. (That's what the main character had)
#28
If you’ve recently taken an impact to the abdomen, pain in the left shoulder can signify a ruptured spleen (though you’ll most likely experience other symptoms). .
Zena 6 months ago
Bonus points to BP for showing a picture of a woman with a pain in her RIGHT shoulder .
Rafael 6 months ago
She's British, it is the other way around over there. Trust me, don't look it up.
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#29
Funny you should ask as I'm in the ER right now. Bruises. I have several bruises that I tried hard to explain away. My wife is a PA and also noticed red dots in some areas of my skin. She said either alone is nothing but both. Turns out my platelets are critically low. 8k. I'm 54 and live a normal healthy life. The reason is unknown but basically my blood will not coagulate if there is a wound and this low can spontaneously bleed.
Lady Eowyn 6 months ago
Random bruises can be symptomatic of several things. I get random bruises, but I've been tested left right and sideways and the docs all say it's just a quirk of some seriously sensitive skin. But don't take a chance!
Huddo's sister 6 months ago
My mum, sister and I all bruise easily, so don't always remember anything happening. Seems to just be sensitive skin too. My mum had her doctor checking that everything is okay at home, in case she was being abused, because she had so many at worse. Now she is on asprin because of having a couple of small strokes she bruises even more easily.
Load More Replies... Bored Sailor 6 months ago
When my son was 5 his mom noticed little red dots all over his body, petechiae, at first thought it was a rash, but called doctor and was told go straight to the ER. Platelets below 2k. When got to the Pediatric Hematologist they were at 700, blood transfusion done immediately and every week after until they found out he had Advanced aplastic anemia, at the time there were no survival rates. Luckily a bone marrow transplant later and fine now.
CatD 6 months ago (edited)
My son is epileptic and one time he had a seizure that caused petechiae EVERYWHERE. Another seizure cràcked one of his vertebrae when he was lying in bed. Normal blood and bone, just weird.🤷
Load More Replies... #30
Sudden hearing loss in one ear. If it doesn't recover within a few hours, get yourself to ER immediately. You have about 24-26 hours during which treatment can bring your hearing back. After that its permanent.
Tim Douglass 6 months ago
And sometimes it's permanent anyway. Got to the ER within a couple hours and there was nothing they could do. Still, I suppose it's worth the effort if it works for some people.
Rinso The Red 6 months ago
Happened to me. Really bad ear infection and left ear was so backed and I was getting tinnitus. Took 6 MONTHS to see a specialist and by that time the sensing nerves were completely dead. So like OP, nothing shy of a cochlear inplant will bring hearing back and insurance won't cover it because I can still hear out of one side...
#31
Irregular heartbeat.
Not to be ignored.
I had an irregular heartbeat for a day or two. Went to the doc. She immediately called an ambulance. I was in the hospital in the heart ward for 3 days with atrial fibulation. Had to knock me out and zap me twice to get my heart back into a proper rhythm.
David 6 months ago (edited)
I got atrial fibrillation in 2019. There was talk of trying cardioversion (shock it back into rhythm) but then COVID happened and they were only doing necessary things. Thought I was stuck with it but about two weeks ago had cardioversion and have a normal heartbeat for the first time in about six years. Also, somewhere in that time frame I had a heart attack and didn't know it. But apparently only damaged a tiny bit at bottom of my heart. Doctor say about 1%. Anyway - I've noticed several positive changes. I don't get out of breath as easily. I seem to be sleeping a bit better. Or at least waking up more rested. I wish I had pushed for it sooner. The a-fib could come back but of course I'm hoping it won't. PS - The number one cause of afib is stress and the chemicals it releases in your body. Mine came on after 2-3 particularly stressful years with some relatives.
Brian Droste 6 months ago
I hope OP is not in contact with said family members anymore.
Load More Replies... Upstaged75 6 months ago (edited)
Same thing happened to me a few years ago. Although they only had to shock me once. :) I thought I had escaped the family A-fib curse, but apparently not. Almost everyone has it to varying degrees. My mom had surgery to try and fix her episodes, but it doesn't bother my dad at all. Thankfully I only had the one episode and have been fine ever since.
Uncle Schmickle 5 months ago
Yeah, been there, done that. Same for my next door neighbour. It's very common.
kayteeisdabomb 6 months ago
If you have afib for a couple days its too late to "zap". Heart rate needs to be brought down slowly because shocking for afib could cause a stroke at that point
#32
A constant "runny nose". Especially if its clear, watery, and coming from only one nostril. Especially Especially if it gets worse when you strain or stand, improves when you lie down, is kinda salty/metalic tasting, or is accompanied by new headaches, neck pain, or light sensitivity.
Thats your cerebral spinal fluid. That shouldn't be on the outside of your body.
Edit: Before you go to the ER for a runny nose like the comment below suggests you will, wipe your nose with a tissue. If the tissue stiffens when it dries? Thats snot. You're fine. .
Zaach 6 months ago
On the other end, I had a lumbar punch (previously called a spinal tap) on Friday; the patch failed and every time I stood up, my brain screamed. I had to wait until Monday to get it taken care of. I have heard other stories about clear fluid leaking from the nose and wondered why there was no excruciating pain.
Mere Cat 6 months ago
Position of the leak. Lumbar puncture is down low, lots of pressure on top and the fluid gets drained, literally pulling the brain down. Leak high up means loss of fluid only from the top and the brain keeps in place
Load More Replies... #33
Low grade but persistent fever while in chemo. Chemo induced sepsis is the #1 k**ler of chemo patients. You already feel like dogs**t because _chemo_ so a 99.9 fever doesn’t change the way you feel usually. But it’s the alarm bell that sepsis has started brewing. I luckily listened to my doctor and went to the ER, ended up with 48 hours of ICU care to turn it around. Throughout it all I never felt _sicker_ than the usual chemo sick but I was in fact probably 24-48 hours from being to sick to save. I’m 8 years cancer free now. .
Robert T 6 months ago
This is why they monitor your temperature closely whilst on chemo. Chemo destroys your immune system along with all the other quickly dividing cells in your body (your hair for example) as well as the cancer. It is vital to treat an infection quickly. I had both antibiotics and infusions of white blood cells whilst I underwent chemo.
Colleen Glim 6 months ago
One of the recommendations from the nurse when I started chemo was to take my temperature every morning
#34
A friend had a cut on her finger and did some gardening. It got a little infected so she used tubbing alcohol and Neosporin.
It stayed infected for weeks
When she finally went to the doctor, they discovered she had a rare bacterial infection from something in the soil.
After 6 surgeries, they amputated that finger and the one next to it.
She almost lost her whole hand.
#35
Not sure it meets your criteria but my Uncle had heartburn, he went to nap. He did not wake up. It was a heart attack. Apparently it can feel this way. That is scary.
Little Bit 6 months ago
I had an uncle who used to work through the night as a taxi driver. One morning he came home, went sleep and never woke up again. He had a heart attack in his sleep. He was never really one to get ill but the week before he had been complaining of flu-like symptoms.
#36
More serious, less ordinary, if you’ve had a significant compression causing prolonged low blood flow to a limb for example, the release of compression after a certain point is very very dangerous.
Mere Cat 6 months ago
Compartment syndrome is something else: a serious medical condition in which increased pressure within a body compartment compromises blood flow and tissue function, potentially leading to permanent damage if not promptly treated (text from google). Don't know the term for the situation in the post, though.
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#37
I developed a mild cold when I was pregnant, took the meds my doctor said would be safe, and went to take a nap. Woke up short of breath. Honestly, I just thought it was because I'd finally started showing and was having trouble getting around. I was alone way out in the country, so I called the ambulance just to be safe, and they said that all of my vitals were great, same with baby, but they could take me in to be absolutely sure everything was OK. Intake labwork showed I was in acute kidney failure due to metabolic acidosis and without dialysis baby and I would be gone within a few hours. I don't remember any of this because by that point, I was in and out from lack of oxygen to the brain. My now husband arrived at the hospital right as the doctor began placing a port to do dialysis, which I was on for nearly 6 hours.
Still have no clue what caused the metabolic acidosis, 12 days and 50+ tests later we were discharged with no answers.
#38
GI upset with a pain in the abdomen. Silly me thought I had food poisoning but after it lasted for more than 4 days, I decided to go to urgent care. An ambulance ride to the ED from there and one emergency surgery later and I'm currently sitting at home recovering minus one ovary because I had a large mass on it that caused it to twist on itself.
I almost didn't go because the pain stopped. The pain stopped because I lost blood supply to the ovary and it died. If I hadn't gone, I could have too.
Huddo's sister 6 months ago
Happened to me, but thankfully I got to hospital early enough they saved the ovary. I was going to just wait out the pain, thinking it was just period related, even though I don't usually get much pain from my period. It got worse very quickly but I still was going to wait, but my dad called an ambulance (after nurse-on-call number didn't get through to anyone, despite supposedly being 24hr) because I was calling out in pain so loudly. They thought it was kidney stones or appendix to start with. Took about six hours for the pain relief to finally kick in! They operated the next day, removed a 10cmx10cm cyst and untwisted the ovary. They were very surprised I had it long enough for it to get that big, yet felt no pain until that day. Probably because I am used to regular pain because I have fibromyalgia.
CatD 6 months ago
I didn't have a cyst, I have lose ligaments because of a collagen problem and mine flipped and stràngled itself.
Load More Replies... #39
I had pain in my lower left abdomen near my time of the month. I started walking funny due to the pain. My husband got worried and made me go to the ER. I thought I was just getting cramps that happened to be a little s**ttier than usual.
Turns out I had an ectopic pregnancy on the brink of rupture, in which case I would’ve died within 10 minutes I’m told.
TV Junkie 6 months ago
I have had an ectopic pregnancy rupture. It was terrifying, and it took hours for the busy ER to get me to surgery. It all started with a misdiagnosis of a non-viable pregnancy and a D&C. The nurse - the NURSE! - in the ER, who just happened to be male, told me that if I had a D&C it couldn’t possibly be an ectopic pregnancy. He thought the ovaries and the uterus are the same thing, apparently!
CatD 6 months ago
My sister had one and almost bléd out. I can't imagine how many women die from them now in Republican states.
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#40
Sudden neck pain.
Mine turned out to be a carotid artery dissection but even thought I got to the hospital fast, they failed to diagnose me and it caused a stroke, which they also failed to diagnose and said I just had anxiety.
If you have sudden neck pain go to the ER and complain loudly about it. Demand imaging.
#41
If you've been strangled ALWAYS go to the ER after.
LookASquirrel 6 months ago
My s*x life is none of George Clooney's business. Plus I don't know him.
Rafael 6 months ago
That is a weird as comment that made perfect sense to me, please have an upward pointing green arrow.
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#42
Someone with experience with a herniated disc here: a tingling sensation in the leg sounds very harmless, but it is not.
Patrisia Sheremeta 6 months ago
Cauda equina syndrome. It's when a disc ruptures and all of the material gets jammed into your spinal canal instead of spreading into the space outside of it, compressing your nerves. I had to have emergency surgery to get it fixed. Sometimes people wind up with permanent nerve damage resulting in paralysis and/or incontinence. I was lucky - I have a little nerve damage, but not on anything essential.
Bored Sailor 6 months ago
In the last 14 months I have had two neck surgeries but because of stenosis, bone growth inside the vertebra. Took over two years to figure out what was going on, started with tremors in my left arm, it wasn't until the pain got bad that the testing increased. First sent to neurologist who discovered high iron levels, so sent to hematologist, for hemochromatosis, that wasn't causing it. Finally got an MRI and sent to an Orthopedic surgeon. Had to have C5, C6 and C7 cleaned out and fused together. Annual follow up and spinal cord is bruised and the surgery they thought would be years away was being scheduled to work on C3 and C4. Spines are wonderful and can cause so many problems and symptoms are very different for different things.
Load More Replies... "Disembodied voice" 6 months ago
My first herniated disc was diagnosed as sciatica, thankfully got a second opinion. It really didn't hurt that much as first, as the post says it felt like tingles.
CatD 6 months ago
I have permanent sciatica because my back surgeon scréwed up my surgery.
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#43
Heart attacks in women present very differently in men.
One big sign is constant yawning. It sounds so silly but it could make the difference between getting to hospital in time.
LookASquirrel 6 months ago
So if I yawn and make a woman yawn by contagion will she die of a heart attack? Asking for an in-law. Seriously, you can make other people and animals yawn by yawning. That's how I have a million pics of our (now deceased 😿) cats yawning. Go to the zoo and yawn at a tiger a few times. They will eventually yawn.
#44
My mother is a surgeon so she spends a ton of time in hospitals. A few years ago she had an itchy spot on her shin that she figured was a bug bite. It didn’t get better and got even more itchy. She bumped into a colleague who is a dermatologist in the elevator and mentioned it to him. He asked her to tug up her pant leg real quick and told her they should go to the ER right away. It was a MRSA infection she had picked up in the hospital (unclear if she got it from scratching something that already itched or if the infection was the cause of the itching originally). She was admitted and put on iv antibiotics. They ended up life-flighting her to a bigger hospital 6 hours away. She had a surgical debridement and more antibiotics. They were discussing amputation as a last resort if they couldn’t get it under control. Eventually the d***s and multiple procedures worked, and she still has her leg. But she has a gnarly looking scar all down the lower portion of her leg.
Shark Lady 6 months ago
MRSA usually needs an open wound, I got it several times due to having surgical drains.
Clown fish 6 months ago
My son used to get it in his eczema. It was only small scratches but MRSA got in there. It doesn't need to be a a big scratch it can be a graze
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#45
My 5yo child was crawling around the house after waking up in the morning. Wouldn’t walk and said her legs felt funny and hurt. we thought her legs were asleep and it was just the tingling feeling.
We called her doctor because parents intuition just felt something was off. Pediatrician told us to go straight to the ER.
Turns out it was Myositis and the infection was breaking down the muscles in her legs. 4 days in the hospital later, we were released.
#46
Repeatedly itching at night and having muscle twitches. Had this for about a month then started vomiting. Went to the ER after a few days and my kidney function was 11. A week in the hospital with acute kidney failure and function sropping as low as 6, then a good 3 months to recover.
Upstaged75 6 months ago
I once thought I had the flu, but after barfing for days I started to itch all over really badly. Turned out to be my liver. It was a temporary issue thankfully but I never would have guessed itching could be a liver problem.
Debby Keir 6 months ago
There's a link between itching and liver problems (and no, if you itch, it's not necessarily your liver)
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#47
Had pain in shoulders and back and what felt like indigestion. Felt jaw pain then fainted and was out for about 3 minutes. I broke my glasses which caused cuts above and left of eye.
Female over 60 years old so wondered if i was having a heart attack but dismissed that and only went to ER as i fainted that was something that never had happened to me.
Took uber to ER; blood pressure during triage was life-threateningly low. Not a heart attack, it was severe pancreatitis causing my blood pressure to tank. Apparently there was a gallstone blocking the duct near pancreas causing acute pancreatitis.
After 3 days in MICU where i was given d**g and fluids to raise my blood pressure they moved me to a regular room. I then had surgery to remove gallbladder; and was discharged the next evening.
I had no symptoms that are common for pancreatitis or gallbladder issues. Doctors stated my blood pressure; if they had not treated me quickly, was incompatible with life.
Healing up and going back to work soon. Just the weirdest random thing.
Beth Wheeler 6 months ago
Gallbladder cancer cause back and shoulder pain, not always right upper quadrant pain
#48
Heartburn, it was my mom heartburn and not being able to keep lunch down that ended up with the ER, finding and disposing her pancreatic cancer.
#49
If you suddenly have a sharp headache that feels like you’ve been hit with lightning. It’s often described as “the worst headache of my life.”
**GET TO AN ER IMMEDIATELY. THAT’S A THUNDERCLAP HEADACHE, AND IT’S INDICATIVE OF A BRAIN BLEED!!**.
Bi.Felicia 6 months ago
I'm not too sure what being hit with lightning feels like though? I suffer from migraines, which at times can be debilitating and the pain can come on suddenly. What's one more thing added to my list of nightmare fuel?
#50
Maybe not immediate trip but my dad had an unexplained cough for months.
Eventually he went to the ER when he broke his leg. His blood pressure was really low so they decided to run some tests.
Turns out he had cancer and the cough was an early symptom. .
Little Bit 6 months ago
My dad was repeatedly fobbed off by his doctor for a cough that wouldn't go away. By the time his lung cancer was finally diagnosed it was too late.
Kat Alison 6 months ago
My grandfather had lung cancer that started out with a cough and a raspy voice.
#51
Swelling in the leg along the hamstring especially if flown recently. Can mean blood clot though in my case, it just means arthritis playing up. Doctors like it checked out.
Debby Keir 6 months ago
Clot in the calf is the most common - simple test. Measure round the 'fattest' part of your calf - mark with pen where you put the tape measure. Then measure the other leg at the same place. If there's a noticeable difference (and you're not a gym bunny who only execises one leg) then one leg is swollen so see a doctor. They can usually diagnose it for certain with an ultrasound.
#52
Pain in your calf though you didn't bump it or fall. Could be an embolism, and if the clot travels to your heart or lungs it could be game over.
#53
Having a fever coupled with a high heart rate - those are symptoms of a type 2 heart attack.
Friends and I were gaming one night when one of our buddies (m 30) mentioned that he was getting a fever. An hour or so later he noted that his heart rate was over 120 and his fever at 40c (104f)
While I would've popped a paracetamol and called it a night, our nurse buddy on the call said he should head to the ER immediately, as he said a higher HR is a sign your body is fighting something, but an HR that high is worrying.
He got there and it turned out our friend had a type 2 heart attack. So a type of heart attack not caused by a blockage, but more from lack of oxygen due to the high heart rate, as our friend explained if I remember correctly - he may have saved his life as our friend would've just brushed it off as a weekend cold or something. He was a bit predisposed due to some excessive weight and love for drinking, but he's turned his life around and is doing pretty great now!
Bi.Felicia 6 months ago
I've never heard of a weekend cold, are there really cold viruses that show up on a Friday evening and dip out on Sunday? If so where do I inquire, because every time I come down with a cold, it typically lasts about 5-7 days or longer. Sucks that you're sick all weekend but at least it's over with in less than 72 hours.
#54
Frequent vomiting in children, particular when they wake up, can be a sign of a brain tumor. Vomiting isn’t always GI. If there’s no other signs of illness (like diarrhea or fever) and they’re complaining of a headache, it could be a possibility.
#55
Sudden personality change. People think this is an obvious one, but sometimes it can be hard to spot. Maybe your partner has been liberal all their life but suddenly they are voting republican. Maybe they liked chocolate but now insist they hate it. Maybe they've always been aggressive... but now they are calm and collected.
Could be a sign of some form off process in the fronta lobe (like stroke or tumor). Could also be they actually changed their mind on something. Many people only realise in retrospect after a diagnosis "oh yeah they did suddenly change.
#56
Nosebleeds that don't want to stop require an ER visit. Blood loss is serious and you can lose a d**n lot of blood over 20 minutes of nosebleeding.
#57
Changed my answer cuz someone already said it 🙃
Feeling pain in your lower back that feels like it's moving towards your bellybutton is a huge sign of appendicitis.
You've got 48-72 hours to treat it before it bursts.
#58
If your neck pops and you suddenly feel lightheaded that gets worse. My cousin was driving to work and turned his head to check for traffic. His neck popped on its own and he felt weirdly lightheaded after. When he got a work a few minutes later, he told his boss what happened and collapsed. Boss called an ambulance. It turned out that he tore an artery in his neck. Fortunately, he survived. This is why we're told not to crack our necks, either ourselves or during an adjustment by a chiropractor.
Debby Keir 6 months ago
Just don't EVER see a chiropractor. Google 'Professor Edzard Ernst and chiropraxis'
#59
An unusually dark stool. Bleeding from further up the intestines isn't red and can be harder to spot. It can be an indicator of something serious like polyps or bowel cancer. .
#60
When a newborn babies stops drinking milk for more than a few hours. Source: my baby was septic.
#61
One I had recently was back pain from the right shoulder blade down the back. Can also have a bad stomach ache and pain on the right side under the rib cage. Plus possible dark and thick urine. Gallbladder issues.
#63
Not being able to keep down water and immediately throwing it up. It’s a sign of dehydration or sepsis.
#64
Hopefully most people know this, but a bite from any animal, not just wild or rabid looking animals, I mean even your neighbors dog, if you don’t know if the animals is fully vaccinated, documentation would be best, go to the ER for rabies vaccines.
Debby Keir 6 months ago
*While the UK is largely considered rabies-free, rabies-like viruses are found in some bat species. The last case of classical rabies in a terrestrial animal (not a bat) in the UK was in 1922. Bats, specifically, carry European Bat Lyssaviruses (EBLVs), which can cause rabies-like symptoms in humans* So beware of bats (re rabies) but not dogs/cats etc.
#65
A ripping or tearing sensation in the abdomen and a sense of impending doom = AAA. You’ll more than likely die.
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Angela B 6 months ago (edited)
https://wechope.org/retinoblastoma/retinoblastoma-overview/signs-and-symptoms/ This is an "act now don't wait" that happened 53 years ago and I strongly urge new parents to do now. My Mum noticed my right pupil looked "milky" and not reflective, think red eyes when a camera flash goes off. She took me to a GP and I was flown to a Specialist the next day for a second opinion. It was Retinoblastoma. I had two weeks to live. My right eye and optic nerve were removed, and I am now in my mid 50's and have had an artificial eye ever since. There is now an App, you can download, to check for this, if you notice any difference in your baby's pupils. Again, I reiterate, do not wait.... get it checked. I am only here because my Mum noticed the change. And my incredible and gifted Surgeon, saved my life.
Rafael 6 months ago (edited)
Oh, another one I didn't see here is numbing/weakness on the legs, especially a while after an infection. It could be Guillain-Barré syndrome, a sort of autoimmune disease where your body attacks your own nerves. The numbness and paralysis go up and up - most people recover, but some have respiratory failure, and a few die. I can spell this name on the first try without typos, because my father was in the last group I mentioned above - two weeks from now it will be 20 years since this disease took him from me.
Rafael 6 months ago
I have one, posted on one of the comments and even re-posted on the original Reddit thread, and because I think it is relevant, I'm re-reposting here: I had something called reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS), which on me manifested as a strong headache that was gone in seconds, but left a sharp pang to the back of my neck, during a certain event of physical activity (yep, that one). I discounted that as a muscle spasm or something like that, and since it went away so fast, left it at that. I then casually mentioned it to my GP a few days later on an unrelated appointment. It just so happens that he was a good GP and was just reading about this, and directed me to urgent care right away (as in, "don't drive home, drive to the ER"). Admitted to the hospital for 10 days, they said that since I also have high blood pressure I could've had a stroke.
Wang Zhuang 6 months ago
A few years ago, I woke up one morning with some pain in my right leg. I didn't understand why it hurt, I was fine the day before. I figured I must have tweaked it or something while I was sleeping. I went to work as normal, but after about an hour or so, I started feeling feverish and the pain was getting worse. I also realized that I also felt pain when I touched my leg. I decided to take a sick day and go home and rest for a while, but the feeling kept getting worse. The pain was spreading up towards my thigh. I finally grew concerned enough to get to a clinic a few blocks away. The doctor took one look at my leg and told me to get to an ER right away. He informed me that it was an infection and that if I don't get an IV in me ASAP, I could possibly die. I did as he said and was swiftly admitted. Turns out the infection was cellulitis, and I had to stay in the hospital for five days. I nearly ignored the problem and it could have cost me my life.
Robert T 6 months ago
I'm going to add one to this list. Severe back pain. It can be a sign of aortic aneurysm. I lost my wife to this, as she already had back pain and so the symptoms were confused with that. What is unforgivable though is that we also lost my FIL to it, and the idiot GP didn't think to get it checked out until it was too late - he had surgery to correct it, but died of a heart attack a few days later. So if you get sudden back pain for no reason, get it checked out!
Angela B 6 months ago (edited)
https://wechope.org/retinoblastoma/retinoblastoma-overview/signs-and-symptoms/ This is an "act now don't wait" that happened 53 years ago and I strongly urge new parents to do now. My Mum noticed my right pupil looked "milky" and not reflective, think red eyes when a camera flash goes off. She took me to a GP and I was flown to a Specialist the next day for a second opinion. It was Retinoblastoma. I had two weeks to live. My right eye and optic nerve were removed, and I am now in my mid 50's and have had an artificial eye ever since. There is now an App, you can download, to check for this, if you notice any difference in your baby's pupils. Again, I reiterate, do not wait.... get it checked. I am only here because my Mum noticed the change. And my incredible and gifted Surgeon, saved my life.
Rafael 6 months ago (edited)
Oh, another one I didn't see here is numbing/weakness on the legs, especially a while after an infection. It could be Guillain-Barré syndrome, a sort of autoimmune disease where your body attacks your own nerves. The numbness and paralysis go up and up - most people recover, but some have respiratory failure, and a few die. I can spell this name on the first try without typos, because my father was in the last group I mentioned above - two weeks from now it will be 20 years since this disease took him from me.
Rafael 6 months ago
I have one, posted on one of the comments and even re-posted on the original Reddit thread, and because I think it is relevant, I'm re-reposting here: I had something called reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS), which on me manifested as a strong headache that was gone in seconds, but left a sharp pang to the back of my neck, during a certain event of physical activity (yep, that one). I discounted that as a muscle spasm or something like that, and since it went away so fast, left it at that. I then casually mentioned it to my GP a few days later on an unrelated appointment. It just so happens that he was a good GP and was just reading about this, and directed me to urgent care right away (as in, "don't drive home, drive to the ER"). Admitted to the hospital for 10 days, they said that since I also have high blood pressure I could've had a stroke.
Wang Zhuang 6 months ago
A few years ago, I woke up one morning with some pain in my right leg. I didn't understand why it hurt, I was fine the day before. I figured I must have tweaked it or something while I was sleeping. I went to work as normal, but after about an hour or so, I started feeling feverish and the pain was getting worse. I also realized that I also felt pain when I touched my leg. I decided to take a sick day and go home and rest for a while, but the feeling kept getting worse. The pain was spreading up towards my thigh. I finally grew concerned enough to get to a clinic a few blocks away. The doctor took one look at my leg and told me to get to an ER right away. He informed me that it was an infection and that if I don't get an IV in me ASAP, I could possibly die. I did as he said and was swiftly admitted. Turns out the infection was cellulitis, and I had to stay in the hospital for five days. I nearly ignored the problem and it could have cost me my life.
Robert T 6 months ago
I'm going to add one to this list. Severe back pain. It can be a sign of aortic aneurysm. I lost my wife to this, as she already had back pain and so the symptoms were confused with that. What is unforgivable though is that we also lost my FIL to it, and the idiot GP didn't think to get it checked out until it was too late - he had surgery to correct it, but died of a heart attack a few days later. So if you get sudden back pain for no reason, get it checked out!
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