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“Don’t Ignore These”: 45 Symptoms People Swear Are More Serious Than They Seem
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!
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#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.
#3
My earache ended up being a heart attack! Women have different symptoms, so pay attention!
#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.
#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.
#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 1 month 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.
#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 4 weeks 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.
#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.
#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 4 weeks 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.
#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.
#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 4 weeks 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!
#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 4 weeks 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 1 month 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.
#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 4 weeks 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.
#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 1 month 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.
#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" 4 weeks 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 4 weeks 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.
#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 4 weeks ago (edited)
I hope that since you're writing this, you're in treatment or have beaten it.
#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 4 weeks 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.
#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 4 weeks 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..
#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.
#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.
#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). .
#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 4 weeks 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!
#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 1 month 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.
#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 1 month 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.
#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 4 weeks 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.
#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 4 weeks 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.
#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 1 month 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.
#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 4 weeks 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.
#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 4 weeks 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!
#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 4 weeks ago
My s*x life is none of George Clooney's business. Plus I don't know him.
#42
Someone with experience with a herniated disc here: a tingling sensation in the leg sounds very harmless, but it is not.
Patrisia Sheremeta 4 weeks 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.
#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.
#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 4 weeks ago
MRSA usually needs an open wound, I got it several times due to having surgical drains.
#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.
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Angela B 4 weeks 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.
Bowtechie 1 month ago (edited)
Not really an ER situation but the comment someone made about gaslighting themselves made me think of it. If you feel like your neck is getting a weird muscle development or one side looks bigger than the other go talk to your doctor. It may actually be an enlarged thyroid or - as in my case - a thyroid nodule. I put off mentioning how my neck felt to my doctor because I thought my weight loss (intentional) was just bringing in new definition but nope, turns out my thyroid wants to become a mutant and join the X-men.
Rafael 4 weeks 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.
Angela B 4 weeks 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.
Bowtechie 1 month ago (edited)
Not really an ER situation but the comment someone made about gaslighting themselves made me think of it. If you feel like your neck is getting a weird muscle development or one side looks bigger than the other go talk to your doctor. It may actually be an enlarged thyroid or - as in my case - a thyroid nodule. I put off mentioning how my neck felt to my doctor because I thought my weight loss (intentional) was just bringing in new definition but nope, turns out my thyroid wants to become a mutant and join the X-men.
Rafael 4 weeks 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.
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