Your health should be your top priority at all times. It is the foundation for everything else that you do in life. You know this. We know this. But when you’re busy with, well, life, it’s easy to forget just how vital it is to take care of yourself. Or when some health problems pop up, you might feel uncomfortable reaching out to your doctor.
Today, we’re featuring the advice that medical professionals gave about the health warning signs that they wish more people knew about, as shared in two online threads in the ‘Medicine’ online community. It’s a crash course about what not to ignore and a reminder not to put off your doctor’s appointment.
#1
Someone who is okay for a while but not doing as much as they were and maybe talking about giving things away or saying rather dark jokes about after they are gone or just saying they feel sick constantly, then suddenly one day getting very happy or almost relieved is someone who should not be left alone. This is a huge red flag and you should talk to them and directly ask them about it .
30points
#2
If you have a sudden appearance of multiple new floaters or new flashing lights or new curtain in your vision, please get an eye exam asap not 3-4 weeks from now on a Friday afternoon. Usually it’s a posterior vitreous detachment sometimes accompanied by retinal tears.
24points
#3
It’s actually NOT OKAY to not have BMs for days on end, BMs that hurt, BMs that are bloody, BMs that produce rock hard stool, BMs that you have to force out like you’re birthing an infant, or BMs that make you feel like you’re going to pass out.
It’s actually NOT okay for women to leak urine for years with even mild abdominal contractions, laughing, bending over, sneezing, squatting, coughing, getting out of a chair, walking down the stairs, walking up the stairs, and basically anytime not laying down flat or sitting.
It’s actually NOT okay for women to leak urine for years with even mild abdominal contractions, laughing, bending over, sneezing, squatting, coughing, getting out of a chair, walking down the stairs, walking up the stairs, and basically anytime not laying down flat or sitting.
20points
It’s sometimes tough to understand when you do and don’t need emergency assistance. On the one hand, you don’t want to clog up the medical system by going to the emergency room when you’re not in danger. Say, when you have a cold or a small injury that you can treat at home or at a pharmacy.
On the other hand, you want to be safe rather than sorry. You don’t want to put yourself in a situation where you delay medical help when you actually need it because you assume “it’s nothing” and that you’ll get better. After all, doctors know a lot more about potential health risks, and they have access to your medical history.
As a rule of thumb, you should seek immediate medical help if there are sudden changes in your health. And if you’re ever uncertain if you should head to the ER, call your doctor or healthcare provider for support.
#4
That shortness of breath and wheezing and “new onset” asthma in a healthy young man (army ranger which also means would never come to ER) who presents 3 times in 48 hours is probably not asthma.
Scanned him because his Sats 91% (this is a man who runs 10 miles before breakfast) which upset the nurses —initially—who were angry that he was back, bilateral saddle pulmonary emboli. Dodging bullets in the ER.
Scanned him because his Sats 91% (this is a man who runs 10 miles before breakfast) which upset the nurses —initially—who were angry that he was back, bilateral saddle pulmonary emboli. Dodging bullets in the ER.
19points
#5
Working in an ER, I similarly wish more women knew that cardiac symptoms are not as clear when compared to men. Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, etc. are far more common in women with STEMIs compared to men, whereas men often have some form of chest, arm or jaw pain.
19points
#6
When a 70+ year old chronic smoker says: "I quit last week".
I've posted this before. Anecdotally, there's only thing that's going to persuade a patient who has been smoking for 50 years to quit and that is the patient's *own* realization that *something* is up. On direct questioning, you are almost sure to find that he or she has been coughing up blood, or losing weight, or developed angina . . .
I've posted this before. Anecdotally, there's only thing that's going to persuade a patient who has been smoking for 50 years to quit and that is the patient's *own* realization that *something* is up. On direct questioning, you are almost sure to find that he or she has been coughing up blood, or losing weight, or developed angina . . .
19points
As Concordia University stresses, you should go to the emergency room if you have sustained severe physical trauma, lose consciousness, suddenly have a severe headache, suddenly feel pain in your chest, left shoulder or arm, light-headedness, jaw pain, or aching under your breastbone. Other troubling signs are severe shortness of breath, numbness or weakness in the arms or legs, disorientation, and blurred vision.
Another symptom that you shouldn’t ignore and head right to the emergency room, as per ‘Time’ magazine, is if someone you know is suddenly confused or their personality changes. This could be due to a number of things, like a stroke, infection, low blood sugar, etc. So, they need immediate care.
You should also be wary of sudden and unusual upper back pain, nausea, unexplained severe itching, extreme anxiety or a sense of doom, randomly passing out, leg pain or swelling in just one leg, and shortness of breath even while lying down.
#7
Palliative/Hospice care:
- sudden oozing of stool that doesn't seem to end: call the family asap (rectal sphincter is relaxing; pt is probably has minutes to an hour left).
- family is finally accepting of patient's prognosis, and comfort care initiated. Family from a different state or country calls: NO (faraway family will demand everything be done and guilt-trip the proxy and threaten to excommunicate them if they don't do what they want).
- sudden oozing of stool that doesn't seem to end: call the family asap (rectal sphincter is relaxing; pt is probably has minutes to an hour left).
- family is finally accepting of patient's prognosis, and comfort care initiated. Family from a different state or country calls: NO (faraway family will demand everything be done and guilt-trip the proxy and threaten to excommunicate them if they don't do what they want).
19points
#8
I wish patients would recognize that it's not normal to be coughing all the time and short of breath with minimal exertion...
I hate cigarettes.
I hate cigarettes.
18points
#9
"I've been getting full early for awhile now, my stool is pale, my urine is dark, and my wife thinks my skin is getting yellow."
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma in the pancreatic head.
I hate having that conversation.
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma in the pancreatic head.
I hate having that conversation.
18points
Once you’ve finished reading through this post, think about taking part in the conversation in the comments. In your personal experience, what are some symptoms that you wish you had reacted to earlier than you did? Meanwhile, if you have a background in medicine, what advice would you give everyone to inspire them to live a healthier, longer, happier life? Let us know.
#10
Kid complains of abdominal pain a few days/weeks before, isn't gaining weight or is losing weight, and all of a sudden screaming for juice/water/whatever *constantly*, then gets really sleepy and hard to wake up. Diabetes
18points
#11
"You know, I lost vision in that eye a couple weeks ago. But I had another appointment that day so I waited two weeks to come in." Or some variation. Happens all the time. If you suddenly lose vision in one eye, get to an eye doctor immediately. Don't wait. It's always less fixable with time.
18points
#12
I’m honestly shocked how many new onset diabetes with DKA I see and the parents didn’t think it was abnormal that their kid had lost 20 pounds in 2 months. Unintentional weight loss is **never normal.** It’s almost always associated with something serious, whether it be AIDS, new diabetes, or a malignancy. I feel like this should just be common sense but it’s apparently not.
17points
#13
I really wish the approach to heart attacks wasn't to teach a "typical" (male) and an "atypical" (female) presentations. For one, women are half the freaking population, so it can't be *that* rare. My experiences in the ER so far have also been that anything heart related can present however it wants for both men and women.
The sickest cardiac patients I've had as a nurse in the ED (who weren't already dead or actively dying) didn't have any pain at all. They were just chilling and ready to go home. Sometimes they don't even know why they decided to come to the ED in the first place. They can't articulate why they showed up, and if they are in pain it's like a 2/10, but they're the ones who end up shipped out by helicopter straight into the fanciest hospital's OR because they need 500 CABGs and their aorta is about to explode.
The sickest cardiac patients I've had as a nurse in the ED (who weren't already dead or actively dying) didn't have any pain at all. They were just chilling and ready to go home. Sometimes they don't even know why they decided to come to the ED in the first place. They can't articulate why they showed up, and if they are in pain it's like a 2/10, but they're the ones who end up shipped out by helicopter straight into the fanciest hospital's OR because they need 500 CABGs and their aorta is about to explode.
17points
#14
Sudden mental health deterioration. I’m in a third year at medical school right now and in all of my shadowing there seems to be a huge pattern in late diagnosed MS and drop of mental stability. Obviously. Let me explain better.
Mental health nowadays is seemingly almost glorified. A ton of people are blaming things on “oh it’s just my OCD, ADHD, Dyslexia etc”. Undiagnosed as well. When these sudden changes can be huge tell tale signs of actual diseases. I saw someone come into our neuro department after some fasciculations we assumed to be benign. But she explained how they acted with her “anxiety and ocd” which she was undiagnosed. She had late stage MS.
Mental health nowadays is seemingly almost glorified. A ton of people are blaming things on “oh it’s just my OCD, ADHD, Dyslexia etc”. Undiagnosed as well. When these sudden changes can be huge tell tale signs of actual diseases. I saw someone come into our neuro department after some fasciculations we assumed to be benign. But she explained how they acted with her “anxiety and ocd” which she was undiagnosed. She had late stage MS.
17points
#15
Just had one of these. Makes your heart sink. Kid with "sore throat and fever and her lymph nodes just won't go down."
Immediately feel all her matted nodes in her neck, her big spleen and liver. Pre-B Cell.
Immediately feel all her matted nodes in her neck, her big spleen and liver. Pre-B Cell.
16points
#16
Know someone who was concerned that they were losing weight. NP congratulated them because their BMI hd previously been slightly high and dropped plenty. Turned out it was an autoimmune disease and weight loss is a common symptom before it is diagnosed.
16points
#17
Sudden reduction in exertion tolerance. Especially in athletes. I’m worried about someone who runs 10km a day who all of a sudden taps out after 5km.
14points
#18
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss has a normal ear exam. However, the symptoms, besides hearing loss, are a plugged ear and ringing. The plugged ear/aural fullness really seems to throw practitioners off. Practitioners WANT to see pathology when you look in the ear, thinking they have an ear infection. The tympanic membrane will look totally normal. But, there has to be pathology. Right? So they’re treated for an otitis media. Trust your exam that the ear looks normal. Dust off the 512Hz tuning fork (or even a 256) and perform a Rinne (middle of forehead or the top of the head). It will lateralize to the contralateral ear (if it’s an otitis media, it will most likely lateralize to the affected ear).
If you suspect a sudden hearing loss, call up your favorite otolaryngologist. We’ll happily fit them in to get them evaluated.
Globus/throat clearing is reflux even when there isn’t heartburn.
Facial pain and pressure around the cheeks/eyes as the initial symptom for sinusitis is not sinusitis. It’s a migraine headache.
If you suspect a sudden hearing loss, call up your favorite otolaryngologist. We’ll happily fit them in to get them evaluated.
Globus/throat clearing is reflux even when there isn’t heartburn.
Facial pain and pressure around the cheeks/eyes as the initial symptom for sinusitis is not sinusitis. It’s a migraine headache.
12points
#19
New elevated reflexes, positive Hoffman's, especially if also having balance problems or hand tingling, needs an MRI of the c spine and possibly the brain at the same time, asap.
I have caught more than ten cervical stenosis with myelopathy on patients sent for EMG with presumed diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. Always with elevated reflexes in the upper extremities.
I have caught more than ten cervical stenosis with myelopathy on patients sent for EMG with presumed diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. Always with elevated reflexes in the upper extremities.
12points
#20
"Ive been sweating excesively in the middle of the night"
You have been coughing? : Answer = Yes, time to look for Tuberculosis
You have been coughing : Answer = No, time to look for cancer
Another example I really hate in pregnant women
"My baby was moving a lot last week, but he hasnt moved or kicked all this week, Im a bit concerned"
Ok, lets take a look
(In my head: WHY DIDNT YOU CAME EARLIER!?)
Another one:
Jehova witness with hemophilia -.-.
You have been coughing? : Answer = Yes, time to look for Tuberculosis
You have been coughing : Answer = No, time to look for cancer
Another example I really hate in pregnant women
"My baby was moving a lot last week, but he hasnt moved or kicked all this week, Im a bit concerned"
Ok, lets take a look
(In my head: WHY DIDNT YOU CAME EARLIER!?)
Another one:
Jehova witness with hemophilia -.-.
12points