49 Body Things That Make People Panic But Are Totally Normal, According To Doctors

Getting more aches and pains as they age. So many people are on medicine for minor issues. I know there are a lot of people out there that need them for chronic problems, but the amount of people who lay in bed complaining of pain 10/10 in their back astounds me. The best thing for getting rid of back pain (in most cases) is to get up and get moving.

And I'm talking about the ones that have no signs or symptoms of discomfort. They can move, they don't guard or have facial grimacing. They just need those percocet every 4 hours, and if you encourage getting out of bed they look at you like you just kicked a puppy. Most people get aches and pains as they age, some people just really don't handle it well.

Pain response to surgery. It doesn't matter how well you prepare some patients, they will always act shocked that they need analgesics (pain meds) after their procedure. Everyone wants to act tough (I'm looking at you men aged 25-55) but having your chest cracked open is no picnic and chest tubes hurt like hell. It's normal and you're not pathetic for crying.

30% of people have methane-producing bacteria in their bowels. These are the people who can light their farts on fire.

Kids and fevers. People worry about febrile (fever) seizures if the fever is too high but it's not how high it gets, it's how fast it gets there. Please give your kid some Tylenol (Acetaminophen) or Motrin (Ibuprofen) before coming to the ER, we believe you that your kid has had a fever of 103F (39.4C), I don't actually need to see it. Fevers can also last anywhere from 2-7 days so rotating meds will help little ones feel better.

Headaches. Yes, it COULD be an aneurysm, tumor, or stroke. But it could just be a simple HEADACHE! Try some Ibuprofen and water before deciding you are on your deathbed!!!

Concussion symptoms can last a long time and everyone is different on how they react to them. Just because your friend had a concussion and was doing his return to play stuff in a week and a half doesn't mean you're going to recover the same way. Also just because you didn't black out or lose consciousness doesn't mean you aren't concussed, it just means you have 1 less symptom for us to check.

Edit: I'm really glad that this has caused such a discussion with so many experiences/inputs. This has been a topic that I've been passionate about for a while. I've done an undergrad research project on it and hopefully I can get on board with some of the bigger research studies going on so we can reduce the concussion rate in young athletes and prevent a lot of the long term effects. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, educate your kids, athletes etc. Talk to your Athletic Trainers at school (if you have one, that's another thing I'm trying to work on for the future) to talk to your kids and coaches. You would much rather be safe and have them sit out for a game or two than have them sidelined for life.

Blepharospasm or eye twitch, it's usually due to caffeine, stress, fatigue, etc very rarely indicates something more complicated but I had patients wondering if they are having a stroke.

Recently had a diabetic patient complain that her blood sugar was dangerously low...checked it once and it was 148. Checked it again because she was determined to convince me it was too low and she needed soda and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Level was the same.

Good, normal blood glucose parameters for a diabetic patient are 80-149.

Allergies to meds. I can't count the number of pts I've ask "Are there any medications you're allergic to?" and they can't answer it. They either don't know the difference between an allergy and a side effect, or don't know the name of the medication they're allergic to, and don't bother to wear a medical alert bracelet or anything. It's almost like they don't care.

I work in ophthalmology, and the award goes to floaters, the little black spots that you sometimes see floating around your vision.

In rare cases of a ton of them appearing suddenly they may be symptomatic of a more serious issue like a retinal tear or retinal detachment, but 99% of the time they are COMPLETELY benign. And people FREAK. **OUT** when they see them. I had a lady insist on seeing the doctor as an emergency for floaters and she was basically histrionic in the waiting room because she was afraid of going blind between her arrival time and her eye exam with the doctor. I once told another borderline-hysterical woman that I had had floaters my entire life, and she stops crying, stares at me wide-eyed, and says, "You DO? Oh my GOD, how do you LIVE?"

(manly grimace) I just take it day by day...try to keep putting one foot in front of the other...

I work in lab. People freak out if there's a bruise. Somehow this bruise can only ever be my fault. Maybe I went through the vein. Maybe I used too large of a needle. Maybe I jammed it in too quickly. It's never your fault because you bled around my needle or were on blood thinners and no amount of post-draw pressure could prevent the bruise.

It's a bruise. It goes away.

Canker sores. So many foods, herbs, and medicines can cause them. They aren't contagious, but look like herpes. If you've never had one they can make you panic.

I saw a patient who was convinced a tumor was growing on the back of their head. After examination it was just their external occipital protuberance, a normal bump on the back of the skull. It must've been the first time they actually felt the back of their skull.

Foot cramps. If you're all alone when you first get one you may think this is the end.

Regular heart beat isn't.
Speeding up when breathing in and slowing down when breathing out is utterly normal.
Palpitations aren't anything unusual or bad. Sometimes it's just easier to consciously feel the heart at work, usually at night, then people freak themselves out over it, which makes it worse... not a heart attack.
Extra-systoles are also pretty common and while there are illnesses that produce more of them, totally healthy people have them from time to time too. It feels like the heart is skipping half a beat, followed by an extra strong thump.

Therapist here. Depression. I can't tell you how many people think a depressive disorder is the end of the world and that once they cross the magical line of being diagnosed they're going to be miserable forever because now it's "official". There's nothing to be ashamed about. Depression is a lot of things but it's never a flaw of character. I can't tell you how much time is spent in early sessions with a client where they want nothing more but for me to write them some kind of note to the psych saying "he was having a bad day when you diagnosed, he's happy really!".

Indigestion.



Oh, your tummy started hurting a little after you scarfed down a bunch of McDonalds? Exactly which part of this strikes you as an *emergency*?

Had a patient come in to be checked for the plague because he was running a fever, bit didn't treat it with anything and was now fine. The concern was that they lived in the mountains and around squirrels.

Astigmatism. I have patients coming in telling me in the same revered, hushed tones that they'd say 'cancer' that the reason they can't see well is because they have a bad "stigmatism / stigmata / stickaticka / stigma"... My spiel, "A-stigmatism is a technical word that describes how your eye focuses light. You can replace words like near-sighted, far-sighted, and astigmatism with just 'out of focus'. It's not a disease: a camera, a telescope, and an eye can have an astigmatism".

The xiphoid process is the little bit of cartilage/bone right in the centre of the chest towards the bottom of the breastbone, and around fortyish years of age it starts to harden and protrude (usually in men)

Lots of the guys come to the ER thinking it's cancer.