As you age, you realize that health is probably the most important thing in life. Hence the memes about discovering marathons, juice cleanses, and chia seeds once you hit 30.
In reality, people tend to start worrying about their health once something is really wrong. According to a recent survey by Aflac, one in four Americans skip regular checkups and wellness appointments because they feel well at that moment.
However, there are many symptoms or conditions we tend to overlook as harmless. It turns out that many of them can have detrimental effects to our health, as became evident after people started sharing things in the thread of "What is a medical condition that is more serious than people realize?"
#1
Depression. May not be the medical but mental side more really. It’s also a silent k**ler. Check in on people once in a while it might actually save a life.
_oooOooo_:
And honestly, it's so serious bc people have no idea what it actually is. They think its laying in bed all day crying. But it's so much more insidious than that. It's chronic fatigue, no interest in the regular things, it's irritability, it's pain, it's isolation, which can lead to major issues like sadness, loneliness, hopelessness and s*****e. It really is a silent, easily masked k**ler that more people need to know about. Being disinterested in everything isn't normal. But its fixable if you know!
_oooOooo_:
And honestly, it's so serious bc people have no idea what it actually is. They think its laying in bed all day crying. But it's so much more insidious than that. It's chronic fatigue, no interest in the regular things, it's irritability, it's pain, it's isolation, which can lead to major issues like sadness, loneliness, hopelessness and s*****e. It really is a silent, easily masked k**ler that more people need to know about. Being disinterested in everything isn't normal. But its fixable if you know!
68points
#2
Having chronic pain.
People just can’t image never having a break from being stuck with pain… and how it affects basically anything in daily life. Directly and indirectly.
From systemic sleep deprivation to a full blown depression and all sorts of other health risks.
People just can’t image never having a break from being stuck with pain… and how it affects basically anything in daily life. Directly and indirectly.
From systemic sleep deprivation to a full blown depression and all sorts of other health risks.
60points
#3
Autoimmune disease. It’s painful, silent and not easy to diagnose.
johnstonb:
It takes ON AVERAGE 10 years to get diagnosed after the onset of symptoms. In the meantime doctors are completely dismissive of your symptoms. You are tired because you are “depressed”. Your hair is falling out because “stress.” Meanwhile you feel like you’re going crazy.
ChefCarolina:
I lost 6 years of my life, was put on every anti-depressant/anti-psychotic medication, was diagnosed as Bipolar, and was eventually locked up in a mental institution.
All because it never occurred to my doctors to check my thyroid.
johnstonb:
It takes ON AVERAGE 10 years to get diagnosed after the onset of symptoms. In the meantime doctors are completely dismissive of your symptoms. You are tired because you are “depressed”. Your hair is falling out because “stress.” Meanwhile you feel like you’re going crazy.
ChefCarolina:
I lost 6 years of my life, was put on every anti-depressant/anti-psychotic medication, was diagnosed as Bipolar, and was eventually locked up in a mental institution.
All because it never occurred to my doctors to check my thyroid.
46points
#4
Migraines, they can be totally debilitating and increase the likelihood of other serious neurological disorders.
faithle97:
I literally had one so bad I was begging for my husband to drive me to the hospital because I thought something had to be horribly wrong. I’ve had migraines off and on my whole life but that one came out of nowhere, was my first one with aura, was the most intense one I’ve ever felt, and had me puking nonstop for about 5 hours before my husband came home from work. They ended up doing stroke testing at the hospital because of how severe and different that migraine presented compared to all my previous ones. I was on hormonal birth control at the time and the ER doctor told me to stop taking it immediately even though all my stroke testing came back negative.
takethepain-igniteit:
My husband has had chronic almost daily migraines for almost 20 years. It's debilitating! His life revolves around how his head feels. It's the worst during the summer months, he spends days to weeks in our bedroom with blackout curtains drawn and an eye mask on. I feel so horrible that I can't help him. He's tried numerous medications, injections, supplements, diet changes, etc and nothing helps. He's seen all different types of doctors to try to nail down the cause but no one can figure it out. I can't imagine being in the amount of pain he is in most days, but he is still the nicest, most positive person I know.
faithle97:
I literally had one so bad I was begging for my husband to drive me to the hospital because I thought something had to be horribly wrong. I’ve had migraines off and on my whole life but that one came out of nowhere, was my first one with aura, was the most intense one I’ve ever felt, and had me puking nonstop for about 5 hours before my husband came home from work. They ended up doing stroke testing at the hospital because of how severe and different that migraine presented compared to all my previous ones. I was on hormonal birth control at the time and the ER doctor told me to stop taking it immediately even though all my stroke testing came back negative.
takethepain-igniteit:
My husband has had chronic almost daily migraines for almost 20 years. It's debilitating! His life revolves around how his head feels. It's the worst during the summer months, he spends days to weeks in our bedroom with blackout curtains drawn and an eye mask on. I feel so horrible that I can't help him. He's tried numerous medications, injections, supplements, diet changes, etc and nothing helps. He's seen all different types of doctors to try to nail down the cause but no one can figure it out. I can't imagine being in the amount of pain he is in most days, but he is still the nicest, most positive person I know.
40points
#5
Anxiety. The stress on your body causes SO many other issues.
37points
#6
Being knocked out with a blow to the head. TV and movies treat it like a nearly harmless off-switch. In reality, if someone loses consciousness due to head trauma it should always be treated as a medical emergency.
37points
#7
ADHD. It's definitely commonly recognized and treated but I don't think most non-ADHD people truly understand how frustrating it is living with it. Your whole life revolves around it, because unless you're always keeping it in check, you can't live in normal society, and it's f*****g exhausting having to always be hyper aware of everything you do. Your productivity, your memory, your sensory perception, all of that, is by default, hindered permanently compared to a neurotypical person, but unfortunately, most things are built around neurotypical capabilities (working 9-5, etc.) and it's so mentally draining to force yourself to adapt to that culture.
Meds and good habits help but they can only do so much. No matter what you do or take, you will sooner or later fall into a cycle of procrastination, of forgetfulness, of "ADHD paralysis", of sensory overstimulation, and it f*****g sucks because it's so difficult to explain to people. It's become so normalized that most people, at least the ones I've talked to, think you're overplaying it or that it's not that big of a deal.
Meds and good habits help but they can only do so much. No matter what you do or take, you will sooner or later fall into a cycle of procrastination, of forgetfulness, of "ADHD paralysis", of sensory overstimulation, and it f*****g sucks because it's so difficult to explain to people. It's become so normalized that most people, at least the ones I've talked to, think you're overplaying it or that it's not that big of a deal.
36points
#8
Endometriosis— Some women feel Level 10 pain every month and have to miss school and work because they can’t get out of bed.
embarrassedburner:
Widespread nerve pain in various body regions, lung collapse, urinary, digestive, menstrual, sexual, reproductive, cognitive, mood, and fatigue symptoms. People have no idea how debilitating this disease can be.
embarrassedburner:
Widespread nerve pain in various body regions, lung collapse, urinary, digestive, menstrual, sexual, reproductive, cognitive, mood, and fatigue symptoms. People have no idea how debilitating this disease can be.
34points
#9
In my opinion: Anorexia nervosa.
It is the deadliest Mental disorder and (at least in Germany) you need to be underweight to get treatment.
And it gets f*cking romanticized nowadays and in the past - especially in girls. (And guys don't get taken seriously if they have it, so everyone is f*cked).
It is the deadliest Mental disorder and (at least in Germany) you need to be underweight to get treatment.
And it gets f*cking romanticized nowadays and in the past - especially in girls. (And guys don't get taken seriously if they have it, so everyone is f*cked).
33points
#10
Pregnancy.
creepyging923:
It seems like people forget that women still regularly die while pregnant and during child birth.
creepyging923:
It seems like people forget that women still regularly die while pregnant and during child birth.
33points
#11
Type 1 Diabetes. A lot of people have no idea that you will die without insulin.
orbit99za:
Type 1 diabetes
It really is an invisible fight.
You need injections up to 3+ times a day to survive.
You had better get your calculations right, because insulin is so potent. If wrong, you have literally k****d yourself.
People confuse it with Type 2 diabetes and blame it on bad eating habits.
In all honesty, they should have named it something else.
Source: Type 1 diabetic.
orbit99za:
Type 1 diabetes
It really is an invisible fight.
You need injections up to 3+ times a day to survive.
You had better get your calculations right, because insulin is so potent. If wrong, you have literally k****d yourself.
People confuse it with Type 2 diabetes and blame it on bad eating habits.
In all honesty, they should have named it something else.
Source: Type 1 diabetic.
30points
#12
Thyroidism, hypo or hyper. It impacts the heart, the lungs/breathing, mental health, weight, hair and nails, etc. if you're feeling super tired, out of breath doing usual task, heart palpitations, please demand a full thyroid panel. They will try and push TSH. This test only catches levels at the time of blood draw. Demand the full panel looking at T3, T4, TSH. It's treatable with a pill a day.
29points
#13
Rheumatoid Arthritis. Anyone that has it will agree. People who don’t understand it think it’s like the type or osteoarthritis that comes with age and just wear and tear on your joints but it’s actually a serious autoimmune disease and affects tendons and ligaments and vital organs as well as joints. It’s a debilitating and progressive disease and treatment with serious DMARDS or biologics is not optional. There’s no cure and it’s a lifelong battle with treatments that cause side effects and suddenly stop working.
It’s not just sore joints.
Very frustrating but don’t see the ignorance or attitude changing in the near future.
It’s not just sore joints.
Very frustrating but don’t see the ignorance or attitude changing in the near future.
Report
29points
#14
Tinnitus.
Kitchen_Beat_9965:
100% I developed this 2 months ago and haven’t slept more than an hour a night since. It’s absolute hell. People commit s**cide from it and I understand why.
Kitchen_Beat_9965:
100% I developed this 2 months ago and haven’t slept more than an hour a night since. It’s absolute hell. People commit s**cide from it and I understand why.
28points
#15
CPTSD. It isn’t just a mental illness, it can alter your genetic expression and is basically severe nervous system injury/dysfunction resulting in a host of bodily issues and physical disorders that often leads to a shortened life span.
27points
#16
PCOS. While it's not disabling, the symptoms have dominated my life since puberty and into my 30s and foreseeable future. It's not just irregular periods and intense pain when it comes. It's nearly 2 decades battle with acne that is more than "you need to wash your face and use topicals". It's endless frustration being told that to get rid of it I must lose weight, not understanding why the same diet and exercise regiments weren't working for me as for my friends only to learn at 30 that PCOS gives me insulin resistance and I have to eat less and completely different. A battle to look normal.
And I don't even have the infertility struggles and hair growth issues that other PCOS sufferers have to endure.
And I don't even have the infertility struggles and hair growth issues that other PCOS sufferers have to endure.
27points
#17
Dehydration. It can impair brain function and cause organ failure and death. It’s also easier than you think to become dehydrated.
26points
#18
High blood pressure. We don’t call it “the silent k**ler” for nothing.
Secure-Persimmon-421:
Oof, for real! I left my hypertension undiagnosed and untreated for numerous years. No one thought it was true for me bc I was “so young to have high bp” in my early and mid 20s. But heart probs run in my fam and I had all the high-rick behavior. When I got on meds, it was a game changer and I feel so much better.
Secure-Persimmon-421:
Oof, for real! I left my hypertension undiagnosed and untreated for numerous years. No one thought it was true for me bc I was “so young to have high bp” in my early and mid 20s. But heart probs run in my fam and I had all the high-rick behavior. When I got on meds, it was a game changer and I feel so much better.
25points
#19
Epilepsy.
People think my life isn't being impacted just because I'm not currently having a seizure. That's not the only symptom. It's so common, yet people generally know nothing about it.
People think my life isn't being impacted just because I'm not currently having a seizure. That's not the only symptom. It's so common, yet people generally know nothing about it.
22points
#20
Sleep apnea. Not gonna be able to breathe in one night and that’ll be the end for you.
Fit_Elk_1269:
Sleep apnea !! A lot of people brush it off as just snoring, but it can seriously mess with your heart, brain, mood, and overall energy. Left untreated, it raises your risk for stroke, heart disease, and even memory problems. It's more than just being tired ,it affects your whole body.
Alarmed-Extension289:
Sleep Apnea, it pretty much affects you and your partners quality of life.
Fit_Elk_1269:
Sleep apnea !! A lot of people brush it off as just snoring, but it can seriously mess with your heart, brain, mood, and overall energy. Left untreated, it raises your risk for stroke, heart disease, and even memory problems. It's more than just being tired ,it affects your whole body.
Alarmed-Extension289:
Sleep Apnea, it pretty much affects you and your partners quality of life.
22points
