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In 2022, 38% of Americans said they or a family member skipped or delayed medical care because of cost, according to a poll from Gallup.

27% of respondents said the treatments they passed over were for "very" or "somewhat" serious conditions or illnesses, while 11% percent reported neglecting to pursue care for non-serious health issues.

However, as one recent Reddit thread shows, forgoing treatment can result in substantial consequences and can compound costs down the road.

Started by platform user Prudent_Tip4118, it asked people to share the "normal" symptom they had that ended up being an actual medical problem. Here are some of the replies.

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#1

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise Not me, but one of my brother's friends in high school.

This friend was a goober; always making silly but friendly jokes that make families laugh as a whole, all and all a genuinely funny person.

One day he took my sister's glasses and was "acting like her" only to pause for a moment and then say "wait...is this how things are supposed to look?"

My man needed glasses and found out from f****n around. I'm glad the universe leaned towards him in a positive way as far as that went!

innerfatboy3 , cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Jeremy James
Jeremy James
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I found out recently that street lights and headlights aren't supposed to look like starbursts. I thought it was like that for everyone.

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#2

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise A random sharp pain above my right ear and my tongue curling slightly. I thought it was just old age. Doc recognized it instantly as something wrong with my tongue. The cancer has been cured for seven years.

cwsjr2323 , cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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#3

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise Depression. Apparently losing all hope and being numb to joy isn't just a part of growing up.

PhreedomPhighter , Andrew Neel / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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R.C.
R.C.
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I dealt with severe clinical depression for 9 years. It came on slowly enough that I didn't recognize that something was wrong until my first s*****e attempt. I thought it was just part of being a moody teenager. It messes with you so much. When my doctor was trying to regulate it with meds, I'd go in after being on a certain med for a few months and he'd ask if I felt normal and I'd have to tell him that I didn't remember what normal felt like. I could only tell him if I felt better or worse than the day before.

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#4

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise It took my lungs collapsing at 17 years old before doctors realized I wasn’t breathing in deeply enough to expand the bottom half of my lungs for basically my whole life. They asked why I never complained about shortness of breath. I never knew breathing was supposed to be easier than what I was experiencing.

honeybeebzzz , Kelvin Valerio / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Candace
Candace
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As someone with asthma, I definitely understand the feeling of not being able to breath to the fullest. If you can't breathe normally, get it checked out!

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#5

When I was about nineteen, I randomly heard on NPR that it takes the average person around 20 minutes to fall asleep and I went "oh s**t" because apparently my bar for having sleep issues was way, way too high. To me, a good night sleep meant I fell asleep within two hours of going to bed and it wasn't "trouble" until I hit three hours. And once I communicated this to my doctor and was finally able to treat my crippling insomnia with medication, my depression and anxiety suddenly got way more manageable as well.

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#6

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise I thought I pulled a muscle playing with my dogs one day. One week later I finally go to the hospital because the pain is getting worse. Turns out I suffer from a genetic blood clotting condition and had a two foot log clot in my leg and multiple pulmonary embolisms on my lungs. Doctor was legit surprised I was alive.

EchoRespite , Kindel Media / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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#7

General stomach pain that I dismissed as perhaps constipation, but which would - every few years or so - send me to emergency worrying that it was my appendix. I was kicked out of emergency departments at different hospitals multiple times, because it was not.

I moved to a new city and was lucky enough to score a decent family doctor who took it seriously. She told me she was rather impressed with the amount of "referred pain" I was having and that I should go straight to emergency. I replied that there was not a hope in hell I would subject myself to that kind of humiliation again. No way.

She sent me for a CAT scan and lo and behold, it WAS my appendix. She referred me to a surgeon, and on the day of my surgery no one in the hospital seemed particularly interested in my condition, I think most of the medical staff thought I was having unnecessary surgery though, curiously, they were MUCH nicer to me afterward. I recall a lot of people standing over me in the recovery room.

The surgeon called me to come in for a meeting a couple of weeks later, and when I walked into his office he had an odd expression on his face. He told me my appendix was many times the normal size, probably because it had been infected and healed over the years, building up scar tissue. He asked me if I minded if he wrote it up in a medical paper or a textbook (I can't remember exactly which - he taught at the university). I gather at the time "grumbling appendixes" were a bit of a unicorn and there had been much debate over whether they were real. So I guess my appendix settled that argument in the medical community once and for all.

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#8

After 40+ years it turns out I'm not just weird or liked things most didn't. Finding out you have Autism that late in life is hard. Knowing that 40+ years of life could of been easier if I only knew is very upsetting.

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Geoffrey Scott
Geoffrey Scott
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I, at 61 am wondering about this. One of my earliest memories (less than 5) is going somewhere that was full of down syndrome kids, don't get on well with people. Have been called aloof and unemotional. Wonder how folks connect with each other when I cannot. Diagnosis won't do a damn thing for me now, fixing to retire. Mom died in 96, would have been handy info to ask about it.

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#9

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise My family told me I would randomly “space out”, although I never remembered, all thought it was normal. Turned out, I was having “absence seizures”. We only found that out at a routine doctor’s appointment, just conversing with the doc, when I guess I just came to and the doctor said she wanted to get a bunch of tests done. Been an epileptic for almost 17 years now. Edit: I was shocked, tbh to see how many of has or had what I have. Unfortunately, my Epilepsy has evolved into tonic-clonic seizures, I rarely have absences anymore, but had one focal back in November. For anyone who has friends and/or family who has seizures and Epilepsy, thank you for being there for them. Just know, that we appreciate you all. For all that HAVE seizures and Epilepsy, UNITE!!! 

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laura lee
laura lee
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8 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh s**t is that what I have? I've been told I zone out or im ignoring since I was a young child. They called it day dreaming or spacing out. Sometimes in kinda aware, like I feel like I need to stare off in some random direction for while. Like I'd tell ppl I'm not staring at you i just need to be like this for a minute, all monotone like. Guess I ought to get that checked out

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#10

That it was completely normal to have about 10 to 20 or so mostly creative hobbies that one purchases a bunch of tools and supplies for and randomly dabbles in on and off for several years if not the rest of one’s life, or completely drops out of sudden disinterest. After all, my great great grandparent potentially did it, my great grandmother did it, my grandpa did it, my parent does it, and I do it.

Turns out the ADHD runs *very strong* in my family.

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#11

My mom convinced me as a kid that I was always just being a “big baby” about my period cramps. I’m talking like curled up in the fetal position on the floor crying type pain. Then when I had an ACTUAL baby, and the contractions weren’t as bad as some of my worst cramps, I finally realized she was just a dismissive POS.

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Upstaged75
Upstaged75
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was told by an actual doctor that I was being a wimp about my cramps. I went untreated for years because no one believed me. Turns out I'm riddled with endometriosis and it had wrapped around my tubes and basically destroyed them. It's all over really - at the moment it's glued my uterus to my bowels. It doesn't show up on any tests though - the only way to confirm it is surgery. I still want to punch that doctor who said "some women just have rough periods". :(

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#12

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise As a kid I had anxiety and my heart would race. Fast. It felt like a hummingbird in my chest and would abruptly pause and resume a normal pace after a few minutes. At age 23 I had a bad reaction to a tricyclic antidepressant called imipramine and was rushed to the hospital. They ran an EKG and that rapid heart rate was a congenital defect known as Wolfe Parkinson White syndrome. Basically I had an accessory or 2nd electrical system in my heart that would cause a “short circuit” occasionally and my heart rate would skyrocket. It was cured via a procedure using radio waves to form scar tissue around the accessory node because the impulse could not conduct through the tissue. No problems since.

Ambitious_Doubt_1101 , Joice Kelly/ pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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#13

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise Losing weight suddenly got a little easier, and I assumed it was due to my efforts. Happy with my success, I buckled down harder (funny how it's easy to keep "being good" when you're actually seeing results). I lost more! It actually got to be almost easy. I thought I was doing such a great job! Turns out it was cancer. I guess I should have known something was up, but I honestly thought I was just doing a really great job with my diet and exercise. Had 4 surgeries and treatment and I'm doing well. Now I'm on meds with all kinds of side effects, including weight gain. Yay. But I'm alive, and so much better off than many others. I've only gained a little bit back, despite working really hard not to.

Grilled_Cheese10 , Andres Ayrton / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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glowworm2
glowworm2
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nothing is sadder than finding out that sudden weight loss is due to cancer.

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#14

Had a slightly sprained ankle that just blew up in a day and split the skin. Turns out, not a sprain but Pyoderma gangrenosum, a rare skin inflammation condition that acts like gangrene. Nobody could tell me what it was that made my ankle flesh explode.

Within a week they were talking to me about amputation. Then Nurse Molly came back from vacation and identified it as she’d seen it once before. Still have both my feet and nearly full mobility.
Grateful for teaching hospitals that draw professionals from all over like Nurse Molly ❤️.

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David Fox
David Fox
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Absolutely bloody painful, had it on my leg after I got a spider bite. Not a great Christmas...took 8 months to start healing

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#15

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise Not sleeping or eating for days but still feeling great and having more energy than your average athlete. Turns out you're bipolar!

honkifyouresimpy , SHVETS production / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Natalie Kelsey
Natalie Kelsey
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I didn't find out I had ADHD and bipolar disorder until I was 31 and had four kids. Thought I was just annoying and easily irritated. Things are a lot better with meds and therapy

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#16

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise Sharp, excruciating pain in my hand. Thought it was arthritis, it runs in the family.

Nope. Bone tumor, thankfully non-malignant, slowly eating its way through my hand.

Two surgeries (one to remove the tumor, one to get bone graft from my femur) done at once, some cadaver bone, lots of excruciating physical therapy and a gnarly scar later—no more pain!

dannicalliope , Kateryna Hliznitsova / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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UpQuarkDownQuark (he/him)
UpQuarkDownQuark (he/him)
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well, sh*t. Now I’m worried about my excruciating hand pain that my doctor can’t figure out.

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#17

Inattentive ADHD. Got diagnosed at 54 and my life all suddenly made sense.

It was like riding a bike with a flat tire and wondering why peddling appeared to be so much easier for everyone else. Being told I'm sometimes too lazy or a dreamer, etc. Then learning at age 54 the existence of tire pumps and being able to keep up. Game changer.

Still annoys me that all along, this medication was available and could've helped decades ago.

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bas moelard
bas moelard
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's a very sound explanation. I feel that. I was diagnosed at 38. Without medication it's like a kindergarten without the teacher present in my head. With the medication, everything is as it 'supposed to be'. You're awesome like you are. Don't be annoyed by the past. It shows that you're a badass MF! You somehow made it work for you all along. You're a fighter. Be proud of that.

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#18

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise Massively heavy periods in my 40s. I thought it was just perimenopause. Turns out it was adenomyosis.

therealzue , Sora Shimazaki / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Disgruntled Pelican
Disgruntled Pelican
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Friggin adenomyosis is crippling. I regularly black out from blood loss. First time I passed out from it was when I was 12.

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#19

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise Until I was 16 I thought everyone got stomach cramps a few times a day. Turns out I'm lactose intolerant. .

go_eat_worms , Sora Shimazaki / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Zenozenobee
Zenozenobee
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When we were kids my sister hated milk with passion but we were forced to drink some during breakfast and in the morning recess in kindergarden. She stopped drinking milk as soon as my mother gave up the fight. We all know whe doesn't drink milk and that was it. Then, I became a mother. my youngest was 5yo and got really sick one afternoon and the same repeat the next day. I realised that both times she had a chocolate milk less than an hour before. Got her checked and... My daughter can't drink milk anymore. Cheeses, yogourts and cakes are OK but not milk. I warned my family about it and my sister had some questions for my little one, recognised why she was refusing to drink her milk as a kid. Turned out she was also lactose intorelant.

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#20

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise You know how you get all congested after excercising, and wheeze for a bit before everything settles down again? No? Yeah, that’s because most people don’t have excercise induced asthma. I was in my 30s before I knew that was a problem and not normal.

GreyFoxLemonGrass , amazingmikael / envanto (not the actual photo) Report

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Geoffrey Scott
Geoffrey Scott
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Daughter has that. Was diagnosed in middle school. Couldn't figure out why she was coughing constantly, especially after a basketball game

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#21

Burn-out.

I remember saying it was too much and just.. continuing. "Guess it was fine"

*he was in fact, not fine*

That moment when your psychosomatic issues get so extreme you can no longer leave the house. And recovery is so slowwwwwwwww.....

Still going through it. Doing much better than before but nowhere near good enough.

-infinite/10 experience, do not recommend. Take care, y'all, too much is too much.

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#22

I almost cried the first time I tried medication for ADHD, my mind was so quiet and peaceful

EDIT: There’s a lot of questions in the replies. I’ll try to answer a few here. I’m also on mobile so sorry lol.

When did I get diagnosed and how?

I think I was like 20?

I was able to strongman my way through an associates degree without knowing I had ADHD. This was during covid. My career started shortly after.

A few months later, I hit the worst period of burnout in my life. I was so forgetful I was terrified I was developing early dementia, I took so many naps I was scared I had narcolepsy. I straight up did not see other cars when I was driving. I lost things frequently and I couldn’t keep up with laundry or dishes for the life of me. I was miserable.

Oh and my great new job? 8 hours a day at the computer, work from home. Trying to make myself get something done was almost physically painful. I just kept wandering away from my desk.

I was so distraught I finally mentioned it to my doctor. I had originally made the appointment for something else, but as our time ran out I decided to throw it out there.

I was worried she’d think I was stupid given how many people try to self diagnose via the internet, but I had really identified with a lot of content I saw online. She gave me a referral to see the psychiatrist.

I had heard a lot of stories about people who had to fight for their diagnosis, but my appointment with the psychiatrist was great. We just kinda talked for a bit about the symptoms I was experiencing and she was like “yup that’s adhd”.

She also said that she sees cases like me all the time, kids who do okay undiagnosed until they reach their tipping point and just completely fizzle out. Especially girls/women.

What medication do I take?
I’m on 30mg of Vyvanse now, while it has been life changing, there’s some side effects I’m going to bring up at my next appointment. I’m not sure if I’m on the right medication or dose.

To my understanding, medication should just make you feel like “you but more productive”, but I’m having problems with irritability and my husband accidentally let it slip that I’m “more fun” when I don’t take it, and he’s not wrong. Sometimes I miss my pre-vyvanse personality. He still supports me 100% though, medicated or unmedicated.

Anyways, if you made it this far thanks for reading. I don’t have access to a therapist so typing my experience here is kinda therapeutic.

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Tempest
Tempest
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The having to “fight for a diagnosis” part is so frustrating. You’re so incredibly lucky that both your GP and psychiatrist actually listened to your proposed diagnosis. I have some annoying mental health struggles which, after suffering on my own for over 10 years, I successfully self-diagnosed. I was actually so relieved to know what I have because that actually made me understand why I was the way I was. Last month for the first time in my life I consulted a psychiatrist and without even asking my full medical history, she discredited my self diagnosis. I myself am a graduated medical student so I know the hows and whys of psychiatric diagnoses but my psychiatrist just doesn’t want to admit that her patient can be right. It’s so frustrating. I’m waiting to just go ballistic on her at my next appointment because the antidepressants she simply prescribed me aren’t exactly helping me out fully and it’s making me miserable.

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#23

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise I thought I had bad period cramps. Then I thought I had acute food poisoning. Turns out I had ovarian torsion and my ovary was slowly dying over the course of a few days.

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Tempest
Tempest
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8 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ovarian torsions (and testicular torsions) are extremely painful and if not treated promptly (they’re usually considered medical emergencies), you could lose the ovary/testicle which will obviously significantly affect your reproductive health. If you suspect you have a torsion get to the ER ASAP!

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#24

Was always told periods are painful (ex: cramps). So for years I thought my incredibly debilitating period pain was me being a little b***h about it.

Turns out I have both PCOS and endometriosis and, of course, fertility issues. FML.

Edit : word.

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Natasha Arruda
Natasha Arruda
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

PCOS here as well, which was a big cause of my obesity as a child/teen and made school hell, especially with the abnormal hair growth too. Got a gastric in 2013 though and have been at a normal weight for a long time. Still have irregular periods but that's not a concern to me.

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#25

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise Bent over to pick something up and felt a twinge in my groin (I’m male). I thought perhaps it may be a hernia. I wasn’t too concerned about it then things started to ache a bit. I went to the doctor only to find out I had testicular cancer. Fortunately after we cut out lefty and got all the results back from pathology it was staged at 1A seminoma. Meaning the surgery alone was all the treatment I needed.

disneyDaf , Tima Miroshnichenko / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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#26

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise I thought I was constipated for a few days. Hurt like hell. Turned out to be diverticulitis and a perforated colon. My wife called the ER and they brought me in without triage and sent a chaplain. I lost a foot of my large intestines and almost died.

VR6SLC , Andrea Piacquadio/ pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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MoMcB
MoMcB
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Diverticulitis by itself is miserable. This must have been agony, poor man.

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#27

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise That pulled muscle was actually a collapsed lung. After days of hot baths, massages, trying to relax-nah, nothing helped. No wonder.

bmbmwmfm2 , cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Tempest
Tempest
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Two years ago when obtaining an X-ray for a general health checkup, I discovered that part of my right lung is basically non-functional. The radiologists had no idea why there was a shadow (consolidation) in part of my lung. They kept repeatedly asking if I have or have had some infection and kept making me change position and adjust the hospital gown in case they were causing the issue. In the end when no one could figure it out they just asked me to consult a lung specialist and present the X-ray. He made me obtain a chest CT scan. And that’s how I finally found out that I have a rare congenital (from birth) heart condition in my early 20s. That part of the lung which is basically useless receives oxygen as normal but the vein that should drain it into the left side of my heart instead drains into the right side of the heart, essentially wasting the oxygenated blood from that part of the lung. I never experienced any significant symptoms and I still don’t have any issues.

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#28

I'm likely not articulating correctly, but I thought my not going outside and fear of people was me just adjusting to living in a new country. Turns out I have CPTSD from my childhood. I've been living in the new country for a decade and if anything, I have gotten worse. A visit to my parents last year after many years away kind of "broke" me, in a sense, and long story short I am seeing a psychiatrist in a few months (he comes very highly recommended so there is a wait) to try and get this fixed.

To anyone reading who has kids and is living in domestic violence: this is one possible outcome. I don't talk to my parents anymore. I know it's hard to leave, but please think of your children and their well-being. If you can't think of your children's well-being, please consider whether you want a relationship with them when they're adults.

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Sunny Day
Sunny Day
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was nearly 40 before I realized how much my parents' abuse had affected me. I went no-contact and most of my stress went with it.

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#29

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise I kept telling my OB I was worried about my legs/ankles swelling in the later part of my pregnancy. They dismissed it—told me all pregnant people experience it.

At 39 weeks I got sent to the hospital for extra monitoring on the baby due to an irregular test . She ended up being fine but my blood pressure was crazy high. I was induced that night and then given an emergency C-section due to severe preeclampsia.

Not a fun start to my baby’s life but she’s here and healthy so I can’t be too upset.

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Marianne
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How can an OB just dismiss a clear sign for preeclampsia? That's so neglectful!

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#30

It was retroactive, but when I wore prescription glasses back when I was 24, the first thing I said was "people are supposed to see this?"

Everything looked like the sharpness meter on my vision was maxed out. I just kinda thought nobody could see details in things past 20 feet lol.

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VOTE if you live in the USA
VOTE if you live in the USA
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I got glasses in 6th grade after the encouragement of one of my teachers. The first thing I said when I put them on was "there are leaves on the trees!" My mom cried.

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#31

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise Used to drop my makeup all the time when I was getting ready in the morning. Ugh, so clumsy. Ended up being myoclonic seizures.

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LakotaWolf (she/her)
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My dog has full-body myoclonus from neurological damage from having distemper as a puppy. Not quite the same as the seizure form, as his are nonstop. I can only imagine how terrifying it must be for a human to have myoclonus/myoclonal seizures!

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#32

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise I'd have these really minor facial twitches, like a single small muscle in my upper lip or eyebrow. Nothing even severe enough to be visible by others. However, they'd last for a few weeks straight, even while I was trying to sleep.

I didn't think twice about it. They always went away on their own, after all!

After I suddenly went blind in my left eye and got diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, I connected the dots.

Edit: Facial twitches are normal! Just because you have twitches often doesn't mean you have a problem, especially if you don't have any other reason to believe you have multiple sclerosis or any other disease. My twitches were CONSTANT for WEEKS. And even then, there are other, less serious (and probably more likely!) things that can cause that. Please don't let my comment stress you out.

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Nadine Debard
Nadine Debard
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A multiple Sclerosis relapse is characterized only if the symptoms are permanent during at least 24 hours. And there still are many, many other explanations other than MS.

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#33

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise Apparently your belly button isn't supposed to hurt. It was an umbilical hernia. :(.

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Peter Trudell Jr
Peter Trudell Jr
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I didn't know there was a problem when I went from an "innie" to an 'outie' until the wife noticed. You're not supposed to be able to push in your belly button like that. Surgery took care of it, no strangulation, thankfully.

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#34

I didn’t realize other people didn’t hallucinate. When people would say “did you say something? I thought I heard someone say my name.” I thought it was the same thing as me hearing voices. Apparently when people think they heard a voice that wasn’t there, that was very different than me screaming and crying and praying because I heard a scary voice say awful things and didn’t know where it was coming from.

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Flora Porter
Flora Porter
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's so much more work to be done to understand how the brain works. If I had my time again, it would be fascinating to work in neuroscience.

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#35

Finally one I can answer!

Was diagnosed with a habit cough, but then I started developing intense pain in my legs when walking even short distances. I had blood work done, and my doctor told me to go to the ER immediately.

I got diagnosed with a blood clot in my heart, and blood clots in my legs, with heart failure and kidney failure. I had fluid around my heart, which explains the cough. I was 21 years old when this happened, and I’m 24 now. I’ll be on medication for the rest of my life that keeps my heart from failing again, and I’ll need a kidney transplant at some point in the future. My medical goal is to keep my kidneys functioning for as long as possible.

Turns out that sometimes a cough isn’t just a harmless tic.

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Gracie Lou
Gracie Lou
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mother has had a persistent cough since the early 70's. Doctor's were never able to figure out why.

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#36

Slogging through life. I felt like everyday was like treading water. Turns out my thyroid gland wasn’t working well. I got on levothyroxine and within a day I realized “this is how people do things, holy s**t”. Life changing.

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Amanda Rose
Amanda Rose
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm on Levothyroxine for Hashimoto's. It's definitely made some great improvements in my daily life! Better living through chemistry as my dad says.

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#37

I smell things that don’t exist. I casually mentioned to my doctor and it turns out they’re a type of seizure. He wanted to put me on meds. I said I thought that was a bit much and didn’t want them. But according to him (and later, a neurologist) they can turn into grand mal seizures. So I’ve been on anticonvulsant meds for 20 years.

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LakotaWolf (she/her)
LakotaWolf (she/her)
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Uh, this happens to me, a lot. I have always thought it just heralded a migraine, as I almost always get a migraine after smelling phantom smells. I… think I should probably mention this to my GP.

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#38

35 Things People Assumed Were Normal About Their Bodies Until Someone Pointed Out Otherwise Suddenly getting dizzy, heart racing, hearing fading out, eventually throwing up and passing out if I go too long without food.

Didn’t learn till my mid 20’s that not everyone had piles of snacks everywhere they went so they didn’t end up on the floor. 

I’ve been tested for diabetes five times and it’s not that so who knows. Just can’t get too hungry or I’m f****d I guess. .

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Amanda Rose
Amanda Rose
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sounds like hypoglycemia, which is a separate condition from diabetes. I have reactive hypoglycemia which means I get these same symptoms when experiencing times of illness or extreme stress. It happens very fast too. Thankfully I have gotten pretty good at recognizing the crash that is about to happen and getting myself in a safe location and sitting/laying down.

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#39

Had what I thought was a pimple on my armpit that I ignored. Wasn’t overly concerned, thought it was something that would just go away.

A few weeks later, I came down with what I thought was some sort of flu. The flu lasted longer than normal so I decided to go to the emergency room to get checked out.

Turned out that I had a large tumour in my chest caused by lymphoma and the ‘pimple’ on my armpit was actually a swollen lymph node.

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Tempest
Tempest
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

OMG just today (since several hours ago now) my armpit was feeling sore and I touched around and felt a pimple of sort which is what was causing the pain (as it was getting squashed when my arm is hanging down). I’ll wait a bit and get it checked out.

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#40

Was declining in strange ways at work. Thought it was my 30s catching up to me...nope heart went to 10% output and had a heart attack at 33.

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#41

That weird lump on my neck that appeared out of no where was skin cancer. I’m now sitting here with 8 stitches waiting for the all clear from pathology 🤞🏻.

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#42

Mouth would be itchy when I ate most fruits, parents told me to stop being dramatic and making excuses to be picky. I have OAS and have an epipen now.

Also had terrible cramps and would get my period for a whole month then not for three as a teenager. My Dr said that could happen sometimes and put me on bc. Turns out my cramps were chronic cysts from pcos, my body is over producing testosterone and it was affecting a lot of other aspects of my health.

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#43

I always thought everyone’s feet hurt when they walked after a few minutes. Turns out I have completely flat feet. My husband figured this out when I was in my 20s.

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Weird Panda
Weird Panda
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha I thought that was normal? But it only happens to me after some hours so I think my feet are just mostly flat.

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#44

I was having another stressful argument in 2003 when I heard a ringing, my heart started beating fast, and I couldn't understand speech nor speak myself. This was for around 30 sec.

I knew something was wrong and called the advice nurse. She laughed at me and told me I had a panic attack. No I didn't.

Turns out it was a petit mal seizure. I know because I suddenly became epileptic at 27. I was told they didn't know why, but now I realize it was stress induced.

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Hey!
Hey!
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Even if it was a panic attack, it's nothing to laugh at. The problems are real.

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#45

I was on my grad trip and had really intense pain around my neck and shoulders. Over the course of two days my limbs lost sensation and for some reason I thought it was a trapped nerve in my neck ? It wasn’t until my face went into paralysis did I go to an ER and get diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome.

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#46

Headaches, sinus congestion, brain fog, coughing…
I’m allergic to chemicals and fragrances.

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David Paterson
David Paterson
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Perfume is awful. Hold nose, hand over mouth, and RUN through the perfume section of each department store. Either that or stop breathing.

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#47

All of my life, I was the last person running in P.E. I could run, but not at the pace or the consistency of everyone else.

Anyway, every time I told someone that I got a burning can't breathe feeling, they'd tell me I was "out of shape." And "needed to train harder." So I thought everyone gets this feeling, and I'm just being lazy.

Also, it seemed to p**s off middle-aged P.E. teachers, like I personally planned to challenge their authority?

I had coughing attacks at night once and went to the doctor to find out I've always had asthma.

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Peet
Peet
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Had the same...but it's thalassaemia (beta minor). But because I'm Swiss nobody thought about that. I diagnosed myself when I learnd my prefession as a laboratory technician. My haematologist was flabbergasted 😆

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#48

Had a girlfriend ask about my “third testicle” which I had convinced myself was just always there. A couple years later I had a physical exam and the nurse casually asked when I was going to take care of that inguinal hernia. Oops.

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#49

My Doctor told me my calcium level was too high. I was like "So?". Turns out that's a sign of hyperparathyroidism. Which, oddly enough has nothing to do with the thyroid. Nope, the parathyroid is right behind the thyroid and has four little glands that control your calcium levels. Too high or too low and you're super f****d up. Primary hyperparathyroidism is usually caused by a benign tumor on one (or more) of your parathyroid glands. The cure is surgery. The good news is after surgery you should have a laundry list of symptoms resolve. Google it, it's wild. So if your doc says too much calcium, it is a thing. And I'm really not taking this lightly, some people have a really hard time being diagnosed. You need a good endocrinologist and primary care doctor. And then a good surgeon.

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Nea
Nea
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have recently been diagnosed withh this. On medicines for now.

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#50

For a couple of years, I sarcastically bragged about my ability to fall asleep anywhere within 5 minutes. Car rides, couches, book on my face, etc
Turned out it was sleep apnea
I felt SO good once I got treated for it, leveled out a lot and am so glad my husband had me get checked out when I was too tired to figure it out myself.

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LakotaWolf (she/her)
LakotaWolf (she/her)
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have pretty bad sleep apnea. I’m awful about using my CPAP machine though, as it’s so incredibly uncomfortable that it’s hard af to fall asleep while your nose feels like it’s getting forcefully violated with stale warm air. :/

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#51

I just found out I had almost no sense of smell for most of my life. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, started taking the necessary medication and suddenly it’s a whole new world of scents across distances that I didn’t know was possible.

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Amanda Rose
Amanda Rose
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I never lost my sense of smell but one of my early Hashimoto's symptoms was everything smelling off -as in things smelled rotten. It was awful.

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#52

Sometimes getting tingly feet. I thought I was just worn out from the day or anxious. Nope, Multiple Sclerosis.

If you get numbness, fatigue, headaches that ibuprofen helps but not paracetamol, tingling in your hands or feet, off balance, forgetful, brain fog, please get checked out. Especially if you have ADHD as some of those symptoms can be written off as ADHD.

Edit: How I got diagnosed - all the symptoms I put down as something else; my ADHD, anxiety, having a toddler, getting older. This time last year I started having seizures (the pee your pants, jiggle on the floor type). The neurologist put me on anti-seizure meds thinking it was epilepsy while I waited to get an MRI. The MRI showed I have white matter lesions (basically scar tissue) in my temporal lobe that had become inflammed (temporal lobe is where most seizures come from). Seizures arent very common in MS but still a possibility. Confirmed with a lumbar puncture.

Find an MS checklist from a reputable website, fill it in and take it to your appointment.

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Linda R
Linda R
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

MS isn't easily diagnosed by symptoms alone. My tingling legs and left side weakness was happening for 3 years before I finally was referred to a neurologist who did the MRI and diagnosed me with MS.

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#53

Constant nausea in the mornings even if I've only had water to sip on. Nope, stomach ulcers due to stress and anxiety levels being through the roof for a sustained period of time. I would be at work 4 - 5am start and go and dry wretch over the loo a few times, people asked what's up and I'd say "eh I'm just having the morning nausea" (I had it for years at this stage, and no, not preggers, no chance of that!). Wasn't until one coworker was like "that isn't normal but you seem like it is", my dumb a*s was like "wait, you/normal people don't get nausea often in the mornings?". "Nope, go to your dr".
One endoscopy later and I'm on medication and an altered diet. Rarely get them pesky ulcers now!

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MushroomHead22
MushroomHead22
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

stuff like this confuses me... it seems like at some point in your life you would have been around people in the morning who would not do this. like how did you find that "normal"... i am seriously curious because it just seems like something you should know is not normal.

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#54

A painful toe that was a bit "weepy".

It was aggressively ingrown and I had to have surgery under localized anaesthetic.

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#55

Chest pains while running. I thought I was just out of shape!

Turns out I have an irregular heartbeat.

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and_a_touch_of_the_’tism
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

See this would freak me out because I get tight burning pain in my chest when running (but not from any other exercise, it’s weird), but I have to get annual EKGs for meds I’m on. Yay?

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#56

Feeling like you're going to pass out/passing out every time you stand up, and getting a very intense headrush isn't normal. Apparently I have low blood volume and was anemic. I no longer get the headrush because I got treated for anemia.

Edit: also having your tongue tingle when you're not allergic to anything/havent even eaten anything apparently isn't normal, but my doctor cant figure out the cause..

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and_a_touch_of_the_’tism
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism
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8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

OHHH so THAT’s why I get lightheaded and dizzy and my vision blacks out when I stand up to fast. I do have anemia. Huzzah for heavy periods.

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#57

Coughing up blood. In my defense I was told a lot of blood was something to return to the hospital for, I guess I don’t know what constitutes a lot of blood. Was hemorrhaging into my lungs.

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