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“Could Be Chipotle. Could Be Cancer”: 30 Medics Share Seemingly Harmless Signs That Shouldn’t Be Overlooked
When it comes to health, all things should be taken seriously, whether it’s a common cold or something way more severe. That is because unlike computer game characters, we can not use cheat codes or complete missions to refill the levels of our well-being.
Be that as it may, some people tend to disregard certain symptoms, which might actually be something that should be checked out. Medics among the ‘Ask Reddit’ community members shared what and why seemingly harmless signs shouldn’t be overlooked. Emphasizing the illnesses certain symptoms can be indicative of, they shared their insight after one of the redditors asked what signs mean it’s better to head to the hospital.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Oncologist reporting in.
That lump that doesnt go away. That cough that doesnt go away. That diarrhoea that doesnt go away. Basically anything new that doesnt at least start to get better over the next couple of weeks or months. Could be chipotle. Could be cancer.
Hopefully wont be seeing ya.
RELATED:
#2
Sudden toothache in a 50+ female with good oral hygiene. Heart attacks present atypically in many women, often pain in the jaw or neck. (Paramedic here)
Jeremy James 1 year ago
I met a nurse the other day who told me her heart attack story. One day, in the middle of her shift, her lower jaw started hurting. She thought, "That's funny. All of my teeth couldn't have gotten infected at once." She told a coworker and they said, "You need to go down the hall and talk to Dr. So-and-so right now." Her "widow-maker" artery was 80% occluded.
#3
Not a Nurse, Dr, EMT or paramedic but I work for the fire service in the UK. If you start to feel dizzy, headaches or nausea and have gas appliances in the home (or open fires and log burners) GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AND CALL 999! Especially if any of these appliances are new, recently serviced or are being used for the first time in a while.
These are signs of a carbon monoxide leak. If you have pets that are acting weird as well this can also be a sign. Carbon monoxide is denser than air and will sit at a low level so opening windows WILL NOT CLEAR IT EFFECTIVELY. open your doors and all the doors on the ground floor and evacuate the building, including children! I DONT CARE IF ITS 3am and they have school in the morning (I have genuinely had a caller say this to me before).
Carbon monoxide is NOT to be messed with it is colourless, odourless and tasteless and It doesn't take much to kill you either!
Call the emergency services, we carry gas monitors and equipment to clear the property in the case there is a leak and can isolate the appliances/source of the leak. We will then organise for the gas board to come and fix the leak.
My advice; GET A F*****G CARBON MONOXIDE ALARM THEY AREN'T EXPENSIVE!!!! Hell get a few!
If you suspect a leak, get out. No matter the time of day. Call 999 and get the f**k out! We will be there in no time. We would rather you call us an it be a false alarm than someone die!
And lastly, if you have an open fire or a log burner. GET YOUR CHIMNEY SWEPT. AT LEAST ANNUALLY!! This will reduce the risk of a chimney blockage that could lead to carbon monoxide build up and will reduce the risk of chimney fires. Both of which kill people!
PLEASE TAKE THIS ON BOARD PEOPLE!! Please! I've had too many deaths due to Carbon Monoxide now. If you are a kid... MAKE YOUR PARENTS READ THIS!
Source: current 999 call handler for the fire service. I handle this stuff DAILY and have done a lot of extra curricular research on it!
Anyone-for-tea? 1 year ago
And take a detector on holiday too, how many times have you read about people dying in their holiday homes or rentals?
#4
I'm a mortician, and I can't tell you how many pick-ups I've done where someone shat blood, then decided to take a shower to clean up before getting help, and then died in the shower. If you s**t blood, call an ambulance.
Andy C 1 year ago
Funny enough, if you cough up blood you will have to wait in the ER, be told by multiple doctors “oh it is never from the lungs, it is always from the esophagus and then gets into the lungs” and then go through the scoping of the esophagus finding nothing, and by the time they scope your lungs it is “huh, yeah we found some clotting so it was from your lungs, but apparently it healed so we have no idea why”. The advice is - 1) when it is from your lungs you will know because you will have a sudden and urgent need to cough and you will expectorate a goodly amount and 2) be your own advocate and demand the right tests when you KNOW the doc is wrong.
#5
I'm not a healthcare professional in any way, but my grandmother had a stroke last year. The signs were barely visible, and I almost did not take her to the hospital.
One side of her face was dropping ever so slightly... you couldn't really tell unless you looked at a previous photo of her. I called my mother to confirm what I was seeing... she saw nothing. I made phone calls to hospitals to ask what I should do. They told me to take her to the hospital if I was concerned.
Sure enough she had a stroke... a mild one, but the signs were so so subtle.
#6
Period so heavy it soaks through a pads in less than an hour.
For some people this is sort of normal but if you are bleeding through everything GO TO THE HOSPITAL!
#7
Physician here.
It's impossible to list everything so I like to keep it simple.
You know your body and how you feel. Any abrupt unusual changes should be checked out.
A few:
- Unequal parts: Draw an imaginary line down the middle and if anything is unusually unequal such as Pupils, facial droop/sagging, 1 sided weakness
- Sudden pain to light, especially with associating headache/neck pain or flashes of light
- Changes in sensation or communication, hearing, vision, slurring of speech, etc.
- Unusual shortness of breath
- Sudden and/or severe abdominal pain
- Unexplained weight loss
- Unusual bleeding
- Unusual swelling
- Sudden Confusion
When in doubt, get it checked out.
#8
Skin or whites of your eyes are unusually yellow
minnybri 1 year ago
Could be hepatitis. Or, like me, after loads of testing while the doctors try to figure out what's wrong with you you'll learn you have Gilbert's syndrome and are missing a liver enzyme. It's typically harmless and impacts 3-7% of the population, but I get jaundiced if I don't eat often enough.
#9
In kids-teenagers mostly- constant peeing, constant drinking, cloudy eyesight and sweet fruity breath (when they haven't eaten anything to cause that) can be diabetes. Also, be on the lookout for breath that smells like nail polish. Could be ketoacidosis.
#10
Slurring their words without being under the influence of an intoxicant. An uncle was slurring his words while speaking to my aunt. She thought he might have been tired and told him to rest, but her friend suggested that maybe he should go to a doctor. Turns out my uncle was having a stroke. If he had laid down to rest, he may have never woken up.
Toffee's girl 1 year ago
This is from an advert that's been on in the UK a few times: Face – the face may have dropped on 1 side, the person may not be able to smile, or their mouth or eye may have dropped. Arms – the person with suspected stroke may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in 1 arm. Speech – their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake; they may also have problems understanding what you're saying to them. Time – it's time to dial 999 (or your equivalent of) immediately if you see any of these signs or symptoms.
#11
If you just had an extremely hard workout and your pee is brown/red.
Hospital. NOW.
This means your kidneys are failing.
Lynne Dixon 1 year ago
Except when you've already spent time in hospital for your kidney and you are peeing blood. Check with your specialist as it may be urgent or it may be caused by the stent they inserted.
#12
Projectile vomiting. Nurse here. Also, sometimes you just f*****g know things are not right. Don't let anyone talk you out of that. Go. Get checked out. Dying is not worth it.
SheHulk 1 year ago
I once had projectile vomiting that was so bad that I couldn't even keep down water. Then confusion and severe weakness. I could barely stand or walk. My husband drove me to the er were I had to wait an hour. When I finally got to see the doctor they were clearly annoyed that I was there, but ran some tests anyway. I was badly dehydrated and had severe electrolyte imbalance and was given 2L Ringer´s solution iv. This is typical of how you are treated as a middle aged woman. They often assume that you are just hysterical.
#13
Pain in your leg without a cause that won't go away.
Many people have DVTs (blood clots in the distal veins) that break off and can travel throughout the circulatory system, and can cause a stroke if they block the brain circulation
Anyone-for-tea? 1 year ago
I didn’t have pain in my leg, but a very uncomfortable throbbing sensation, that you might get occasionally, I was having it every few minutes, accompanied with palpitations, and massively unusual shortness of breath. My hospital didn’t think anything was wrong, (apart from my primary condition) and it was 3 days of being an outpatient until they realised I had a PE after I called again complaining of shortness of breath - still!
#14
If you strike your head hard and you suddenly start vomiting with no nausea. Along the same vein:
If a head injury occurs and the person is unconscious for any lenght of time, has one pupil larger than the other, isn't acting right, is hard to wake up...it would be time to call 911 and get to the emergency room.
Brazen 1 year ago
I think my head is too hard sometimes. I was in a car accident and shattered the front window with my head, and I felt the only reason my head hurt afterwards was because someone kept yelling "call an ambulance." I had to tell the person helping me out of the car to tell him to shut up. lol I also fell on the icy sidewalk outside the building where I lived and my head hit the ground so hard it bounced and hit the ground again. Still too stupid to go to the hospital to get checked out. Last, but not least, when I was a teenager, my mom cornered me in my room because she was mad and hit me so hard my head bounced off the two walls. I honestly think that one was worse. I seriously wonder how I'm still relatively normal sometimes. :)
#15
Sudden changes in cognitive and/or behavior are a telltale sign of UTI on the elderly.
I've seen a few elderly patients in critical conditions whose symptoms were attributed to age/getting old.
Bored Batgirl 1 year ago
My grandma had an infection that traveled to her brain because her geriatric doctor just decided she suddenly had developed dementia overnight and did nothing. It was weeks before we took her to the hospital and found out that her hallucinations and altered mental state were because of the untreated UTI. She was very sick by that point but thankfully made a full recovery and now we know the signs.
#16
If someone seems drunk, they could have a dangerously low blood sugar. On the other side, if someone is shaking, breathing heavy, and has an altered mental status they could have an extremely high blood sugar and could be going into DKA
Bowtechie 1 year ago
For any diabetics out there about to/attending university I would highly recommend letting any roommates/RAs know about this - particularly with the severe low signs so they know the signs. Drinking is so pervasive on college campuses it's easy for someone to mistake you as one of the masses instead of being in very, very time-sensitive danger. And as an aside for those who don't know, DKA = Diabetic Ketoacidosis.
#17
If your flu like symptoms don't go away after a month or so, go to the doctor. Keep an eye out on kids too. My friends daughter (aged 1) at the time had a "chest infection" for about a month. Her mother took her to the doctors 3 times and they just written her off with a chest infection diagnosis and that it would heal within time. Trust your instincts because one day my friend knew something wasn't right and took her daughter to the hospital. Her blood oxygen levels where extremely low and she fell extremely poorly that night and almost passed away because of the stress of being in a hospital. She got transferred to a children's specialist hospital that night and was put in an induced coma. Her lungs where f****d, the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong for over a month (whilst she was still in a coma) then they eventually diagnosed her with a rare lung cancer. 3 years later the cancer won.
#18
Obligatory "not any of these" but my mother is a nurse, and I had a horrifying experience because my stubborn father wouldn't tell her he wasn't feeling well.
Evidently, he'd begun having trouble breathing, felt light heated, sick to his stomach, and just generally not okay. My dad spent 25 years in the military and is the worst person when he's sick because he won't admit anything's wrong. If that man says the words "I think I should go to the hospital" he should've been on the way hours ago.
I come into the living room one day to find him unconscious on the floor in an awkward heep. I went into blank-brain panic mode and thought "hospital" and dragged him outside, to my car, got him in and buckled, and the tore out of there. Called my sis, who lived on the road to the hospital, and had her jump into the moving car.
By the time he'd been admitted, tests run, ventilator applied, and all that, he'd not only been diagnosed with pneumonia but also stage 2 kidney cancer.
Long story short, pay attention to your body. If you feel wrong, pushing it off will *not* make it go away, and you could get yourself killed. My dad nearly died that day, and all because he wouldn't speak up days earlier when he started feeling bad.
#19
Kids get fevers all the time and feel sluggish. Not necessarily a big deal.
But if your child develops a fever and a RASH that won't blanch on pressing head to the emergency room ASAP. It could be meningococcal sepsis and is rapidly life threatening. If you are confused about whether it is non blanching just press over it with a drinking glass. Looking through the glass you should be able to tell pretty easily if the spots disappear on pressing or not.
Elizabeth Van Oers 1 year ago
…and if they cannot put their chin on their chest or, for babies, if you cannot lift up their pelvis when they are laying on their back without them screaming.
#20
* A red line traveling from the site of a wound (even if it's just a scratch) towards your heart. That's blood poisoning, and you need to get to a doctor ASAP for intense antibiotics.
* Frequently feeling very thirsty, and drinking excessive amounts of water without a clear cause (like exercise). It's often an early sign of untreated diabetes, as you will crave water to dilute the sugar buildup in your urine.
* For the ladies, having very irregular cycles or skipping periods without pregnancy. This can be caused by endocrine issues such as PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) or a pituitary growth like a prolactinoma. In the case of prolactinomas, this can be accompanied by swollen or leaking breasts. Neither will need you to rush to the hospital right away, but both should be tested for just in case (via a blood test). If you plan on getting pregnant, you might need medication to bring your cycles back to normal before it's possible to conceive. And if prolactinomas are left untreated, they can sometimes grow big enough to press on your optic nerve and harm your eyesight.
* A tick bite that is red, swollen, or has a rash developing around it (often in the typical "target" shape.) Many people have heard about the target rash, but any signs of redness or swelling around a tick bite are a reason to see a doctor and get antibiotics ASAP. You don't want lyme disease, it sucks. And can sometimes cause you to have a meat allergy!
* Intense abdominal pain can be appendicitis. It doesn't always appear in the traditional location of "lower right abdomen, around your belly button." In my mother's case, she felt it much higher, just below her ribs. The GI didn't diagnose it, and she waited a week before finally going into the hospital where a CT scan diagnosed it.
#21
Just a medical student, and this is more an eye thing. But flashes of light and a sudden increase in floaters (specks, hairs) in your vision is bad. Particularly if you are already myopic.
Also headaches in the morning, or when lying down, which lessens when you stand or sit up right. Particularly if associated with vomiting.
#22
After head trauma, if there's bruising under the eyes (racoon eyes) or bruising behind the ear, this usually indicates a skull fracture
Amanda Rose 1 year ago
I had this kind of bruising after I had my skull reconstructed at 16 months old. I looked like I had been in some sort of baby bar fight.
#23
Heart attacks present different symptoms in men and women. Men generally have more classic signs, like chest pain and shortness of breath. Women have more vague signs, and sadly, many of them delay seeking treatment because of it.
If you experience sudden onset arm pain, jaw pain, or back pain, nausea, sweating, weakness, and a feeling that something is terribly wrong, call an ambulance.
Dina Zikopoulos 1 year ago
my dad was having pain in his left armpit. like high up in there. my mom literally just retired days earlier from being an RN in the Cardiac Unit. she knew what was happening. blood clot in the back of his heart. 59 then. 86 now.
#24
A lot of folks don't recognize the more common signs of concussion often include severe nausea, sweating, and a desire to lay down. It can seem like someone's got a sudden flu, so especially with kids, you should ask if they hit their head if they're suddenly sick
Upstaged75 1 year ago
Another fun fact is that you can develop post-concussion syndrome. Which means you end up feeling the effects of a concussion for weeks/months after you sustain it. When I had it, it was worse than the actual concussion when it first happened.
#25
Loss of vision. Amazing how many times people come in and say they lost vision in one eye months ago.
#26
Nurse here. I'm speaking on behalf of the elderly. Please just go to the doctor when you develop common cold symptoms. Too many times I've witnessed or heard about a perfectly healthy elderly person ignoring this, and ends up developing pneumonia. Pneumonia in the elderly is very dangerous and shouldn't be taken lightly.
Also, check the fingers for clubbing. When I was in nursing school I noticed an older guy, probably mid 50's who had clubbed fingers. I wanted to tell him to get it checked because he also smoked. I was still infantile and it got me nervous so I never did. 1 year later he developed pneumonia and come to find out he had stage 4 lung cancer. I can't help but think that if I would have said something it could have been caught earlier.
Majungasaurus 1 year ago
My Baba had a bit of pneumonia back in December. She was given medicine and sent home. She was feeling like c**p and having a hard time breathing one night, so my grandpa brought her to the hospital around 10pm. Said goodnight, tucked her in, told her he’d be back first thing in the morning. 3 hours later, she died. She was only 75. Pneumonia is no joke.
#27
When you start experiencing vision loss, but both eyes are doing it independent of each other. When you're losing vision like that without a physical reason (like something in your eye) that means there's something wrong with your brain, and in some cases, that can mean the onset of a minor stroke. For example, you start losing a bit of vision in one corner of one eye, then in a completely different area at a different rate in the other one. I didn't get many of the "normal" signs but that one was a big one I ignored it.
Daffydillz~ 1 year ago
At the same time that I was having severe visual disturbances and migraines, my best friend and 2nd in command under me at work also began having severe headaches, visual disturbances, and feeling exhausted. Then she suddenly started having seizures. She was 24. She was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor, she's still with us a couple of decades later but she has some disabilities now and can no longer work. She was actively trying to figure out what was going on with her doctor when the seizures began. They immediately did imaging of her brain at that point and found it. Please don't ignore your health.
#28
ER nurse here. Everyone has listed stroke symptoms and heart attack symptoms... the most important time to seek help is with any airway and/or breathing issues. Anything that restricts your ability to breath is dangerous. Especially with kids. Kids have the ability to compensate very well but when their bodies lose that ability they tank very quickly.
#29
Your child vomiting in the morning, even before breakfast. Not worrisome right away, but if it happens multiple times. Can be an early sign of brain cancer.
Blood in your urine - Many people neglect this, could be an inflammation of your kidney or bladder cancer.
_mentally_insane_(she/her) 1 year ago
I gag without throwing up in the morning a lot, does that count?
#30
Weight loss when you didn't try to lose weight.
When you have cancer, the cancer uses up your bodies energy and basically burns calories. Very often it's the first sign something is wrong and everyone ignores it. It's only when they present with a second symptom, we realise had they come in with the weight loss 6 months ago, we would have picked it up at an earlier stage.
After that, I'd love for people to take age more seriously. If you're under the age of 30, chances are whatever symptom you're having isn't that important. Don't google it and think it's caused by a life threatening disease, because google dosn't put the symptom in the context of your age. Sure young people do occasionally get sick, but on a population level, you're wasting your money and risking having unnecissary tests by going to the doctor with every symptom the day you first notice it.
On the flip side, once you turn 40, you family medicine doctor should become you're new best friend. Any symptom lasting more than a few weeks should be investigated. You can't keep ignoring your health like you did in your 20s and 30s and get away with it. Unfortunately at times it feels like all the 20 years olds are demanding tests for silly symptoms, and none of the 40/50 year olds are taking their symptoms seriously. It's the 40 year old who probably has the curable cancer, that wont present with it until it become incurable.
What do you think ?
John Harrison 1 year ago
Title: "These seemingly harmless signs ..." BP: "If an alien chestburster erupts from your torso, GET TO THE HOSPITAL. I can't tell you how many times people have delayed and suffered for it."
Salty Sasquatch 1 year ago
To all the people who say 'don't ignore your symptoms, get checked for these things!'. It's possible the people in trouble live in the US and don't go the hospital because they're scare of accruing enormous medical debt due to outrageously money-grubbing evil health insurance companies.
️Crystal️ 1 year ago
Not to mention the majority of the doctors here are incompetent and won't even listen to you. Took me 20 years to get a proper diagnosis after a bunch of "your blood work is fine so it's all in your head"
Load More Replies... Lesley Christie 1 year ago
I hate this so much. Im someone who tries to look after themselves. So many times I've been made to feel like I'm wasting the doctor's time but then when something is wrong they say why didn't you come sooner.
John Harrison 1 year ago
Title: "These seemingly harmless signs ..." BP: "If an alien chestburster erupts from your torso, GET TO THE HOSPITAL. I can't tell you how many times people have delayed and suffered for it."
Salty Sasquatch 1 year ago
To all the people who say 'don't ignore your symptoms, get checked for these things!'. It's possible the people in trouble live in the US and don't go the hospital because they're scare of accruing enormous medical debt due to outrageously money-grubbing evil health insurance companies.
️Crystal️ 1 year ago
Not to mention the majority of the doctors here are incompetent and won't even listen to you. Took me 20 years to get a proper diagnosis after a bunch of "your blood work is fine so it's all in your head"
Load More Replies... Lesley Christie 1 year ago
I hate this so much. Im someone who tries to look after themselves. So many times I've been made to feel like I'm wasting the doctor's time but then when something is wrong they say why didn't you come sooner.
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