People Break Down Seemingly 'Harmless' Symptoms That Require A Trip To The ER

Always pay attention to your body.

Every bump and sore can mean something.

Whenever I say that I get called a hypochondriac.

But I feel like people downplay health issues.

So many things are silent, lethal killers.

So many things can be handled in advance if we listen to the warning signs.

I know the ER can be filled with crazy people who overreact to sniffles.

But we can't be too careful.

Redditor BigTuna0890 wanted to hear about all of the medical that may seem small but are actually a big deal, so they asked;

"What is a 'seems to be harmless' symptom that requires an immediate trip to the ER?"

Permanent

"Sudden change in vision."

"In my case, it turned out to be a brain tumor. I waited too long and now my vision loss is permanent. But I went early enough to still be alive."

- MeinAltIstGut

Eyes What GIF by BounceGiphy

A Red Spot

"This might not be an 'immediate trip to the ER,' but it certainly is 'immediately make a doctor’s appointment ASAP.'"

"If you notice a red spot on one breast that isn’t going away, if you have new orange-peel-like dimpling on one breast, or one breast appears swollen, any of those can be a sign of inflammatory breast cancer. That’s a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer that’s usually only found in more advanced stages. You usually don’t have a lump."

- Friendly_Coconut

Lethal

"Headache and a neck so stiff that you're unable to look straight up."

"Sign of meningitis (inflammation and swelling of the brain) that has gone so far that your brain is pressing down on the brainstem. Could be lethal within hours."

- fiendishrabbit

Well-Known Symptoms

"A migraine that's much more painful than usual. Apparently, a stroke is not always accompanied by the other well-known symptoms. I'm on blood thinners now."

- Either_Cow_4727

"My mom had 3 strokes this way. No typical signs just a severe headache then a bloodshot eye with the first. About 9 months later she complained of a severe headache and declined my offer to take her to the ER. The following morning she didn't know who I was or recognize her own house. She lived for 16 more months but mentally was gone."

- AijahEmerald

Present Day Relief

"I had an abscess under my tailbone that I had scheduled an operation for. I was given antibiotics to make sure all would be fine. Apparently, they weren't working. At some point I felt like I was so cold, always shivering, but no fever. My husband laughed it off, I was like- no this is not normal. We went to the ER, which was packed."

"I told them my circumstances, they brought me to a room and immediately put an IV with (different) antibiotics and rescheduled the operation for 2 hours later. When I think about it, I cannot help but think that if I was born in a different era, I'd be dead."

- DetectiveNearby6112

Bloated...

"My stomach was bloated for five days. I saw my general practitioner. He did an ultrasound right then and saw fluid in my stomach, which usually indicates cirrhosis of the liver or advanced-stage cancer. He told me to go to the ER, where I was diagnosed that night with advanced-stage ovarian cancer."

- Garfy53

Food Baby Dinner GIF by Boomerang OfficialGiphy

BBQ Casualties...

"Superficial burns to the face typically from BBQ or stove lighting accidents. It may seem like just some singed eyebrows, but if you were inhaling at all when the accident happened you could have burned the inside of your throat. Most people present with normal breathing, but as the injured tissues swell, it can close the airway. Most of these people feel fine directly following the accident and end up intubated if they make it to the hospital."

- r4dio_c4mbodia

Discolored and Hot

"I had an infection in my toe (an ingrown nail) when I was 16 or so and they gave me antibiotics. The next day in school I developed a fever of 104F, my leg went numb, and the skin on my leg was discolored and hot."

"The antibiotics they gave me weren't working for some reason, the infection went up my leg, and I developed cellulitis. They gave me different antibiotics and those worked. But at the urgent care, they told me if we had waited any longer to go in I could have needed IV antibiotics."

"If you have an infection and start developing new or worsening symptoms, despite being on antibiotics, talk to your doctor or go to urgent care ASAP."

- Banana-Potato-

Seeing Red

"Red streaks near a wound, particularly on the limbs, can indicate a spreading infection and may be an early sign of sepsis. I know two people who had no other symptoms besides the streaks both were admitted for sepsis and in hospital for a while."

- landandrow

"I worked at a preschool where a little girl scraped her knee and then picked at the scab. It wasn’t getting better over a period of weeks. She started limping and sitting down during recess instead of playing. Her parents thought she just wanted to be babied and carried because she had a new baby brother and was not adjusting super well. Then her knee developed red lines near the wound. The main classroom teacher recognized the sign and immediately called her parents to take her to the emergency room."

- Friendly_Coconut

Fibrillation

"Irregular heartbeat."

"Not to be ignored."

"I had an irregular heartbeat for a day or two. Went to the doc. She immediately called an ambulance. I was in the hospital in the heart ward for 3 days with atrial fibrillation. Had to knock me out and zap me twice to get my heart back into a proper rhythm."

- dntdrmit

Pay Attention

"My earache ended up being a heart attack! Women have different symptoms, so pay attention!"

- JCKligmann

"Oh wow! I'm so glad you went in! I know that women have different symptoms, but that's a new one for me I've never heard that. So glad to hear you're okay❤."

- Ms-Metal

6 Hours

"Prolonged breathlessness. Mine turned out to be a serious pulmonary embolism. Lucky to have survived the 6-hour wait for treatment."

- KaraD23383

Deep Breath Sigh GIF by HarlemGiphy

Suddenly

"Being tired all the time (suddenly). Last year around the fall we noticed my dad getting tired really easily, needing to sit down when going for a walk, sleeping in way later than usual, etc. He had gained some weight so we told him he should lose it 'cause it's obviously affecting him."

"Even our doctor told him he should really watch his health and eating habits if it's causing him discomfort. It got to a point where we got blood tests done to see if he was pre-diabetic or something. Then they noticed he's got really bad anemia, and very very high iron levels, which is unusual."

"They sent him to the ER for an emergency blood transfusion, where he met with a hematologist who immediately told him it looked like his bone marrow basically stopped working. After a week in the ER, they diagnosed him with MDS (a form of blood cancer) and his only way of survival was a stem cell transplant."

"He got very lucky that they found a 100% matching donor fairly quickly and he's seemingly recovering now. Always go to the doctor:|"

- BelierDigitalis

"If you’ve recently taken an impact on the abdomen, pain in the left shoulder can signify a ruptured spleen (though you’ll most likely experience other symptoms)."

- SkierGirl78

Manly Issues

"Pain in one breast after lying on it and/or feeling a lump in the breast AS A MAN."

"Breast cancer can and does happen to men. What's worse, doctors can be dismissive about it. Do not give up until it's checked through ultrasonography, even if you have to get a second or third opinion."

"Edit: Just realized that's not an ER kind of emergency, but leaving it up for awareness. The reason I posted it is, because it "seems to be harmless" if it happens to a man instead of a woman, but it's not."

- Sipyloidea

From the Back

"One I had recently was back pain from the right shoulder blade down the back. Can also have a bad stomach ache and pain on the right side under the rib cage. Plus possible dark and thick urine. Gallbladder issues."

- Galloping_Scallop

Work Office GIF by StepstoneGiphy

Shock

"Not really a symptom per se, but if you have received an electrical shock. Even if there aren’t any electrical burns and even if you 'feel fine.' There is always the potential that a shock could send your heart into an irregular rhythm which could end up fatal, so best be on the safe side and go get checked out/have an EKG done."

- _shes_a_jar

I knew I wasn't a hypochondriac.

Every bump and sore means something.

Of course, being vindicated here means I may never have a restful sleep again.

I have a lot of back issues now.

And my stomach is queasy right now.

Is it from reading all of this?

Or should I head to the ER?

I'll never know.

Since I have the health insurance I do, I'll sit here and take a gamble.

Does anyone else feel like sharing?