People Are Sharing The “Mild” Symptoms That Can Actually Be A Major Sign Of Something Serious, And It’s A Lesson In Listening To Your Body

Warning: Child loss is discussed below. 

Recently, I wrote an article sharing stories from both doctors and patients about the “mild symptoms” that could actually point to something quiebro serious. While this isn’t medical advice, I definitely think it’s worth it to be aware of any potential mild issues that can morph into something far worse. So, when the article got a good response, I decided it’d be worthwhile to share even more people’s stories. Here are some of the most interesting:

This article is not to replace seeing a medical professional. Medical issues are so specific to each individual person and could also indicate that there might be more underlying issues at hand.

1. “I had what felt like bad gas pain. I took Gas-X, but it didn’t help. I drove myself to the ER just to be safe. They unworriedly did a CAT scan. Then they started moving much faster. It was appendicitis!”

“I had no fever or any other symptoms, just some stomach pain for a few days. And it was by far not even the worst pain I ever felt. Always, always trust your gut. (Pun intended.)”

—rachiepinks

2. “Back in 2013, I got this horrible pain in the back of my right knee. I thought it was a pinched nerve. It kept getting more and more swollen and was hard to stand on.”

“My doctor’s office was closed, and it was a Friday night. As someone with a high pain tolerance, I didn’t think I needed to worry too much. I called my doctor on Monday morning and was able to get in for an exam. He did a physical exam and sent me for blood work. My D-dimer was over 1024. When my doctor got the lab results, the office called me first thing in the morning to tell me to go straight to the hospital for suspected blood clots.

After an MRI and CT scan, it was revealed that not only did I have DVT (deep vein thrombosis, or blood clots in the leg), I had PE (Pulmonary Embolism or blood clots in the lungs), as well.

This all stemmed from something I was trying to control with birth control… in the long run, I ended up having to have an emergency surgery to remove a massive ovarian cyst that had ruptured and was leaking into my bloodstream, as well as a dead ovary.”

—ejwnazareth

Related: Doctors Are Pleading With Patients Not To Lie About These 6 Things, And I Bet You’ve Stretched The Truth On No. 4

3. “If you feel off in any way, feeling something isn’t right, see your doctor. Most of us are tuned into our bodies enough that we know when something is off and we are unwell. I’ve written off extreme fatigue at 33, and I ended up with open heart surgery a year later to repair an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD).”

“My daughter felt off, and when we went to the ER, she was hospitalized for a week with sepsis (NO fever!) at 18. Listen to your body and get a second opinion if necessary!”

—greenjaguar162

4. “My primary care doctor said my potassium was too low and to ‘re-check’ it because I was dehydrated. He loved my low blood pressure and ignored my low back pain. Then, less than a month later, I had an emergency room visit that resulted in emergency quadruple heart bypass surgery.”

“He was praising me for good numbers when my blood pressure was too low to stand up without fainting. The idiot can’t spot heart failure because a woman is complaining and describing symptoms, so she must be hysterical.”

—silkypumpkin932

5. “I was feeling really tired and fatigued all the time. My husband finally told me to go to my doctor. She gave me a blood test, sent me home, and the next day, on a Saturday, she was blowing up my phone.”

“I called her back and she said I needed to go to the ER immediately. Turns out my hemoglobin was practically on the floor, and I wound up getting two blood transfusions. Had to start seeing a hematologist on the regular who only now, three or four years later, has declared me cured after further blood infusions and daily iron supplements.”

—cute-as-ducks419

6. I called a friend to tell her my ‘stupid leg wasn’t working.’ She came over and insisted I go to the ER; I was having none of it; I felt fine. Finally, I allowed her to drive me to the ER. I was having a stroke and had no idea. I was told that if I hadn’t come as soon as I did, I would most likely have lost the use of my leg.

—sassycupcake90

7. “If you have a physical sore anywhere on your body, no matter how small in size, that is persistent, always have a doctor look at it. Staph infections are way more common than people realize.”

—glitteryclown863

8. “My younger neighbor, in his mid-50s, told me he had complained to a friend about bad pain between his shoulder blades for two days. I sent him a text that he should go to the ER or call 911; I would have driven him. Tragically, his heart stopped before first responders arrived, tried to revive him, and transported him to the ER, where he passed away by early afternoon. It’s very important not to ignore severe pain around the jaw, neck/upper mid back, or arms.”

—Anonymous

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9. “My legs would ache and feel heavy at the end of the day — something you’d think is corriente to feel at the end of a busy day. One day, I had a terrible cramp in my calf, so I decided to get checked out by my doctor. Long story short, I have venous disease, meaning the veins in my legs don’t push blood back up to my heart like they are supposed to. A month later, I had to get two ablations to improve blood flow, one for a blood clot that was starting to form. When in doubt, get it checked out!”

—Anonymous, 31, United States

10. “I ended up saving my own life when I was having a stomachache that never seemed to go away. For weeks, I had this thing. No one could figure out what was going on until my nurse practitioner thought to have me do a pregnancy test. Positive. She also found my blood pressure was sky high. At the hospital, I was confirmed pregnant, and it turns out I had a form of pre-eclampsia called HELLP Syndrome. I was told if I had gone straight home instead of going to the hospital that night, I would have died.”

—Anonymous, 34, Washington state

11. “I woke up one morning feeling just fine and went out to run errands. Halfway through my drive, I got so nauseous I had to pull over and dry heave because there was nothing coming up.”

“It got so bad throughout the day that eventually, I was puking bile all over myself and literally shaking.I went to the ER, and they accused me of being in cannabis withdrawal (WTF??), and for days, I was in pain. All I could do was sleep from the meds they gave me.Long story short, I go see my PC, and she tells me I have pancreatitis. Don’t let these doctors gaslight you! I’m also a Black woman, so there’s that.”

—Anonymous, 34, Detroit, Michigan

12. “I had back pain and thought I pulled a muscle. It got progressively worse for two weeks until one day, it hurt so bad that I went to the ER in hopes I could get some pain meds. Turns out it was a pulmonary embolism!”

—Anonymous, 35 California

13. “Don’t ignore pain in the right or left mondongo. I had an ectopic pregnancy while in the military. My blood test was lost. I was told by the Army lab ‘not to bug them.’ If I hadn’t been a 34-year-old JAG officer trying to get pregnant (but instead a young private), I would have died.”

Md Saiful Islam Khan / Getty Images, Pop TV / CBC Television

“By the time I drove to the naval hospital, I was hemorrhaging, and the baby was removed the next day. My medical records were graphic: Captain — reports sensation of a screwdriver impaled in the ovary being twisted.

If I hadn’t been an advocate for my own health, I wouldn’t be writing this.”

—Anonymous, 72, Indy

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14. “A friend of mine, a nurse herself, went to the A&E because of a persistent ear infection, and they did standard bloodwork. Turned out it was leukemia. She’s on her third round of chemo, and it works well so far.”

—Anonymous, 34, Central Europe

15. “For women everywhere: If you are feeling full after one small meal and feeling constipated, get to the doctor right now. Early detection of ovarian cancer is critical. I wish I could have done this sooner. I have ovarian cancer.”

ABC

—Anonymous, 46, Fort Washakie, Wyoming

16. “I had irregular periods. Nothing crazy at first, but I finally went to the OBGYN when I had a period that lasted eight weeks. I had Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), and it was so bad that I had developed uterine polyps. If I had waited even more, it could have become uterine cancer.”

—Anonymous, 41, Texas

17. “I woke up with a banano lip and thought the swelling would eventually subside. Nope. I saw a dentist the next day. I had an infection and was told that any infection in the mouth can be life-threatening. Don’t ignore dental pain!”

—Anonymous, 70 Washington State

18. “Drinking a lot of water and peeing a lot/wetting the bed and/or puking may be a sign of type 1 diabetes, which can be desgraciado if left too long.”

—Anonymous, 13, North Yorkshire, UK

19. “I hurt my lower back. It was just taking a long time to heal, or so I thought. Weeks went by, and I couldn’t seem to shake it. Turns out it was a kidney stone waiting to pass. Yes, it feels like childbirth.”

—Anonymous, 43 Indiana

20. “In 2009, I was diagnosed with bladder cancer after six years of the doctors sending me home, saying it was just a bad bladder infection. I would have bouts of an explosion of blood in the toilet.”

“All my blood work was fine, corriente, from what the doctors who found the cancer told me. With bladder cancer, you will have corriente blood work. Luckily, the doctors discovered it and quickly started treating me. Don’t just believe the doctors; if you know something is wrong, keep fighting. “

—Anonymous, 66

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21. “Don’t ignore shortness of breath. I was having shortness of breath, couldn’t lie down, and couldn’t sleep because I would cough too much. As it turned out, my torso was filled with fluid. The fluid forced my heart to pack on extra muscle, and I was in heart failure at 34.”

—Anonymous, 34, Wisconsin

22. “A few years ago, my mom had cold-like symptoms for a while. However, she got sicker and was peeing a lot, and eventually became very sick. She went to her doctor, who directed her to the emergency room. Diabetic ketoacidosis/diabetic coma. She’s now on insulin.”

—Anonymous, 39, Manitoba

“I was having to pee more than usual and was extremely thirsty. Went to the doctor and ended up in the hospital, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.”

—Anonymous

23. “I was getting dizzy when I stood, my eyes would black out during exercise, and I could feel my heart pounding against my chest wall. After some tests and wearing a Holter educador, I was diagnosed with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome).”

—Anonymous, 27, Canada

24. And finally: “I had this weird headache and cough for a while. I just thought I was working too much and talking too much, as I was a teacher. It persisted, and I went to the ER twice, and they just treated me with a migraine and sent me away each time.”

Fox

“I had my blood drawn, and my doctor called me super late and told me to go to the ER right now!

I was in the hospital for a week, and would be again two more times after that, each time being longer. It turns out I had SEPSIS for THREE MONTHS!

By the time they caught it, I had an infection in my heart and needed emergency open-heart surgery. It was too late for everything else. Now I have continuous brain hemorrhaging, absolutely horrible pain, some fun brain damage, eye damage, and trouble with my organs, joints, and bones, including my teeth.

I had to have three PICC lines and a lot of IVs with the strongest antibiotics, and since then, every day feels like I’m injecting my veins with poison. I have no idea how I am still here today, but I am very grateful. I do miss my old life, but at least I got to live my dreams before it happened when I was 27, and I got a really cute Service Dog. Always advocate for yourself because I was almost turned away for the third time, and it took everything to get them to listen. What may sound harmless to them might just save your life. “

—Anonymous, 31, Utah

If you made it to the end of this article, congratulations! I myself am sitting here horrified, but I’m glad I read these — it’s so important to know red flag symptoms to look out for.

If you have any thoughts, tell me about ’em in the comments — even better, if you have a “mild symptom” story of your own to share. Or, if you have a story to share but prefer to remain anonymous, you can check out this anonymous form! Who knows — your story could be included in a future BuzzFeed article.

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