Medical professionals reveal the “little” health signs you should never ignore

I recently wrote a post where medical professionals revealed the “little” health signs you shouldn’t ignore. In the comments, doctors, nurses and other health professionals shared the warning signs people often ignore that could signal a serious health problem. Here’s what they had to say:

Note: Some answers were pulled from these two Reddit threads.

1. “Little lumps on your gum. Now, it could be a fibroid or a bone growth, but especially with decayed teeth, it could be a dental abscess (where the pulp is infected) and could lead to more serious health conditions, IV drips, and even death if left untreated.”

-Anonymous

2. “I specialize in obesity and nutrition: if you’ve lost more than 30% of your weight on a GLP-1 like Ozempic or Wegovy, you probably need other things checked out. I’ve seen several cancer cases missed because we blame Wegovy and they had colon cancer.”

— Anonymous, 31, Pennsylvania

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3. “Do not ignore sudden severe itching during pregnancy; this may be a sign of liver disease and may require early delivery of the baby and possible evaluation for a liver transplant.”

— Anonymous, 31, Pennsylvania

4. “When someone says, ‘You know, I lost the sight in that eye a few weeks ago. But I had another appointment that day, so I waited two weeks to come.’ Or some variation. It happens all the time. If you suddenly lose vision in one eye, see an ophthalmologist immediately. Don’t wait. It’s always less fixable with time.”

—u/eyezontheprize30

5. “Stomach cramps/abdominal pain that can lead to an appendix burst. Usually feels like really bad acid reflux.”

—in/Arena89

6. “MD, Interventional Cardiology. STEMI, for me. People have had chest pain for six days, but they’re only coming in because it’s still not gone. Oops, your entire anterior wall is dead because you came in too late for revascularization. I hope you don’t mind wearing an external defibrillator for the next three months.”

—in/onion01

7. “I’m a podiatrist. Ingrown toenails are always a warning sign. I’ve seen my share of at-home bathtub nail procedures go south and risk the limb.”

—u/SadFortuneCookie

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8. “The amount of diabetic feet I see is staggering. Literally 90% (the rest are planned follow-ups for surgery) of my wound clinic are people who have tried to treat their diabetic feet and ulcers themselves, usually to the point where the chances of getting away without amputation are slim to none.”

—u/D15c0untMD

9. “For example, I’ve seen patients with vague, intermittent ‘dizziness’ that actually has been going on for months. It’s always, “OMG. What’s wrong with me? This is so weird; you better go to the ER.” But on the other hand, some people wake up and their arm doesn’t work and they say, “Hmm, maybe I can ride this one.”

—u/noteasybeincheesy

“I’m always impressed by people who think they’re having a stroke, they actually are having a strokeand I’m still waiting to see if they feel better the next day before going to the hospital.”

—[redacted]

10. “‘I sweated profusely in the middle of the night.’ – Did you cough? Answer = Yes. It’s time to look for tuberculosis. – Did you cough? Answer = No. It’s time to look for cancer.”

—u/HermanRV

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11. “An example with pregnant patients: ‘My baby moved a lot last week, but hasn’t moved or kicked all this week. I’m a little worried.’ Me: “OK, let’s take a look.” (In my head: WHY DIDN’T YOU COME EARLIER!?).”

—u/HermanRV

12. “People with minor bite wounds at home sometimes try to shut down the fawn. This is bad. It turns an emergency room visit with a few stitches and an augmentin prescription into a hospital stay.

—u/thetreece

13. “Don’t ignore pooping while you have back pain. Or, not being able to poop or pee properly. I’ve had three patients with this in the last week who didn’t go to the ER because they didn’t want to wait. One osteoporotic sacral fracture and two severe cervical stenosis with myelopathy/radiculopathy.”

—u/Olyfishmouth

14. “I’m honestly shocked at how many cases of new-onset diabetes with DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) I see, and the parents didn’t think it was abnormal that their child lost 20 pounds in two months. Unintentional weight loss is never normal. It’s almost always associated with something serious, whether it’s AIDS, new diabetes, or apparently, should I feel like a malignancy. No.”

—u/halp-im-lost

15. “Never ignore oral health problems. Visit any cardiology ward and several patients will have had or are waiting for tooth extractions. Poor oral health can kill you.”

—bubbleelephant984

16. “I wish patients would recognize that it’s not normal to cough all the time and not be short of breath with minimal effort… I hate cigarettes.”

—u/fixture94

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And finally…

17. “SOOOOOOO much hypertension, arrhythmias, and hyperglycemia. You’re probably going to get a lot of different answers depending on the typical patient population in the area, but the most common things I’ve seen are hypertensive and hyperglycemic events in non-adherent patients. Their complaints are usually pretty vague (headaches, dizziness, abdominal pain, weakness, dizziness, abdominal pain). Vitals, BMP, UA, and medical history from the past make it pretty obvious pretty quickly, especially when the patient’s previous encounters are already in your system.”

“When asked why they haven’t refilled their Metformin or Norvasc since January, many patients will shrug. Either they changed insurance, lost their insurance, or say they just felt good and thought they could go without it for a while.”

—u/handmantis

Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, what are some other “small” signs of health that people should never ignore? Tell us in the comments, or if you prefer to remain anonymous, you can use the form below.

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