"A UTI Can Be Completely Asymptomatic": Doctors Are Spilling Shocking Truths About Our Bodies That We Were Never Taught In School
1."In older women, a UTI can be completely asymptomatic. I'm a bladder cancer survivor and very tuned in to my bladder health. I was feeling very run down but had absolutely no UTI symptoms. I went to the emergency department for something unrelated, where I passed out and had to be resuscitated multiple times. I had become septic from an unknown bladder infection, and my husband had to watch me die and be revived in the emergency room at least three times. A super star emergency team saved my life, and I was put in the ICU without much hope of recovery. I spent six days hospitalized, and every day I thank God and those medical professionals for letting me go back to my family. PLEASE learn from my frightening experience!"
—charmingcaptain114
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2."Your optometrist asks what medications you take because your eyes are part of your body and can be affected by systemic diseases. You can lose vision from diabetes, hypertension, autoimmune disorders, etc. It amazes me when people leave off medications they are taking, and I say, 'So, you aren't taking any medications at all?' And then the person has an entire list, explaining that they didn't mention them because 'they don't affect my eyes.' This is wrong."
—Anonymous, 52 Wisconsin
3."Never EVER boil breast milk. By doing this, you destroy all the nutrients, and it basically becomes as nutritious as water."
—u/SuspiciousLemur
4."As a Navy corpsman and now Physician Assistant, I have always told my male patients that smoking can cause erectile dysfunction. That gets their attention more than strokes or heart attacks."
—Anonymous
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5."Women continue to build bone mass until age 30. That is why it is important that you get enough calcium when you are young. It affects bone density and helps prevent osteoporosis."
—Anonymous, 74 Ohio
6."I'm an ENT. Please bring earplugs to loud concerts and shows. Please don't listen to music on your earbuds/headphones too loudly. Your hearing doesn't regenerate, and you put yourself at a higher risk of developing tinnitus (ringing in your ears) and hyperacusis (sensitivity to sound)."
—u/hapabeauty
7."Grapefruit juice can mess with a lot of meds, so you might want to avoid it while you're taking them."
—Maya
Related:
8."Type 2 diabetes is more serious than most people realize. I work as a doctor in hemodialysis, and most of the cases are due to diabetic nephropathy. It also affects your eyes, nerves, immune system, etc. Simple life changes can help prevent this."
—u/kingofneverland
9."Moles don't have to look odd, have irregular borders, be different colors, grow fast, crack and bleed, etc., to be skin cancer. Moles that look absolutely normal and have been on your body for years can be cancerous. Flaky patches of skin that mimic eczema or psoriasis can actually be skin cancer. A dark freckle can actually be skin cancer. A dark purplish stretch mark can be skin cancer. This is why it's so important to not only get yearly skin checks, but also check yourself every time you are naked. Make notes of the locations on your body and a detailed description of what each area looks like so you can track it."
"About 25 years ago, I had two little moles on my left ear and asked to have them removed so I could get my ears double pierced. The doctor did the usual shaving procedure and sent the tissue out for testing (this is standard protocol). Imagine my shock when the doctor called a week later and said I needed to come in to talk about the results. My perfectly normal moles were stage 1 squamous cell carcinoma. They also took off a normal-looking mole on my left elbow, which turned out to be full of atypical cells (which often leads to cancer). Thankfully, the cancer was completely localized, and I didn't need chemo or radiation. 'Normal' isn't always what it seems."
—henrylovedog
10."Antibiotics only work against bacteria; they are not some kind of wonderpotion that cures anything, and they should not always be given. Please stick to the prescription the doctor gives you. Even if you already feel better, don't just stop unless the doctor says you can stop. A lot of medication needs to be taken according to the prescription in order for it to be effective because you build up the dosage to an effective level. Stopping or not sticking to it really decreases effectiveness."
—u/jonneyboy112
11."Tell us what drugs and alcohol you're on. We aren't gonna tell the cops, and we aren't gonna lecture you, but it might change the anesthesia we give you. Some of the stuff we give could kill you. So, if you drink a 30-pack a day, tell us."
—u/CopyX
Related:
12."Having wet hair in a cold room will not make you sick."
—u/jbx_93
13."Just because you're skinny doesn't mean you're healthy. Sometimes I ask teens whom I treat what healthy foods they eat, and rarely do I get a right answer. I feel like the internet has so many fad diets, and some families rarely cook, so there are so many people who don't know basic nutrition facts."
—u/Thornloki256
14."Alcohol is really, really bad for you. By binge drinking, you run the risk of developing stomach bleeds, intestinal bleeds, pancreatitis, liver disease, and/or liver failure, alcoholism, heart failure, seizures, stroke, osteoporosis, lung failure, the list goes on... Having 4 drinks spread out over a few hours can be JUST as fun as having 10 drinks in the same time span, AND you're not putting yourself at risk for massive organ failure and making yourself look like an idiot."
—u/Mosessbro
15.And, lastly: "Fevers are not always dangerous. In fact, they are your body's natural response to an illness. Always call your doctor first, but you might not need to rush to the emergency department at the first sight of one."
—u/sms575
Did any of these surprise you? Let us know in the comments!
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