"The Nurse Practitioner Freaked Out": 20 Seemingly Small Symptoms That Can Indicate A Much Larger Problem

Yahoo

25-05-2025

If you're anything like me, a sudden stomach pain might have you spiraling on WebMD, reading about worst-case scenarios. But in all seriousness, there are a handful of seemingly innocent medical symptoms that could actually indicate a real problem. Redditor BigTuna0890 asked, "What is a 'seems to be harmless' symptom that requires an immediate trip to the ER?" Here's what people said.
(However, please note that this post is not meant to take the place of medical advice.)
1."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
2."Headache and a neck so stiff that you're unable to look straight up. It could be a sign of meningitis (inflammation and swelling of the brain) that has gone so far that your brain is pressing down on the brainstem. And it could be lethal within hours."
—fiendishrabbit
3."This might not be 'immediate trip to the ER,' but it certainly is '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
4."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
5."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
6."Prolonged breathlessness. Mine turned out to be a serious pulmonary embolism. Lucky to have survived the six-hour wait for treatment."
—KaraD23383
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7."If you've recently taken an impact to the abdomen, pain in the left shoulder can signify a ruptured spleen (though you'll most likely experience other symptoms)."
—SkierGirl78
8."Hit your head hard? Get it checked out. I had a friend who fell out of a chair at a work party and hit his head hard on the ground. He shook it off. Then he started complaining about vision problems over the next several weeks. His work performance suffered. Between work and his wife, the people around him pieced together that he could no longer read at the same level. It wasn't his vision, it was his comprehension. He couldn't even perceive what was actually wrong. Long story short, it was a serious traumatic brain injury. He had to go on disability and into rehabilitation therapy for over a year."
—CustomerDelicious816
9."For those who are biologically female, losing your period or prolonged amenorrhea is oftentimes a sign of something larger going on that's attributed by doctors as stress. Always get it checked!"
—almightychloee
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10."Irregular heartbeat. It's 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. The doctors had to knock me out and zap me twice to get my heart back into a proper rhythm."
—dntdrmit
11."Cat bites. They can become infected super easily and become a problem. It may not be an 'OMG you're gonna die' situation, but definitely take a trip soon to get any cat bites checked. Even if the cut is not deep."
—Rest_In_Many_Pieces
12."Watery discharge during pregnancy. I was 25 weeks pregnant and noticed some watery discharge/ I was confused; I might have been peeing myself a little. If you Google 'watery discharge while pregnant,' Google tells you it's totally normal. I felt totally normal otherwise and had no cramping, blood, or anything else. I called my OB after about 12 hours of this, just to check in after my husband felt concerned. I expected her to set up an appointment with me the next day, or go to urgent care in the morning, but she said to go to the ER immediately..."
"...Once I arrived at the ER, I expected to wait for hours. But they admitted me immediately. Turns out my water had broken (I was expecting a huge gush like you see in the movies!), and I was having contractions 1 minute apart that I couldn't feel, and I was going into preterm labor. At 25 weeks, I was still in my second trimester, hadn't planned a baby shower, and labor was something that felt a long way off... I hadn't even started prepping our nursery! I spent 46 days in the antepartum unit of the hospital on magnesium drips and trying to delay labor as much as possible, and ended up having my baby at 32 weeks. After my long hospital stay and some time he spent in the NICU, he's a happy and healthy one-year-old now!"
—Zealousideal_Elk_150
13."Feeling pain in your lower back that feels like it's moving towards your belly button is a huge sign of appendicitis. You've got 48-72 hours to treat it before it bursts."
—PepsiMaxHoe
14."Sudden loss of hearing in one ear. If it doesn't recover within a few hours, get yourself to the ER immediately. You have about 24-26 hours during which treatment can bring your hearing back. After that, it's permanent."
—Away-Meal-9313
15."A constant 'runny nose.' Especially if its clear, watery, and coming from only one nostril. And especially if it gets worse when you strain or stand, improves when you lie down, is sort of salty/metallic tasting, or is accompanied by new headaches, neck pain, or light sensitivity. That's your cerebrospinal fluid. That shouldn't be on the outside of your body."
—please_have_humanity
16."I started having really weird 'day dreams' more and more often (first out of the blue). Turns out they were partial seizures and I had a tumor growing in my brain."
—Alwayssleepy1717
17."I got a small cut, a little more than a scratch, on my arm cleaning under a conveyor at work. The sort of thing one barely notices. It was black with coal dust, so I rinsed it off. I didn't give it a good soap and water scrub until I got home several hours later. A few days later, I had a dark red bump with what looked like a pimple on it where the scratch had been. I figured it could be an infection, but there was no pain or discomfort, so I figured it would heal..."
"...After a few days of it remaining the same, it suddenly grew larger and nastier looking. Still no pain or discomfort. I figured I needed antibiotics, so I made an appointment with my doctor. It was going to be a few days. When talking to my mom, who is a nurse, on the phone, she said it's serious and if I can't see the doctor that same day, then I need to go to urgent care. I went to urgent care, and the nurse practitioner didn't seem too worried. Then I rolled my sleeve all the way up, and they saw red streaks going from the infected area up towards my armpit. I was very surprised by what happened next since I imagine people in urgent care see all sorts of bad stuff.
They freaked out, saying I needed to go to the emergency room immediately. They asked if I felt ok and could drive myself. When I said yes, they said they'd call the hospital and give them my info and let them know I'm coming. They said I may have to stay for a couple days on IV antibiotics because I had sepsis, an infection spreading through my blood stream.I had to get lots of medicine, but I only stayed in the hospital for one day. Apparently, it was so serious because once the infection passes a certain threshold, people go from feeling fine, like I did, to deathly ill in minutes. Make sure to clean any cuts well right away."
—Puzzled-Dust-7818
18."Sweet smelling breath! It could be a sign of diabetic ketoacidosis."
—butterf1y
19."Before I was admitted to the ICU for two weeks, I had muscle tetany (it felt like pins/needles) in my feet, arms, chest, and weirdly enough, what felt like my nose for weeks. I thought it was just poor circulation, but turns out I had undetectable potassium and phosphate levels, which did bad damage to my liver and kidneys. I went months without going to the ER because I thought I was being dramatic. Never write things off. It's always better to look overly cautious than wind up dead."
—almightychloee
Do you have something to add? What is a seemingly minor or innocent symptom that could be indicative of a serious medical condition? Tell us in the comments or in this anonymous form.
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