Sometimes it’s really obvious you need to see a doctor. A dangerously high fever, constant vomiting or excruciating pain are all very clear signs something is wrong, and you need medical attention.
But some symptoms of serious illness are easier to ignore, or maybe you’re too embarrassed to bring them up to a physician.
Shawn Piers, MD, is a family medicine physician for OSF Medical Group – Primary Care in Washington, Illinois. He has identified symptoms people commonly try to ignore, but could indicate something serious. If you experience any of these symptoms, you should get them checked out. Don’t risk your long-term health and safety by ignoring them.
1. Change in bowel movements or habits
皮尔斯博士说:“人们都有自己的排便习惯。”“也许你总是要在早上喝咖啡或其他一些连贯的模式，所以你知道你的模式什么时候改变。”
最令人担忧的变化是不寻常的持续便秘，持续腹泻，感觉你不能完全排便，甚至粪便中有血。
“People either don’t want to talk about it or face it,” Dr. Piers said. “They will usually put that off for a while. It won’t drive them to see a doctor. With blood in the stool, they often think it’s just hemorrhoids.
“What we would be concerned most about in people 45 and above is the possibility ofcolon cancer. The thing that finally brings someone in is abdominal pain. By the time that occurs, the illness could be much worse. It’s important to not ignore some of the initial symptoms.”
2. Unexpected weight loss
“If someone is not changing eating habits or exercising, but is losing weight, it’s concerning to us because our bodies don’t lose weight naturally,” Dr. Piers said.
The weight loss can be gradual, happening slowly over the course of weeks and months, but maybe you notice your clothes are fitting more loosely despite no diet or exercise change. The biggest concern Dr. Piers would look for in this case is cancer.
“We would be looking for cancers within thelung, abdomen or even blood cancers likeleukemia,”他说。
Diabetesorthyroid diseaseare also possibilities.
3. Chronic fatigue or tiredness
If you find yourself always tired, it may be a symptom ofdepression, which is an illness that sort of feeds on itself.
It can happen slowly, making it difficult to notice, Dr. Piers said. A person loses interest in things, and maybe becomes more withdrawn. And when a person is interacting with others less often, it can be hard for loved ones to see the changes.
Plus, depression can causeinsomnia，这可能会加剧问题。饮食变化和工作表现问题也可能是抑郁症的迹象。
“These things come on gradually and people often feel it’s a sign of weakness to get care or therapy,” Dr. Piers said. “They think ‘It’s for someone else, but it’s not for me.’”
Other medical conditions would also need to be ruled out, such as thyroid disease.
4. Shortness of breath
“By itself, shortness of breath doesn’t usually drive people to seek medical attention unless it’s significant,” Dr. Piers said. “It can be due to a lack of exercise. But, when we are unusually short of breath going up steps or during daily tasks, such as carrying out the garbage, this could be a serious issue needing attention.
“Mistakenly, people often feel they need another symptom paired with shortness of breath before visiting their doctor, such as chest pain or cough. However, shortness of breath by itself is a symptom that should be addressed. Because it comes on very slowly, allowing you to adjust to it, it is not recognized as a problem that would cause you to see your clinician.”
Shortness of breath could be caused byheart diseaseorasthma. If you’re a smoker,COPDis a possibility, but smokers often ignore shortness of breath because they think it’s just an effect of the smoking.
According to Dr. Piers, shortness of breath associated with cough, especially if it’s bloody, could be cancer.
5. Headaches
如果你习惯了没有头痛，并开始有规律地头痛，这可能是有问题的迹象。
“People tend to not seek medical care for headaches until the headaches start to interrupt their daily life,” Dr. Piers said.
What you want to look out for is a recurring headache that is more prolonged. It might start as a low-grade headache that gets worse over the course of weeks or months.
“It could just be stress, but we would worry about something more serious,” Dr. Piers said. “Particularly if you start seeing other symptoms, like numbness or weakness.
6. Enlarged testicle or lump on testicle
Because of the private nature of this area of the body, men can be uncomfortable sharing information about testicular issues with a clinician. Guys seem to be more open about it now than in the past, however, Dr. Piers said.
“You should always come in to the office for that,” Dr. Piers said. “Especially if you’re younger, there’s a danger oftesticular cancer.”
睾丸癌在40岁以下的男性中最常见——主要是十几岁到二十几岁——这也使得年轻男性可能会忽视症状，因为他们认为自己太年轻了，不会有什么严重的问题。
“An older person with an enlarged testicle or a lump, I’m less concerned about cancer, but it may be something such as a cyst or hernia,” Dr. Piers said.
严重的疾病不会自行消失，如果有很多医疗问题，你越早接受治疗，你越有可能得到积极的结果。因此，如果你有上述任何症状，与你的初级保健医生预约。没有一个吗?You canstart hereto find one available near you. It’s never been simpler.