Early Warning Signs You Should Not Ignore

Most symptoms are minor and settle on their own. That is genuinely true, and it is also why some symptoms get ignored for months — the habit of waiting works so often that it becomes automatic.

This article does not tell you what any symptom means. It tells you which ones are worth having looked at rather than waited out. Nothing here is a diagnosis, and the presence of a symptom on this list does not indicate that you have a serious condition.

Why this matters

For most serious conditions, the single largest factor in how well treatment works is how early it starts. The delay is rarely medical — it is usually the weeks or months between noticing something and deciding it is worth an appointment.

What medical guidance says

Signs that warrant an appointment

Arrange to see a doctor, without waiting for it to pass, if you notice:

• Weight loss you have not been trying for, particularly if it is steady over weeks or months.
• A cough lasting more than two to three weeks, or any cough producing blood.
• A lump anywhere — breast, neck, armpit, groin, abdomen or testicle — whether or not it is painful.
• A change in bowel habit lasting more than two weeks, or blood in the stool, or black tarry stools.
• Blood in the urine, or a persistent change in how often or how urgently you pass urine.
• Any unexplained bleeding that is new, persistent or heavy.
• A mole or skin patch that changes in size, shape, colour or edge, or that bleeds or does not heal.
• Difficulty or pain on swallowing, or a sensation of food sticking.
• Persistent hoarseness lasting more than three weeks.
• A sore or ulcer in the mouth that has not healed in three weeks — particularly relevant to anyone who uses tobacco in any form.
• Fatigue that is persistent, unexplained and different from ordinary tiredness.
• Breathlessness on activity that used to be comfortable.
• Fever lasting more than a week, or recurring without explanation.
• Unexplained bruising, or bleeding gums and nosebleeds that are new for you.
• Persistent, worsening or night-time pain anywhere.
• A wound or ulcer that is not healing, especially on the feet if you have diabetes.

A useful test: has this been present for more than two to three weeks, is it getting worse, or is it something your body has not done before? Any of those is reason enough.

Signs that need emergency care now

These are not appointment symptoms. Go to the nearest emergency department or call emergency services:

• Chest pain, pressure or tightness, or pain spreading to the arm, neck, jaw or back.
• Sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side; sudden difficulty speaking or understanding speech; sudden loss of vision; sudden loss of balance.
• Severe difficulty breathing.
• Sudden severe headache, unlike any you have had before.
• Fainting, a seizure, or sudden confusion.
• Severe uncontrolled bleeding, or vomiting blood.
• Severe sudden abdominal pain.
• A severe allergic reaction — swelling of the face, lips or tongue, difficulty breathing, or a rapidly spreading rash.
• In a child: unusual drowsiness or floppiness, difficulty breathing, a rash that does not fade under pressure, or inability to keep fluids down.

For stroke and heart attack, time is the treatment. Arriving early changes what can be done. Do not wait to see whether it settles, and do not drive yourself.

When to consult a doctor

When you do make the appointment, bring specifics: when it started, whether it is constant or comes and goes, what makes it better or worse, and whether anything else has changed. That detail shapes what a doctor looks for.

If you have already been told a symptom was nothing but it has changed or worsened, go back. A previous reassurance applies to how things were then, not to how they are now.