Most Dangerous Medical Problems Men Overlook

Stop Googling it, and get a second opinion...

Most Dangerous Medical Problems Men Overlook

Life in the 21st century is pretty cushy compared to the stone age. However, surrounded as we are with cutting edge comforts (iPhones, Netflix etc.), we are still (more or less) stuck with the bodies of our Paleolithic ancestors.

Of course, medicine is significantly better. But no matter how skilled doctors and nurses become, there will always be ailments that slip through the cracks, or which don’t get the attention they need early enough. Hence the utility of today’s Reddit thread, “Doctors of Reddit, what’s your ’thank god they came in for a second opinion’ moment?”

Whether it’s something most people wouldn’t bother checking out in the first place or something that a medical professional has missed, these are some of the most dangerous medical problems that the Doctors Of Reddit suggest you should seek a second opinion on.

Small Lump On The Testicles

The most upvoted post came from a doctor explaining how a “22 yo guy came in (to see him)” after telling his usual doctor he had a headache.

“I did a usual full review of symptoms since he was new and he also marked his left testicle had a (small, hard) lump.”

“I (suspected) right away (he) likely had metastatic testicular cancer,” the doctor said, adding that a brain scan and a testicular ultrasound “later confirmed it.”

He also asked the guy if he had told the other doctor about the lump, to which he said yes, “But the other doctor told him it was normal.”

“So fellows, if you note a lump on your testicle ask for an ultrasound and don’t be embarrassed to bring it up.”

Weird Pupils

Another instructive story comes from an eye doctor who had a patient come in for a routine check up, before getting some new glasses: “She was a 50yo woman, fairly normal exam, perfect vision, retinas showed healthy, but something about her pupils really bothered me before I dilated.”

“We chatted about it and I asked her if she banged her head or anything weird and she said no, but suddenly reveals this crazy history of an old Meningioma (a type of brain cancer) she had removed a few years ago,” the doctor added.

“She had decided to omit this from her history with us as she didn’t feel it was important, but we went and put it into the charts anyway.”

“Turns out she got a CT done two weeks prior to her exam with me which she says turns up completely normal. I tell her she should tell her doctor about this anyway just to cover our bases. Fast Forward; “Patient shows up in my office… to tell me that my examination revealed that her tumor had returned with an incredible vengeance.”

“She had no idea, was totally asymptomatic and the CT she had prior to me showed what was very literally the size of a spec of dust which the radiologist dismissed as artifact,” which goes to show how quickly things can change. “On her return to her doctor, they decided to re-run the CT to cover THEIR Bases, and they found a quarter-sized tumour.”

“She was rushed into emergency surgery… had it removed that day and returned to me after recovery to tell me of what got discovered as a result of my testing. She is now a long time regular patient I have been seeing for about 10 years.”

Skin Problems

Another common ailment which could (emphasis on could—you want to be sensible, not paranoid) turn out to be serious is a skin problem, as the following doctor recounts: “Dermatologist here—I have seen probably 5 instances of ‘My other doctor told me it was fine,’ that were melanomas.”

“A lot of times people don’t want a full skin exams. There are lots of perfectly sane reasons for this, time, perceived cost, history of personal trauma. However, I routinely find cancers people don’t know they have,” he added.

“Keep this in mind if you see a dermatologist for acne and they recommend you get in a gown.”

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