“People sometimes live with this for years and don’t realize they’re just accumulating brain damage.”

As a Viral Resident Writer at BuzzFeed, I cover politics, trending news, and pop culture through a lifestyle lens.

—PlacidVlad"Blood in stool. Even if you're young. I've seen so many young people (30s, sometimes even 20s) with colon cancer."—buttermellow11

—haruspex_md"The words 'postmenopausal vaginal bleeding' got me into my primary care that afternoon, and a full hysterectomy 7 weeks later."—VTtransplant

—waxfantastix"YES! My mom had very obvious swelling in her ankles and feet, and kept brushing it off, even though we kept telling her she should talk to the doctor. When she did finally go, she found out she was in late-stage heart failure and AFib."

—trustme_imRN"A lump found in the breast. Have it examined. Just because you don’t want it to be bad news doesn’t mean it will magically go away. Early intervention is the best intervention."—Skittlescanner316

—Own_Anywhere9206"Not a doctor, but speaking from personal experience. If you have a sudden-onset headache that sweeps over your head, accompanied by a tight neck, and you're not already dead on the floor...get to the nearest emergency room. You've likely had a brain-bleed. When you check in at that emergency room, mention 'thunderclap headache,' and they'll put you at the front of the line."—CommodoreVF2

"This is a huge one that more people need to know. My grandmother went from totally lucid to confused and agitated in 48 hours, and the ER said UTI. Cleared up with antibiotics, and she was back to normal. Crazy how much it affects the brain."—Sensitive_Gift4866

"I remember going to A&E a few years ago for chest pain. Luckily, it turned out to be a trapped nerve, painful but obviously not life-threatening. I ended up apologizing for wasting their time. I was told in no uncertain terms that if I ever have chest pain, go and get checked. They would much rather I go and find out I'm fine rather than not go."—wilderaura"Ambulance staff checking in: THIS. Call us, please!"

—canadiankiwi03"My friend had a touch of 'heartburn' that was actually a heart attack."

—Successful_Cycle_868"Painless jaundice was my mother’s first symptom of pancreatic cancer."—skittlazy

—Severe-Elderberry833"I woke up one morning and could not hear out of my left ear. I ignored it for a few hours, then called my primary care provider. He told me to come in right away. When I did, he ruled out an ear infection and sent me to an ENT. The next day, I saw the ENT. He told me it was lucky I came in right away, because this kind of thing could result in permanent hearing loss. He gave me a prescription for prednisone, and my hearing came back. This was not the end of my hearing issues, but getting the prednisone right away was initially the key to my recovery."—NOVAanne1

—UncutChickn"If you get what seems like a minor skin irritation, something like a pimple, for example, that turns into a scab or tiny open wound, or a scab that just keeps coming off, and it just doesn't seem to ever heal. Don't give that thing months to heal before going to a doctor.  Don't just cover that spot with makeup and go on with your life, no matter how small. It could be skin cancer. The longer you wait, the riskier it gets and the larger a chunk of flesh that's going to get cut out."—Revolutionary_Law742