Life
Symptoms that should never be ignored by men
When it comes to, men can be notorious for doing too little, too late. As men, we are told to play through the pain, tough it out, shake it off, and suck it up. There are a dozen other variations of the same message, and they are all code for: Ignore your symptoms.
And why not? What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right? WRONG – many of the symptoms men ignore can be life threatening and may lead to loss of life.
Here below are some of the symptoms that men should never ignore:
1. Severe Back Pain
What it feels like: Similar to the kind of agony you would expect if you’d tried to bench press an armoire. The usual remedies—heat, rest, over the counter painkillers—offer no relief.
What it could be: “If it’s not related to exercise, sudden severe back pain can be the sign of an aneurysm,” says Sigfried Kra, M.D., an associate professor at the Yale school of medicine. Particularly troubling is an abdominal aneurysm, a dangerous weakening of the aorta just above the kidneys. If it bursts, you’ll die within minutes.
A less threatening possibility: You have a kidney stone, in which case you’ll only wish you were dead.
How to fix it: Aneurysms can be treated with blood-pressure medication or surgery to implant a synthetic graft.
