Whether suffered at work or earned at the gym, aches and pains are part of every man’s daily life. The older he gets, the more mileage he covers, the more frequent those twinges become.
But, which of those hitches and tweaks are just the price for an active lifestyle, and which are the body’s way of warning you against a potentially life threatening condition? Put more simply: Which pain could mean you’re going to die?
Doctors: “Play It Safe”
When MDs from across the U.S. – from Stanford University to the Mayo Clinic to Johns Hopkins – were faced with that very question, most went with the safe and predictable response: “A man should tell his doctor about any pain he is experiencing.”
That’s sound advice, but it’s also safe “doctor speak” that tries to ignore the fact that most guys often won’t turn to a GP with a report on every niggling pain either because they’re too busy, too proud or too scared. The trick for any male is balancing the hypochondriac against the mountain man. You don’t want to assume you’re dying with every random pang, but you can’t always tough it out at the of risk missing a life threatening condition.
Each doctor confirmed that he sees plenty of men seemingly in good health who have some pain that confuses them. Should they be worried or not? It could be as something as a skin irritation around a mole somewhere on the skin — but that could be a sign of skin cancer. That can be easily treated if caught soon enough — if it’s not Ignored.
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Pain from Head to Toe
It’s possible to scan the body from crown to sole and identify potential danger zones. If you’re talking about headaches, you’re concerned with the “worst headache of your life.” If it’s a headache that feels new or out of the ordinary — or won’t go away — that could be a sign of anything from an aneurism to a potential stroke. You want to get that looked at right away. Also, unusual discomfort in the lymph nodes from the throat, neck, underarms, etc., should also be taken seriously.
Moving from the head and neck into the chest, the main concern is a heart attack. A stabbing pain in the chest or a shot down the left arm, combined with an increased heart rate can mean your ticker is under threat. If that checks out, you’re done.
Passing through the stomach, severe pain in the mid to upper abdomen could mean a peptic ulcer and potential severe internal bleeding. Left unchecked, the words “severe” and “bleeding” never end well.
Sticking with the gut, severe discomfort after too much booze or fatty foods — more acute than just indigestion — could mean gallstones. In general, the concept of stones inside your body is a bad idea, and a gallbladder that’s not working right because it’s got rocks in it brings the potential of life threatening defects like Bile Cholestasis or Peritonitis.
Looking a little farther down, a good ole’ Appendicitis flags itself with pain starting around the belly button. That irritation will grow more intense and spread rapidly. It should always be taken seriously because the malfunction organ could rupture, go septic and produce a killer infection.
Never Risk the Jewels
Men are unlikely to ignore any pain in the genitals. For example, testicular torsion is a medical emergency in which the testicles twist, cutting off blood flow. An hour or two can make all the difference between losing one or both. Of course, losing a testicle isn’t life threatening, but it could kill a little bit of the man in you spiritually.
Men should also be aware of their backsides as a pain in the ass could indicate a swollen prostate and possible cancer. Severe hemorrhoids could be more than just embarrassing and could be a sign of an autoimmune disease.
When confronted with so many slings and arrows from so many potential threats, it’s easy to wonder if that uber safe “doctor speak” didn’t have some sense to it. While men might carry some physical pain through their day like a badge of courage, the doctor who’s one call away might be the key to making certain a tiny ache doesn’t blow up in your face — or your head, or your heart, or your penis…
You get the idea.
