A detective needs to gather clues to build a case, and a doctor needs to get a full list of our symptoms before he can make a good diagnosis. Unfortunately, many of us don’t give a full picture of our health, sometimes out of embarrassment and sometimes because we didn’t think those symptoms were important. Here are some things you may need to report to your doctor.
Your sex life
Patients are not likely to volunteer information about their sexual behaviors, say, if they have multiple sexual partners, which may have a bearing on cases like urinary tract infection. For example, we complain of burning sensation in urination, unusual urinary behavior or discomfort during sexual intercourse, won’t confide that we multiple sexual partners unless we re asked. But since these symptoms can reveal an undetected STD, your doctor needs to know.
Your fluid discharges
Patients are usually shy or embarrassed to tell their doctors about abnormal body discharges, like yellowish spotting or change in mucus consistency.
Abnormal odors
It’s one of the more obvious and observable yet often neglected symptoms. If the foot of a diabetic patient has a really bad odor, it means that the wound isn’t healing.
Change in bowel movements and urination
Frequent urination is one of the common symptoms of diabetes that patients neglect telling their doctors. The same applies to changes in bowel appearance (color, size, and character of stool) and frequency / regularity of their bowel movement, which are possible indicators of colon cancer or ulcer.
Unusual signs
Abnormal hair growth can be a sign of an endocrine problem. Sudden experiences of vertigo can also be a sign of stress.
Photo from askdrdoctor.com
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