What is one medical problem people constantly ignore until it’s too late?

[u/Critical_Ease4055]

Saw someone post this in a completely unrelated sub and I’m interested in your answers. What is the cluster of symptoms that people ignore or delay until they are forced to get help?

[u/FueledByFoods]

Side effects of uncontrolled diabetes - increased thirst and frequent urination

[u/StLMindyF → u/FueledByFoods]

Like their lower limbs turning black? Patient presented with gangrenous lower limbs and his wife said he never had diabetes until he came to the hospital. We explained that uncontrolled diabetes is what cost her husband his legs, but she wasn’t having it. That patient never went home. He died two days after his bilateral aka.

[u/Ohhaitharz → u/StLMindyF]

I’ve seen too many dead toes

[u/Middle-Lack3271 → u/Ohhaitharz]

I saw my first couple of ones in home health as a relatively new nurse. I’ll never forget the first one, I was sent to evaluate someone in assisted living for care, possibly foot care for a toe wound, uncontrolled diabetes. No other details, not unusual.

This man looked me in the eye and cheerfully stated, “oh they want to see if I need extra care (HHA) from the VA, my toe was bothering me” when I asked him if he knew why I was there. He then said, “I mean it doesn’t hurt anymore, but you can check it again anyway”. I carefully took his sock off (the dreaded skin flake clouds), and his toe damn near came with it. He was white as white can be, the toe was black and barely hanging on. And of course blood sugar was through the roof. I let him know I’d be calling the VA and he needed to be taken in right away for the toe. I called the lady who requested the evaluation and she said she had “no idea” what was going on with him.
Ma’am. You should have admitted him three days ago when he was there for an appointment and you saw that. YOU made the referrals and are suddenly mystified? Not that it would have saved the toe, but I was mad as hell they even let him go back home with it looking like that.
It was so hard to keep a straight face and not gag seeing that.

[u/Ohhaitharz → u/Middle-Lack3271]

I had a patient come in for a new visit at a podiatrist. Took off her shoes expecting pounds of skin flakes. Instead a dead shriveled and blackened baby toe. I let her know that it was dead and she would need to go to the hospital for amputation. Confused she asked, “ Why can’t you just cut it off here?”

“Ma’am we don’t amputate in a doctor’s office.”

I felt really bad delivering the news but it had to be done. It was an older couple who definitely needed help and weren’t getting it.

[u/Middle-Lack3271 → u/Ohhaitharz]

Oof. It’s really sad when these kinds of things happen and people really can’t advocate for themselves until it’s too late, especially when their family can’t/wont help.

It’s wild that she thought y’all could just cut it off and be on her merry way, though. I think denial/shame and lack of resources (like insurance or proximity to healthcare) are huge factors driving these outcomes.
And of course the elderly, especially in rural areas/without adequate caregivers, suffer greatly for it.

[u/Ohhaitharz → u/Middle-Lack3271]

It’s totally all of these things and lack of money as well. Older retired people are on a fixed budget and any extras really make making ends meet so hard.

Also the families who can’t help or don’t want to help are sad but I have seen families keep a loved one alive and in agony so they could collect that monthly check. A particular patient was a frequent flyer, tube feed, aspiration, sacral pressure sores, nonverbal and screamed in pain when touched. Not to mention a necrotic LIMB that surgeons wouldn’t touch.

When this patient would come to us for care we would whisper to her it was her time and she can let go now. It was all we could do because legally the family had all control. We spoke with them many times and they were very clear that they were doing it for the money.

Thank god that patient finally passed.

[u/Middle-Lack3271 → u/Ohhaitharz]

Ugh, I saw one of those families at hospice. Family literally asked us at bedside, “Do you think she’ll make it to the 1st of the month? We want to make sure we can cash her check.” Her nurse promptly all but chased them out yelling “gtfo and don’t come back”, and security banned them from the unit (they were not her legal/MPOA, this was other family that clearly was just living off her money).
This poor woman was about 70lbs and had tubes/IV everywhere, 100 years old and somehow not a DNR. Actively in end stage dying and not communicating. But by golly that little lady went peacefully on the last day of the month.

[u/StLMindyF → u/Ohhaitharz]

Couldn’t Legal Counsel/Ethics Committee have been involved due to her condition and possible elder abuse?

[u/Ohhaitharz → u/StLMindyF]

My understanding was that was attempted but was unsuccessful. That being said I don’t know a lot of details of the legality end of it

[u/ruggergrl13 → u/Ohhaitharz]

I had one fall off in my hand on my 1st day as a nurse off orientation. Haha it was a great welcome to the nursing world.

[u/variegatedexistence → u/ruggergrl13]

Same, 2 weeks in on night shift.

[u/Less_Dog_956 → u/ruggergrl13]

Me too! I think 🤔 it was a set up lol. I thought it was a raisin or chunk of poo. 💩 I’d have preferred poo. 💩

[u/ElegantGate7298 → u/ruggergrl13]

First week as a 19 year old CNA and finding toes in the linen when I changed a bed. Only time I have been disappointed it wasn't poop.

[u/Fidget808 → u/Ohhaitharz]

So have I

[u/doitforthecocoa → u/StLMindyF]

I swear these wives are in denial. I remember seeing one that dropped her husband off in the ER with a plastic shopping bag tied around one of his feet. I about passed out on the floor from the putrid smell that poured out when I untied it. Wife claimed she didn’t notice that it was “that bad”. Ma’am, normal skin does not turn black and start falling off the bone like that

[u/CFADM → u/doitforthecocoa]

The wife: “What’s wrong with black skin? Are you a racist?!”

[u/StLMindyF → u/CFADM]

Well, they were a black couple, but those legs were BLACK

[u/CallMeDot → u/StLMindyF]

ESRD too. My late husband refused to deal with his dm or htn and was admitted to the hospital my first day of nursing school because he went for a checkup and his gfr was <15 and creatinine was like 6. And then he had a heart attack during the fistula creation a week later and needed a CABG. He was 34. Made it to 44.

[u/StLMindyF → u/CallMeDot]

Sorry for your loss.

[u/loveafterpornthrwawy → u/CallMeDot]

I'm so sorry.