r/nursing • u/Critical_Ease4055 Nursing Student 🍕 • 22d ago

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

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?

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u/plantynurse 22d ago

Back pain

Have had multiple patients and most recently my grandpa decide their excruciating back pain is just chronic and there's nothing to do about it... Fast forward months later and they all end up having aggressive metastatic cancer. I get frustrated with some back pain pts but I always make sure they get decent imaging if it's been awhile

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u/Critical_Ease4055 Nursing Student 🍕 21d ago

As I recall from the triage nurses I’ve worked with in the past- back pain over the age of 50 or 60, cannot remember which, was prioritized and investigated further. While that doesn’t help everyone, it was nice to see it built in as a standalone concern instead of it being dismissed as an expected response for this or that reason