How many times have you heard the so called reminder, "Big boys don’t cry," coming from a mother or father? It’s no wonder some of us, and in many cases, grown men, tend to ignore or minimize pain or the seriousness of an injury. Athletes in particular, seem to pop up from the ground after a hard hit, shake it off and pretend to be just fine. Ignoring pain however, is not being tough, it’s being dumb, and doing so can put your life in danger.

Healthcare workers in Assisted Living Communities and hospitals are trained to listen, observe and report any signs of distress from any of their residents, even if they don’t actually verbalize that they’re experiencing pain. Man of the House has put together a list of pain symptoms that can possibly indicate the onset of much more serious conditions.

Headache

The onset of a severe, debilitating headache unlike anything you’ve ever suffered, could be a warning of serious medical conditions including:

Stroke

Aneurysm

Bleeding on the Brain especially if you suffered a blow to the head recently

Brain tumor

Meningitis

If the headache is accompanied by mental confusion, speaking difficulties or changes in vision, which suggests a stroke, it should be considered an emergency.

Abdominal Pain

Most people have had indigestion after a big meal of fried or spicy food but persistent or intense pain could be:

An Ulcer

Abdominal Aneurysm which also can cause severe back pain and can be fatal

Appendicitis especially if the pain is in your lower right abdomen, which usually requires immediate surgery. It can be very serious if it bursts before the appendix is removed

Gallbladder especially if it’s in the upper abdomen, again requiring removal

Pancreatitis again in the upper abdomen, but treated without surgery

Intestinal blockage which may require surgery

For Men, an Extremely Tender Scrotum. If the most sensitive spots have become so tender that it’s painful and does not go away, there’s a good chance there is a problem that should not be ignored. It could be:

Testicular torsion, a condition where a testicle and blood vessels, twist inside the scrotum; if it’s serious enough, it can cut off the blood supply and require emergency surgery to save the testicle

Epididymitis, an infection of the testicle that could be caused by an enlarged prostate from a sexually transmitted disease

Kidney stone, pain from a kidney stone can radiate into the scrotum area; kidney stones also can cause lower back pain

Testicular cancer or tumor

Inguinal hernia, a hernia bulge that can protrude into the scrotum

Chest Pain

Everyone knows sharp chest pains can be a heart attack unfolding but the pain can be more subtle. Chest pain could be a heart attack or even pneumonia if the pain or discomfort is accompanied by:

Sweating or nausea

A feeling you can’t catch your breath or you feel chest squeezing or fullness

Pain, discomfort or tingling radiating into your jaw, neck or down your arms

Weakness or a lethargic feeling

Surviving a heart attack often is determined by how quickly one receives medical attention. And, while pneumonia can be treated with antibiotics, it’s only going to get worse if left untreated. If ignored or left untreated, pneumonia can be fatal.

Leg Pain

Most people have probably heard the advice about getting up and moving around if you’re on a long flight overseas. Sitting anywhere for long periods of time can cause a blood clot in your legs that’s also called deep vein thrombosis. This throbbing leg pain is usually accompanied by swelling and tenderness.

The problem with blood clots is they can be fatal if they travel up to the heart and lungs. Clots can be dissolved if discovered soon enough.