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We all have that one fun little quirk about our bodies that we like to show off as a party trick. Like pushing out your thumb or moving your ears, everyone has one. And I can’t tell you how many people I’ve freaked out with my joint hyper mobility.
But some of these quirks are a little… less fun and can lead to more problems than we might realize. And today’s story is all about people who only discovered their own unique, and sometimes concerning, traits after going to the doctor, realizing their bodies are just a little different from the rest.
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#1
My psoriasis is so bad it caused a type of arthritis that is treated as an autoimmune disorder, took almost 15 years for my doctor to do anything because the 15 year old complaining of extreme joint pain must be a liar..
Zero Costa 23 hours ago
psoriatic arthritis yeah. cool story, my mum "just" got diagnosed with that herself... after 25 years of being told she had (and was being treated for!) rheumatoid arthritis ://
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#2
My youngest was born prematurely so had a scan in the first days of her life.
Fast forward 8 years & we were sent back for a scan when she had recurring UTI’s.
The doctor was shocked as he’d looked at the first scans & realised that since then, one of her kidneys had disappeared.
Apparently it would have been faulty so her body absorbed it & created one super kidney.
It means she can never captain a space mission. 🤷🏻♀️
#3
After a series of X-rays, I learned my spine is straight as a broomstick (no double-S curve,) and I'm missing my bottom 2 ribs.
Unique body traits can come from many different sources, and they can even develop over time. Sometimes, they’re present at birth, like a missing rib or an abnormally high kneecap. These kinds of differences are actually far more common than you might think. According to researchers, in the United States alone, critical birth defects affect 1 in every 33 babies.
Some less dangerous conditions can go unnoticed for years — or until you undergo a test that finally finds them. Issues like a missing tailbone are often downright undiscovered, even if they cause issues down the line. After all, most congenital birth defects are present at birth, but they just aren't discovered until later.
#4
I have an extra pair of ribs. Short and rudimentary, but still an asset 😀
Francesca Annoni 1 hour ago (edited)
Maybe he found te two missing ribs of the person with spine straight as a broomstick
#5
I was having dizzy spells which isn’t really unusual for me but they were worse than usual. I went to the ER and they did a CT scan. They found a fatty cyst or could be a benign tumor. From there I was sent to a neuro and then to a brain tumor clinic. They still aren’t sure what it is but I have to get an MRI every year to check on it. Eventually they will have me switch to every couple of years. They said if it ever needs to be removed they pull it out through my nose like a booger. Lol
#6
I only have one kidney. Found out when I was 23 and diagnosed with lupus and stage 3 kidney disease. Had no idea and played all kinds of sports so things could have been really bad
Other times, these traits are genetic. Conditions like hypermobility or muscular dystrophy are some of the most common inherited disorders, often passed down from parents or grandparents (so, you know who to thank for that). But that doesn’t always mean they’re harmless or purely cosmetic. In some cases, they can be a sign of more serious issues down the line.
Take keratoconus, for example. Doctors believe it is partly genetic, but it’s also a progressive eye disorder that can cause a range of vision-related problems, including distorted vision, astigmatism, and extreme light sensitivity. In more advanced stages, it can even lead to severe vision loss and the need for a corneal transplant. So it’s not just a minor condition that means you’ll need glasses.
#7
Car accident, had x-rays done, he says “uh. You have no tailbone. It’s completely gone.”
Mind you I knew instantly when I had to have broken it off. Like 6-7 years prior I landed a jump slightly back on the blade, my foot slipped out & I fell on the ice HARD. I was so mad at my mom “I told you I was in a lot of pain!” She’s still never apologized & it’s been 37yrs.
Bored Jellyfish 1 day ago
Ugh! A cracked tailbone is a special kind of nasty pain (slipped on ice). I can’t imagine what it would feel like to obliterate it in a fall!
#8
I metabolize oral anesthetic 5x faster than normal due to extra copies of a gene.
I found out because the dentist visits I had as a child, especially getting cavities filled was a literal nightmare. Not until I met my current dentist at age 32, did I find out the reason, as she has the exact same issue.
#9
I went in for chronic pain treatment in my thirties and they randomly found that I have biclonal gammopathy which can turn into multiple myeloma.
When I was 21 I had sudden random chest pain and trouble breathing in the shower and they found thyroid cancer.
I get all the fun ones 😒
Finding out that your body is a bit different, whether it’s spots on your bones or an extra kidney, can actually be kind of fascinating. It can make you feel unique, give you a story to tell, and become something to embrace if it doesn’t cause pain or discomfort. But psychologically, there may be a reason why some of these traits are only discovered years later.
Experts say that people often experience what is known as “illness denial,” meaning they downplay or ignore unusual symptoms in favor of normalcy, or as a way to avoid medical attention. On top of that, the cost of healthcare, whether private systems or, in places like the U.S., in insurance-based systems, can be enough to discourage people from seeing a doctor in the first place.
#10
Not the Doctor but the opticians. Went for an eye check before starting a job as cabin crew, found out I have a rare condition call Kerataconus.
Lady Eowyn 8 hours ago
Keratoconus is a condition of the eye in which the normally rounded cornea bulges outward into a cone shape. The cornea is the clear, central part of the front surface of the eye. It protects your eye and helps you focus for clear vision. You pronounce keratoconus as care-ah-ta-KO-nus.
#11
Kind of unrelated to why I was at the doc but when I first became pregnant with my son, they discovered I have a partially septate uterus and have had it my whole life. I was labelled as high risk for that pregnancy and did deliver early (unrelated to Septate). It’s wild to know now that there is a malformation in my uterus that is most likely the cause of heavy periods all my life but was only discovered when pregnant
#12
After losing my baby teeth, my permanent top canines just weren’t coming in. An oral surgeon assessed when I was 13 to make sure the teeth had developed (they had) and then gave the news I’d need surgery to help them descend because they were trying to invade my nasal cavity. In the midst of that, it was discovered I only had three wisdom teeth and even though I had room in my mouth for them, the surgeon said they were unlikely to grow in. Surgeon was right. I had all 3 extracted a decade later
Of course, we can’t ignore the role doctors play in the discovery of these issues either, and yes, I’m talking about medical negligence. Misdiagnoses and delayed diagnoses happen every single day, to no one’s surprise. One U.K. study found that around 8,000 claims were made against NHS Trusts for misdiagnosis, with 40% of those cases resulting in serious harm or complications.
That said, doctors are only human, and humans make mistakes. Ultimately, it also depends on the healthcare system in each country. In places like Japan and South Korea, employers are often required to provide annual health screenings for workers, and full-body examinations are relatively common, with the hope of catching conditions earlier. This is far less common in Europe and the United States.
#13
Chest xray to just check lungs. I get a call asking if I’d injured my spine. I had a think- and yes. 18 years prior in a car accident but no one at the time thought to tell me to get an xray done as they were more worried if I had a concussion or not. Well apparently I had fractured my L1 in 2 places. Remodeling occurred but as I age I get dull pains sometimes. That’s why as Asian I’ve lost ability to deep squat naturally. 🤦🏻♀️
#14
I am adopted. Didn't realize I had an indigenous (Eskimo) heritage until a certain blood test for something completely not related came back
#15
I went in for wrist pain that wouldn’t quit and after a few doctors we found out I have Lupus.
This isn't to say that you need to run to your doctor immediately to check if there's anything wrong with you or your body. After all, health anxiety, formerly known as hypochondria, is a very real phenomenon that psychologists note has only gotten worse during the world pandemic, and through propaganda hailing from social media fear-induced videos. And we don't want to worsen that.
We all should, however, stay on top of our health and continuously go to regular checkups as a precaution. During one of these visits, though, have you ever discovered something unusual about yourself and your body? Let us know all about your own little quirks in the comments below.
#16
had the worst migraine of my life and went to the ER because i was in so much pain and couldn’t move my neck. never had a CT scan before that. turned out to be occipital neuralgia and they gave me a nerve block. found out i have a deviated septum days later when i was reading through the doctors notes from the CT scan in mychart
Nikki Sevven 1 day ago
In my early 20s, I went to the ER for migraine with aura and was diagnosed with mild spina bifida. I'd had the disorder my entire life and never knew it.
#17
I had an MRI to diagnose my migraines a long time ago. The imaging showed that a part of my brain stem is a centimeter too long which has a whole name and diagnosis and symptoms for some people but for me is completely asymptomatic. So I have demonstrable proof that my brain is abnormal.
#18
I discovered that what I considered to be my pleasantly chubby body is actually morbidly obese
UKGrandad 23 hours ago (edited)
How deep in denial does one have to be to think that morbid obesity is just 'pleasantly chubby'? EDIT: aaand here we go again! Misunderstanding what I'm saying and assuming I'm being nasty. Morbid obesity is a serious risk to health; wrapping it in cute euphemisms does nobody any good. Sure, it might make somebody feel better about themselves to be called 'pleasantly chubby' or 'voluptuous' or whatever, but that won't prevent the heart disease, the diabetes, the damage to the leg and hip joints, the chronic restriction of breathing, the early déath because our bodies are not adapted to being so heavy. Sometimes you just have to call a spade a spade. It's not 'fat-shaming' to say so, either, before anybody starts with that nonsense, because I'm not ridiculing or mocking the morbidly obese, I'm merely saying that 'plump' and 'morbidly obese' are far from the same thing.
#19
My jugular sits abnormally high in my neck
I actually was born with an extra pair of ribs that had to be taken out due to the issues it was given me
My diaphragm sat too low and was crushing my celiac ganglion
My knee caps sit abnormally high!
There’s a ton more😂 I’ve had 30 surgeries so the human body is indeed a nightmare!
#20
Most people get their endometriosis confirmed via surgery. I got mine confirmed because it stuck my guts to my abdominal wall so bad that a physiotherapist and specialist gyno both felt it while touching my belly during an exam.
JB 13 hours ago
It’s honestly horrifying that endometriosis is *still* mostly diagnosed through surgery. After 2 years of misdiagnosis for different types of cysts, I was referred to the same gynaecologist who performed my tubal ligation, to remove an ovary in imminent risk of torsion. She had to remove the ovary, the fallopian tube and “burn off” all the lesions she could find during the surgery. Still has a funny story though. I couldn’t pèe in the cup. Tried for well over an hour with the nurse telling me I couldn’t have surgery if I didn’t pèe. Eventually got annoyed enough to ask why they needed the pèe sample. “In case you’re pregnant”. I said, “tell DR so-and-so I said hi, she performed my tubal ligation, and that I trust her work.” Went into prep for surgery about 15 minutes later.
#21
My jawbone is apparently reinforcing itself. My dentist jokingly recommended a boxing career to me.
Lady Eowyn 7 hours ago
I have an unusually strong jaw. I discovered this while being kicked in the jaw by my trainer's horse. There's still a little dent. The horse was aiming at my horse, who just swung himself out of the line of fire. And when I had braces as an adult, the orthodontist told me I have an unusually strong bite.
#22
My body likes making extra parts. I have had 14 teeth pulled because I have “too many” for my mouth. I also have 6 lumbar vertebrae instead of 5. This wasn’t discovered until I was in a car accident and had lingering back pain and tingling down my leg. That 6th vertebrae was cracked.
#23
I went to check for a blood clot once & found out I have 2 arteries running in one of my legs. They also discovered a hole in my heart during an mri
#24
Found out my toes only have one joint. I always wondered how people could pick things up with their toes!
Alli Marston 18 hours ago
Can't bend my big toe unless I do it with my hands, although I do have the joints. The tendon to curl your big toe ends before that joint on my feet (inherited it from my dad. who couldn't bend his big toes as well!). I secretly envy people with monkey toes, but tell them I am obviously a more advanced human and have developed much further than them from the time when we lived in trees;)
#25
My left kidney is big enough that the ultrasound tech thought I may only have one, but the right one is just teeny and in my pelvis instead of where it should be. Perfectly functional. I always tell techs now when I'm getting a check over/pre-op and they're like "oh yeah... that's weird". I was getting an ultrasound for gallstones when it was discovered.
#26
I learned that my hips are slightly misaligned, making one of my legs seem longer than the other. I suspected something like this for years since occasionally someone would ask me why I was limping when I thought I was walking normal
Dorothy Reiser 10 hours ago
My right shin bone is slightly crooked, making my left hip slightly higher. Did not limp but I can't sit cross-legged.
#27
I have something called osteopoikilosis where my bones have spots on them. I found out when I got an X-ray for an injury. Now two of my kids also have it
#28
I learned getting X-rays at the dentist a few weeks ago that I have mandibular tori and apparently not everyone has that. Went around my job asking people if they have the bones that stick out under their tongue and everyone so far hasn’t had them 🤷🏻♀️
Judy Reynolds 5 hours ago
I have some pretty large tori. They only cause problems when I am getting x-rays done. They get poked by the film holder.
#29
My knees hyper extend as their most comfortable safest position. In school the teachers always fussed that I would pass out if I locked my knees while standing... but my Dr confirmed that's my normal.
#30
When I was 20 weeks pregnant they found a 12 inch cyst on my left ovary, no prior history of cysts. Further imaging confirmed it was a type of cyst that can contain hair and teeth 🫠 it was removed 3 weeks postpartum and burst while they were removing it so they had to take my entire left ovary
#31
Not me, but I went to start IVF treatments and the Dr knew from the pictures of my ovaries that my brother was going bald!
Turns out the hormone imbalances that cause PCOS are also responsible for male pattern baldness 😂
#32
I only have 22 teeth when most people have 32. Apparently I have large teeth and a small jaw. 🤷♀️
#33
Well one day I went to the hospital because I woke up so sick, throwing up everything all morning. That was also when I found out I was pregnant. Woops.
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Mrreoww 5 hours ago
Apparently my brain can get a bit slow and loopy in the first few minutes after I wake up. I found this out because I had (rarely) hallucinations in the middle of the night, false awakenings, and other such symptoms that I think mean by brain and body need to work on their coordination.
UnclePanda 4 hours ago
I got hearing aids last month and in a two-week period, four adults looked in my ears and said, "You have no ear wax AT ALL!" So I got that going for me, I guess.
Mrreoww 5 hours ago
Apparently my brain can get a bit slow and loopy in the first few minutes after I wake up. I found this out because I had (rarely) hallucinations in the middle of the night, false awakenings, and other such symptoms that I think mean by brain and body need to work on their coordination.
UnclePanda 4 hours ago
I got hearing aids last month and in a two-week period, four adults looked in my ears and said, "You have no ear wax AT ALL!" So I got that going for me, I guess.
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