Because sometimes the internet can be used for the power of good too
Warning: This article contains discussion of cancer which some readers may find distressing.
A Reddit user took to the internet for advice after spotting a dark line on his finger and social media users quickly rallied round in support.
Granted, the internet and social media can sometimes be a pit of gloom leading to doom-scrolling through utter trash, keyboard warriors rearing their heads, ‘look how good my life is’ inaccurate highlight reels and a whole host of depressing news.
However, it can also be used for the power of good – and in this case, a group of Redditors came through in support of another user after they shared a concerning image of their hand.
Parents warn against ‘chroming’ trend
It’s important to keep an eye on your hand and nail health (Getty Stock Images)
Social media users’ concerns over the image
A Redditor shared a photograph of one of their hands alongside the caption: “Mark on my finger that darkened over time.”
The image indeed shows their hand with one of their nails seeing a dark line on it.
A user responded: “Have a doctor look at that. Unexplained darkening of tissue may be serious.”
The original poster responded saying ‘apparently it’s just a mole’ and they’ve ‘had it for five years now’, but questioning if they should ‘get it checked again’.
“A mole changing in any way should be checked out by a doctor 100 percent of the time,” another user added.
This was echoed by a third: “Changes in moles need investigation. Doesn’t mean cancer, but it needs investigation to make sure it isn’t, or to determine if it has become precancerous.”
A medical professional also weighed in advising the Redditor to get it checked out, reassuring while ‘not all melanonychias are cancer’, when ‘they change that is a cause for concern’.
Melanonychia ‘is brown or black discoloration of a nail,’ DermNet notes. But why did the image spark such alarm from other users and what can such discoloration mean?
What can discoloration of a nail mean?
Well, Healthline explains ‘a small black line that forms vertically underneath your nail may be a splinter hemorrhage’. If the line is horizontal, it may be a ‘melanonychia’.
“These may be harmless or a sign of a more serious health condition,” it notes.
Thicker horizontal stripes on the nail are called ‘Beau lines’ and while not usually harmful, ‘nail discoloration in the nail bed can be a symptom of a type of cancer called subungual melanoma’.
Cleveland Clinic details: “It usually appears as a dark, vertical (top to bottom) streak on your nail. Subungual melanoma is rare but serious. This type of skin cancer – called acral lentiginous melanoma – is an aggressive form of melanoma.”
The medical professional added on the Redditor’s post: “No there was probably nothing to worry about last time. Yes you need to see a doctor. No it cannot be diagnosed over the internet.”
And the original poster has since responded.
It’s always worth going to a doctor if you’re concerned (Getty Stock Images)
What did the Reddit user decide to do about their nail?
Thankfully, they agreed to go and see a doctor, thanking everyone for their ‘support’.
Oh, and just as another reminder of how brilliant the internet can be at times, that MD who commented on original Reddit image?
They later added to their post: “Edit: I’d like to use the popularity of this comment to take a public stance on the issue and formally endorse pineapples on pizza.”
Another user responded: “Yes, Dermatology calling in. In this photo, the melanonychia appears relatively uniform, but it is dark enough and wide enough that it needs review, especially if darkened over time.
“[…] Edit: I have been made aware that u/humanlifeform has been using their comment to champion pineapple on pizzas. I implore you all not to attend them for your finger amputation needs, as they are clearly a maniac building a fort out of severed fingers in which they gorge on pineapple soaked pizza while laughing manically.”
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Rytis Bernotas
Topics: Health, Reddit, Social Media, Cancer
Updated 12:32 11 May 2025 GMT+1Published 12:31 11 May 2025 GMT+1
Doctors claim one sentence from a patient can nearly ‘100%’ guarantee a ‘serious illness’
Medical professionals have weighed in on other variations of the ten-word phrase
Experts claim that when they hear a ten-word phrase from their patients, they know a ‘serious illness’ diagnosis is probably going to take place.
Due to the rise of TikTok, Instagram and other video-sharing social media platforms, it’s never been easier to access medical advice and professional opinions.
And while these expert-fronted clips aren’t a substitute for booking a physical appointment with your General Practitioner (GP), they can sometimes offer some sage advice and point out warning signs and symptoms you’ve been experiencing.
Previously, doctors have taken to Reddit and X, formerly known as Twitter, to reveal a sentence they’ve often heard that can spell disaster for their patients.
One particular medic described their insight as being a ‘clinical pearl’ when they posted it on the popular r/medicine thread.
.jpg)
Experts have revealed the ten-word that indicates you could have a serious health issue (Morsa Images / Getty)
The Reddit area, described as a ‘subreddit for medical professionals’, saw the doctor explaining the one thing they can hear that gives them a ‘positive predictive value for serious illness that is close to 100%’.
Such diagnoses that have come after hearing the phrase have allegedly included myocardial infarction (MI), better known as a heart attack, and cancer, according to others on the Reddit thread.
The sentence in question? Well, it’s surprising.
“I feel fine, but my wife made me come in,” is the ten-word phrase that immediately pricks a doctor’s ears.
This piece of advice has been echoed by emergency room doctor and Twitter user Sam Ghali, who uses his social media platform to teach people about medical emergencies.
Fellow medics have also been weighing in on the Reddit thread (MoMo Productions / Getty)
Dr Ghali agreed in 2023 that hearing a patient say ‘My wife made me come in’ is an indication that ‘something is really f**king wrong until proven otherwise’.
“Trust me on this one,” he added in his short yet powerful post.
But while that’s one sentence that indicates a red flag to doctors, it’s not the only phrase that can cause concerns.
In the aforementioned Reddit thread, another medic responded: “Along the same lines: beware the sweet little old lady who ‘Doesn’t want to be a bother, but…'”
A second added: “Once took a phone consultation in GP from an old lady with hours of chest pain. She said she just ‘Didn’t want us to worry’…”
Other indications of bad news can come from a ‘mother’s intuition’, medics claimed on the Reddit thread.
One poster explained: “Last week was the last time I questioned a mothers intuition.” (Sic)
“She said her college-aged child with no preexisting conditions just seemed to be off. Child showed no signs of depression or suicidal ideation and just as we were about to discharge them he stroked.”
You should always seek help if you’re having issues with your health, but if your wife or mom tells you to do so, it sounds like you better listen.Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: Health, Cancer, Twitter, Reddit, Social Media
Updated 11:37 13 May 2025 GMT+1Published 09:52 13 May 2025 GMT+1
Donald Trump leaves people baffled after seemingly taking credit for historical event and claiming he ‘invented’ common word
Donald Trump’s actions have raised some eyebrows of late
Donald Trump has raised eyebrows after he appeared to make two absolutely outlandish claims within 24 hours.
Trump first left people baffled after suggesting that he had something to do with Pope Leo being elected as the new head of the Catholic Church following the death of Pope Francis last month.
Responding to the news of Pope Leo being the first American pope in history, Trump said: “Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country.
“I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!”
Pope Leo XIV has been elected as Pope Francis’ successor (Stefano Costantino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
In a follow-up post shared to Truth Social yesterday (May 12), Trump implied that it was his own success with Catholic American voters in the presidential election that may have helped Pope Leo get his new role.
“So funny to watch old timer Martha Raditz [correctly spelt Raddatz] on ABC Fake News (the Slopadopolus show!) this morning, blurt out that, effectively, Pope Leo’s selection had nothing to do with Donald Trump,” he penned in reference to Raddatz’s recent interview with Cardinal Blasé Cupich on This Week.
“It came out of nowhere, but it was on her Trump Deranged Mind,” Trump continued. “Remember, I did WIN the Catholic Vote, by a lot!
Donald Trump claims that he created the word ‘equalize’ (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“Bob Iger should do something about the losers and haters he’s got on his low rated shows. It’s time for change. MAGA!!!”
Then, in further questionable remarks made by the president yesterday, Trump seemed to allege that he came up with the word ‘equalize’ — a word that’s been around for hundreds of years.
As he signed a new order to regulate the prices of drugs, Trump told reporters at a White House press conference: “The rest of the world is going to have to pay a bit more, and America’s going to pay a lot less. Again, because it is a smaller population than when you think of the whole world.”
Trump claims to have invented word
Credit: RSBN
https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.695.1_en.html#fid=goog_209445802
He went on: “So basically what we are doing is equalizing. It’s a new word that I came up with, which I think is probably the best word. We’re gonna equalize. We’re all gonna pay the same. We’re gonna pay what Europe’s gonna pay.”
Despite what the POTUS said, Webster’s dictionary says that the word actually dates back to 1599…
People were seriously confused, with one writing: “There was a TV show in the 80s named The Equalizer. Did he invent the word in 1983 and is just reminiscing?”
Another wrote: “If he came up with it how does everyone already know what it means lol.”
While a third joke: “Horses**t, a word I just came up with, never used by anyone ever!”Featured Image Credit: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, Social Media, Truth Social, Health, Mental Health
Published 18:39 3 Jun 2024 GMT+1
Best friends recreate same exact photo 20 years later with people calling it ‘success’ for one reason
A group of six ‘best buddies’ were pictured aged 10, 17 and 29 in a Reddit post
A group of friends recreated the same photo 19 years later and there’s one particular reason so many are calling it a ‘success’.
It’s pretty rare to have stuck with the same group of friends you had at the age of 10 all the way through to 17 years old and even 29 too.
However, there’s another reason social media users are finding it so heart-warming a group of six pals recreated the same image nearly two decades on.
Macaulay Culkin recreates iconic Home Alone scenes
Credit: Google
https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.695.1_en.html#fid=goog_209445803
0 seconds of 1 minute, 0Volume 90%
When you’re 10 years old, not only is life very different to what it’s like now, but you were probably a whole different person too – it would be slightly concerning if you weren’t.
When most of us had reached a decade on this planet, we were still into playing with dolls, playing hide-and-seek and going to bed by 9pm.
The friends aged 10 (Reddit/Kevin Opos)
By the age of 17, we’d moved onto being stressed about exams, dating and sneaking out with out parents’ drinks and by 29, well, 9pm bedtimes are a rare and beautiful occurrence, you have to pay taxes and try and stay afloat solo in the adult world amid a cost of living crisis too.
So, the fact a group of friends could manage to cling together throughout such a treacherous journey is an achievement in itself but Matt Gruber, Joel Atia, Mykil Bachoian, Kevin Opos, Ben Danon and Aviv Edelstein from Los Angeles managed to do it, sharing three photographs of themselves 19 years apart to Reddit.
The group at 17 (Reddit/Kevin Opos)
And it hasn’t taken long for people to flood to the comments, many saying why the series of three images of the best friends round a dinner table is truly such a ‘success’.
The images were first shared to Reddit thread r/pics 10 years ago, and reposted yesterday (2 June) by u/alanboston405.
And the chaps at 29 (Reddit/Kevin Opos)
And one user said: “Head counts match. I’d call that a success on its own.”
“I was just going to say that he’s lucky they’re all still around,” another echoed.
And a third said: “That’s cute. I wish I still had friends from my youth.”
Indeed, the group of six reflected on their long-lasting friendship in an interview with Huff Post
Ben said Kevin has been the ‘glue’ to the group staying together and Mykil added he believes the longevity ‘stems from’ growing up in the same community and sharing similar interests.
Joel added the group aren’t just ‘friends’ to him, but ‘family,’ resolving: “We’ll always be there for each other no matter the time and distance that separates us.
“There’s that old saying ‘Blood is thicker than water’, but is it thicker than 20 years of friendship and memories? No, they’re exactly the same.
“Kev, Mykil, Aviv, Matt and Ben aren’t my friends, they’re my brothers.”Featured Image Credit: Kevin Opos
Topics: Health, Reddit, Social Media, Viral, Los Angeles
Updated 20:44 10 Mar 2025 GMTPublished 14:47 10 Mar 2025 GMT
Man discovers he’s ‘lucky to be alive’ after people spotted terrifying detail in photo
Prepare to want to recoil into the safe shell of your home and never want to venture outside ever again…
An underwater photograph has people pointing out how ‘foolish’ but also extremely ‘lucky’ a Reddit user is.
If I asked you to name a list of things you’d rather not spot if paddling in the sea, you’d probably name animals such as a shark, octopus and sea snake however, there’s one animal you may’ve not even heard of or seen before which you should potentially fear even more.
Tourists slammed as ‘idiots’ after ignoring warning on deadly and dangerous beach
Credit: Reddit/Two_Inches_Of_Fun
https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.695.1_en.html#fid=goog_209445804
The ‘dangerous’ spot
A Reddit user u/AArdvarkPaws took to thread r/animalid last month to share a photograph from their trip to the Red Sea in Egypt.
The image shows of a pair of hands underwater, holding what appears to be a shell in one of the palms.
The user explained the photograph was ‘taken a while ago’ using an underwater GoPro.
“I thought I just found a very pretty seashell and was thinking about taking it home as a souvenir, but I noticed it’s still alive, feeling some weight and movement inside, so I decided to at least take some pictures of it,” they added.
They added: “Only months later I was told handling it like this might have been a very bad idea. Could you help me ID exactly what it was and what kind of danger I was really in? Was it realistically a threat to my life?”
The post questions: “How lucky I am to be still alive?”
Indeed, it hasn’t taken long for social media users to flock to the post to point out just how lucky the person is to be alive given what they’re holding in their hands isn’t a shell but a textile cone snail.
The dangers of a cone snail
A user wrote: “Are you insane?!”
“You’re lucky and you’re also foolish,” a second commented.
A third added: “Dodged a NUKE.”
Another user more helpfully wrote: “This is a textile cone snail, Conus textile. All cone snails are venomous and this species is one of those known to be dangerous to humans.”
Indeed, typically ‘living in the sand beneath the coral and rocks in shallow waters,’ Aquarium of the Pacific details cone snails as ‘one of the most venemous creatures on Earth’.
“Among the most toxic are the textile, geographic, and tulip snails and there is a higher risk of death if the geographic and textile snails are involved,” it adds. “All capture their prey by means of harpoon-like hollow teeth (radula) that are rapidly jabbed into their prey to inject the toxic venom.”
And attacks on humans? Well, they typically occur when a cone snail is either ‘stepped on’ or picked up from the beach or water.
U/AArdvarkPaws noted they’d ultimately been a bit preoccupied worrying about ‘sharks, jellyfish’ and other more obvious animals and ‘didn’t think for a moment about danger from this’.
“I’ll certainly never pick one up again,” they resolved, however, they questioned just what would actually happen, medically speaking, should they be attacked by a cone snail.
Small but dangerous (Getty Stock Images)
What happens if you’re stung by a cone snail
Well, the National Library of Medicine notes it depends on the species of snail and the victim themself, but the pain can range from ‘a sharp pricking sensation to unbearable pain’.
The sting can lead to local numbness or it can spread to ‘entire regions of the body,’ alongside progressing from ‘initial weakness, sweating and visual changes to generalized muscle paralysis, respiratory failure, cardiovascular collapse and coma’.
“If a patient is untreated, death is rapid and often occurs within one to five hours. Less severe envenomations, resulting from contact with a molluscivore and vermivorous species, are milder in their toxic effects,” it warns. “These effects are also variable and may include numbness, paresthesias, and limb immobility.”
Basically, don’t pick up any cone-shaped ‘shells’ from the ocean bed – or disturb anything at all from the sea for that matter – but should you end up stung by a cone snail, you should rush to hospital as soon as you can.Featured Image Credit: Reddit/AArdvarkPaws
Topics: Animals, Health, Reddit, Social Media, Travel, Egypt, Science
