You should never ignore sudden changes or pain in your body. These signals may be warning you of serious medical symptoms:

1. Sudden leg pain. Pain or tenderness in the back of your lower leg, especially if it appears to be sudden and accompanied by swelling, may signal a blood clot that could be life-threatening. This is called a deep vein thrombosis.

2. Sudden numbness, tingling, or speech problems. If you suffer paralysis in your arms or legs and feel weakness or numbness, especially on one side of your body, you may be having a stroke.

3. Blood in the urine. Even without pain, blood can signal a problem. The most common causes are kidney stones or prostate infection, but it could also be cancer.

4. Bleeding gums. People with leukemia bleed more readily than those with normal blood platelets. Other symptoms include fatigue, nosebleeds, fever, and night sweats.

5. Striped hair. This could signal a lack of dietary protein and iron. Stripes may turn blonde, gray or reddish. They may also be a sign of ulcerative colitis, a bowel disease that causes inflammation of the digestive tract.