Ignored a small coolant leak and now my engine is making strange noises

[mahlibeardman]

I feel like such an idiot. A few months back I noticed a tiny puddle of green liquid under my car occasionally. It was small, so I just kept an eye on the temperature gauge and topped up the reservoir now and then. Well, last week on my way to work the gauge suddenly spiked and I heard this knocking sound. Had it towed to a shop and they said the head gasket might be damaged from the heat. I started searching online and found a detailed article about the real expense of postponing auto fixes. It explained exactly how ignoring minor cooling system issues in our heat can lead to major engine damage. Now I am looking at a bill that is ten times what a simple hose clamp fix would have cost. Has anyone else had a small problem snowball like this?