What is it with men and not going to the doctor...

Simple. Men know doctors are pure unadulterated evil. The true spawn of Hades itself.

Edit: and just for the record, try getting my grandma to go to the doctor without her being literally on her deathbed. Nope she will not go. She'll bug the rest of the family to go to the doctor for a little cough, but she never goes herself.

Is that a male thing?

I hate going to the doctor. I go to the eye doctor every year or two and the dentist every six months.

Other than that, I haven't been to a doctor for about 8 years.


As to your friend...I totally understand his POV. It's stressfull going to the doctor when they run all sorts of tests, poke and prod you and then tell you you have to wait 6-8 weeks for the results. It's easier to not worry about it when you don't go get the tests than when you do. IMO.

dluvs2trvl said:

Uhmmm....and as far as my friend goes, when his option could be dying - I think it's worth getting poked and prodded and waiting for the test results.

Click to expand...

Oh, of course it's worth it. There's no question of that. But, that doesn't make it the easier thing to do.

There's no accounting for the unreasonableness of human beings.

It's not just a guy thing all the time, I pretty much agree with you though. I also think for something like that he should go, under other circumstances I could see not going.
I know for me I put it off as long as possible, I fractured my ankle in high school and ended up walking on it for a good three days before I went to the doctor. It hurt but I thought I just twisted it or something. I never did go in when I did something to my wrist, it still bothers me occasionally now too.

Just passing though but topic caught my eye...
I think it's fear for the most part. You go to the doctor and learn something trully life changing, like have to exercise more, have to do less, eat differently... that kinda thing. I know it made me anxious about going about chest pain I had last semester, but it turned out to just be a pulled muscle and stress, but I wouldn't know that without going, and some day it might not be just a pulled muscle, which might also contribute. Someone goes so many times and learns it's nothing major, what's the point of going again if it's probably nothing again, and this time it turns out they should have gone?

I hate going to the doctor

I dunno... for me? It feels very weak. i know thats stupid... but I somehow feel i'd be alot stronger if I could take care of myself without the aid of a proffessional. You have no idea how long it took my family to convince me to see a doctor about my auspergers syndrome

The reasons for men not wanting to going to doctors, and men standing by as the life boats on a sinking Titanic are loaded full of women and children, are undeniably linked.

I don't mind going if I know its something that they can do something about. But I'm not paying them to tell me what I already know is wrong and prescribe me medications that aren't really necessary. I think prescription drugs are hurting more people than illegal drugs.

My dad went to the emergency room with kidney stones a while back. The nurse asked him what he thought was wrong, agreed that he was probably right, and had the doctor call in some pain meds, then sent him home. That is IT.
Then a few weeks later he got an emergency room bill for like $700 and a doctor bill (even tho the doc didn't even see him) for $500. And that isn't counting the meds. My parents are poor with no health insurance, so that hurt them pretty badly financially. So now my dad is having some heart issues and we can't get him to go to the doc because he knows he can't afford it.

So while I don't understand why people with good insurance avoid the doc... I can completely understand why low income people don't like to go.

Leave us guys alone!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmHTyLBIZ1g

I remember Jim Henson dying with millions of dollars, in New York City, from pnemonia! He wouldn't break away from his demanding schedule and go to the doctor. What a waste.

It's not doctors I hate, it's needles and waiting rooms.

Coach

I hate going to the doctor for five little words:

"Turn your head and cough."

Could be a lot of things.

Some men are afraid of and avoid medical procedures.

Some men are so independent that they want to get over all their sicknesses and problems on their own and only if it becomes readily apparent that something can't be taken care of on its own do they see a doctor.

And honestly some men I think, especially older men are afraid the doctor will find something. Which BTW is a totally illogial viewpoint.

But here is the thing, a lot of men don't want the idea to enter their head that they are not totally healthy. I still hate to think that I'm going to be taking pills for epilepsy for the rest of my life. That thought bothers me.

So its almost as if they would rather convince themselves that they are totally healthy when they actually have cancer then to know they have cancer and actually live longer. Stupid but thats some people.

I know it's probably wrong to think like this but I feel a little embarrassed of submitting my body to a stranger (a doctor or not) for inspection.

I'm mostly bothered by the costs.

Shoot if I had my own personal doctor that I could call whenever I wanted that would come to me (and I didn't have to pay for him) I would probably call him up at least once a week and say "This isn't cancer is it?"

I believe it's because going to the Dr. puts me in a position of weakness. That ultimately they are not in control anymore. They have to really on other people.
Many people get afraid in the medical. Because...it's a completely different world. The medical fields has it's own language, and customs. For some people it's like going to a different country.
-Anthony

Two reasons why I don't like to go:
A few years ago I had to have my nose reconstructed. Things did not go "as planned" and I had to have the surgery again a month later.

Last year went to give blood and I couldn't be cause my iron was way low. They suggested that I go see the doctor so I did and ended up having to have a gastroscopy and colonoscopy to look for internal bleeding. They said that they found a polyp on my stomach and it was sent out for testing. A couple days later I got a VOICEMAIL telling me that I had been referred to an oncologist and they made an appointment for me the next week. I spent 5 days crying thinking that I could possibly have cancer. When I got to the appointment I was informed that this doctor is also a blood specialist and that is why I was there. So the impersonality of it and the fact that they left out vital information in the voicemail really made me mad. I have switched to a different PCP.

Though I hate going if I think something is wrong with me I will definitely go because it is better than dying.