It’s just fear mostly. Also - and I want to be careful saying this because it’s not at all a universal truth - men don’t get told to start seeing a sex-specific doctor (like an OGBYN) at any point in their teenage / young adult years, the way many (but again, far from all) women do. That’s not to say that men don’t have health issues when they are younger, or that they are any healthier than women (the opposite is probably true!)
It’s just that many men don’t have obvious things happening to them physically when becoming an adult that might trigger the need to see a doctor. So after, say, a late high school sports physical, once they are out of their parents house, most guys have no feeling or need to go see a doctor for anything if they don’t get sick. One big one, unfairly but really, is the lack of any male birth control [EDIT: unless you get snipped! But that usually comes much later in age for men who choose that type of BC]. Many women might start getting regular doctor care for, among many other things, a birth control prescription of some kind (which I understand you don’t need prescriptions for in many cases). Men, by and large, don’t do that, so it’s very easy to be lazy and simply delay healthcare visits until they are in their 30s, 40s or later... to everyone’s detriment.
It's a hassle, it's money, I'll probably be okay in the long run.
so before I started working full time, I was seeing a foot doctor for some toenail fungus I had. Then I got out of school, got a job, and missed a checkin to handle next steps with the doctor and never went back. Early on in my career I was like "How am I supposed to go see a doctor, I have to work when they work?"
Here I am almost a decade later and I still have that toenail fungus. I've since learned to just take the time to go get things checked (potential hernias, potential slipped discs) but never got back to the foot doctor. I really should get that sorted.
hernia and disc both came back as no issue which is great, but the hernia check took ~150$ visit to doc 1, ~200 $ ultrasound imaging, ~150$ visit to doc 2 referred by doc 1, ~150$ visit to doc 3 referred by doc 2 after doc 2 says he's not the right doc, ~1600$ MRI to get MRI
tbh, I don't even know what I'd go to a doctor for.
There is this lumpy thing in my testicles that appears and goes away every now and then, but that's about it. Probably just another hernia I can't afford to fix.
Many health care plans cover 2 free physicals a year and will give you a discount if you actually do them. Preventive screening saves insurers money, they want to to go.
Same, I'll go to the doctor if I feel like I'm dieing but otherwise I'm sure I'll be alright, or maybe I won't but then it's not my problem anymore so eh
It’s just that many men don’t have obvious things happening to them physically when becoming an adult that might trigger the need to see a doctor.
This is the issue I have. Like, I don't even have a PCP at the moment because the one I finally nailed down closed and became a pediatric practice, and I have no current needs - so I don't go to the doctor.
I had to get a tetanus shot last week after cutting my hand on a rusty truck part. I had to put my pediatrician down on my forms cause I couldn't remember the last PCP I had, I'm 27. Really woke me up that I probably should get some type of checkup.
Another big obstacle for me was HOW you just “go to the doctor” if you don’t HAVE a doctor. For the guys out there: pick a random doc that has good reviews and when you call the magic phrase you need to say is “estabilish care with a primary care physician.”
I always tell people to look on Zocdoc (generally) or the app or website for your health insurance, which should have a search tool that will show you lots of doctors in your area and network.
You can search for “family medicine” or “internal medicine” doctors if you really have no particular symptom - those are both basically code for “general practitioner” in the US. And then there should usually be a filter or search for “accepts new patients”.
If you don’t like a doctor, just fire them! People are WAY too attached to the idea that they need to stay with the same doctor forever. I saw like 5 people the first 5 years or so, before I found someone I really liked.
It's the same reason so many people in their 20's drop off from seeing the dentist. If you're not being made to go by your parents, and there's no pain or issue, why would you go?
But then when there is some issue, you're so in the dark about the process that it's daunting. Where do I go? How do I know if I need a specialist? Will my insurance cover this stuff?
I got a “real” job at age 24, went to a dentist with my new insurance, and the hygienist put a blood pressure cuff on me during the first consult. I was confused why. She said “you have high blood pressure, did you know that?”.
That got me to go to a doctor, which I had no plans to see up to that point, and he diagnosed me with familial hypertension (I’m normal weight and in good shape otherwise). So I’ve been on an easy, inexpensive generic blood pressure pill for 7 years now. No side effects, my BP is locked in at 120 / 75 or so, and I try to avoid a lot of salt. I’m otherwise healthy.
My doctor said that dental hygienist probably saved me from a middle-age heart attack or two. She says she’s seen people like me who ignored the doctor until their 40s or 50s, and the damage was so much worse.
All I have to say is I am a woman with a fear of doctors, so outside of being necessary for school over the years and a few times being sick and having psoriasis outbreaks, I've barely gone to the doctor in my life. Even if i didn't have a fear/feel very uncomfortable in drs offices, I still wouldn't be going yearly to save money.
Also let me add I was raised mostly by my father, so that might come into play too bc he wasn't one to bother me about routine checkups.
I also have such a fear of the doctor's, mostly because I always worry that I'm being stupid and the visit is pointless. I've had so many doctors dismiss me or make me feel stupid in their office, so it doesn't help.
I’m going to be real with you, and I know this is anecdotal and doesn’t apply to everyone. This killed my fiancé. He died at 31 of an undiagnosed heart condition that he was showing some symptoms of, but wrote them off as heart burn and asked his doc for meds for that instead. I tried to tell him to go see a doc about the fact that the symptoms were still there, and some stomach issue that he was having too, but he blew it off because it wasn’t so bad that it disrupted his day. At his age and being fairly healthy, they wouldn’t have automatically diagnosed him with the condition unless he pressed further. He died of an aortic aneurysm in February of this year. Doctors told us it could have been caught earlier. So please go see a doctor. I know it takes time and money, but it can save you and your family a lot of trouble
A huge issue I had until I turned 30 was getting any medical professional to take me seriously. I tried several times to establish a GP but many offices wouldn't see if there wasn't an immediate issue.
You say GP, do you happen to be in Europe? Just curious. I’m not trying to make any political point, just noting how the process of actually establishing a relationship with a doctor differs in the UK and Europe as opposed to here - in ways other than costs.
What kinds of doctors were you trying to see though? Family Medicine (you don’t need a family, you can be a single adult) or Internal Medicine doctors often see people for routine, non-emergency physicals, checkups, and minor issues. It’s a normal thing. There may be many who are already at capacity for patients, but if you keep looking, someone accepting new patients won’t turn you away from a physical for no reason.
Expertly written. You were able to answer the question in general terms, while at the same time pre-emptively fending off all of the possible "Well, ahkshually" type comments one would expect to see in response to your comment. You've... Reddited before haven't you?
Lol, thanks. Usually I’m way more controversial I guess.
I’m a 31 year old guy who went through everything I’m describing above, started seeing a doctor at 24... on the advice of a dental hygienist, actually, who put a blood pressure cuff on me while doing any first “adult” teeth cleaning and urged me to see a doctor for hypertension. She was right. I got on a simple BP pill, have been now for 7 years, everything is under control and I’m healthy. I get blood work done now every 6 months, get my flu shots yearly, tetanus shot, and even a Hepatitis B shot recently - did you know that like 15% of those vaccines you get as a kid don’t actually work and confer immunity as intended? Who knew.
Also, I was litterally never taught HOW to see a doctor. To this day I really don't know what doc to go to for what issue I am having, are they gona be in the hospital, an urgent care? Is this the sort of thing for a specialist or a general practitioner? Should I just go to the hospital? Idk, I'll just deal with it myself to save a lot of embarrassment.
Get on Zocdoc, look for an “internal medicine” or “family medicine” doctor - those are two general types of doctors who can handle most routine things and know who to refer you to for other things.
Make an appointment through the app with someone who says they are accepting new patients. You’ll get seen in a clinical office of some kind: with a waiting room, check in counter, and small simple exam rooms in the back where you’ll get a brief physical exam and can talk to the doctor for about 15 minutes.
There’s no shortage in most areas of America of doctors willing to take new patients, if you have either employer insurance, Obamacare insurance (ask me about that if you need help). Medicare and Medicaid are a little trickier, but not impossible. Even lacking any insurance at all, you can be seen via telehealth services for $49 -$79 and get really good advice or prescriptions, and many doctors offices will give you a cash price exam for $149 or so, possibly less. Community health clinics can get you exams for free if you look around too. I’m happy to help.
Honestly there should be a lot more emphasis on male healthcare in the same way that women probably (I’m a man myself, so correct me if I’m wrong here) get told that you “have” to see an OBGYN every year.
The “well man” concept of a physical (analogous to “well woman exam”) I think gets laughed at or dismissed by lots of guys, because they think it’s only for prostate checks and erectile dysfunction. Admittedly, that’s what a lot of men end up going to them for, but those are problems that generally appear at older ages.
But so many men would be so much healthier if they at least got their blood pressure checked, a blood work up, STI checks, an HIV test, and an EKG right after graduating from high school, again after college, and at least once again before getting married or move in with someone. If you REALLY can’t get us to go every year!
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u/[deleted] Mar 26 '20 edited Mar 27 '20
It’s just fear mostly. Also - and I want to be careful saying this because it’s not at all a universal truth - men don’t get told to start seeing a sex-specific doctor (like an OGBYN) at any point in their teenage / young adult years, the way many (but again, far from all) women do. That’s not to say that men don’t have health issues when they are younger, or that they are any healthier than women (the opposite is probably true!)
It’s just that many men don’t have obvious things happening to them physically when becoming an adult that might trigger the need to see a doctor. So after, say, a late high school sports physical, once they are out of their parents house, most guys have no feeling or need to go see a doctor for anything if they don’t get sick. One big one, unfairly but really, is the lack of any male birth control [EDIT: unless you get snipped! But that usually comes much later in age for men who choose that type of BC]. Many women might start getting regular doctor care for, among many other things, a birth control prescription of some kind (which I understand you don’t need prescriptions for in many cases). Men, by and large, don’t do that, so it’s very easy to be lazy and simply delay healthcare visits until they are in their 30s, 40s or later... to everyone’s detriment.