A thread on reddit’s /r/AskOldPeople: Does anyone else feel like f-it, I’m going to quit going to the doctor?

I’m not anti-doctor, and certainly not anti-science. The improvements in medicine and medical care is one of the big reasons I’m happy to be alive in 2025 instead of 1725.And I’m not one of those people who constantly bangs on about ‘big pharma’. And I’m certainly not one of those people who’s into ‘alternative medicine’ or quackery like chiropractors.

However, I’ve had largely poor results from visiting doctors and tend to avoid going to them.Much to the annoyance and despair of my girlfriend and mum. I just know they’re not going to do much for me and it feels like a wasted trip.

The major medical issues I’ve had:

• Light pins and needles down the right side of my body. To be fair, they did a brain scan. But they gave me no answers. They just said they didn’t think it was anything to worry about. That was 15 years ago and I still have constant light pins and needles.I don’t find the pins and needles very bothersome to be honest. I just worry it’s indicative of something more serious.
• Panic attack. One day I thought I was having a heart attack – it was horrible.Interestingly, considering I thought I was dying, I didn’t have an epiphany or interesting ‘final thoughts or wishes’. I just simply didn’t want to die. An ambulance was called and I was checked over. They gave me no answers or advice. The doctor just said it wasn’t a heart attack. I had to work out for myself that it was a panic attack.
• Wrist pain. I had (and have) pain in my wrists. They did give me a scan. But when nothing showed up they just shrugged their shoulders. It’s probably RSI or something similar. But again, I had to work that out for myself.
• Knee pain. One day I woke up with a painful knee and couldn’t put much weight on it. I worked a more physical job at this time, so it put me out of work for many months. I got no answers for what it was or what caused it. I was referred to a physiotherapist who didn’t help much and gave me some bog-standard exercises. The exercises might have helped, but I’ll be honest, I didn’t bother with them. My knee got better on its own. Well, it still clicks. And I also can’t run anymore sadly.
• Always needing a wee. My most successful encounter was when I went to the doctors about feeling like I constantly needed to wee. I’d go to the toilet and very quickly afterwards need to go again. The doctor said it was probably mental, as I had constant access to a toilet. I was offended and thought that was insane. I had a scan on my bladder and it was being fully emptied when I wee’d. The doctor was right. I just got used to going to the toilet the moment my bladder filled up slightly.

I’ll of course quickly go to the doctor if I have blood in my stool, chest pains or other serious symptoms. But for ‘niggling’ little things I tend not to bother anymore. They’re unlikely to help me, in my experience.