we talked about young people. now let's discuss the older folks.

[vash]

this weekend;
one of the supervisors in my office fell off his tractor and hit his head. he got up, passed out and hit his head again.

he said he is smart because he just layed there the second time doing injury inventory. why get up to fall a third time.

now? he looks like he has a concussion. dizzy, nauseous, etc. i have had two..both times i saw a doctor. he is labored from what i would guess is cracked ribs. his arm looks like a he blocked a baseball bat hit. he has a huge red strawberry on the back of his head.

that stubborn EFFER..he wont let anyone drive him home. he wont call his doctor..he wont see his doctor.

i pulled rank and just called his friend, and she i gonna call his wife.

what is up with older people and NOT wanting to see the doctor? i love seeing the doctor..and getting the info i need to figure out my life.

[oldE]

I didn't go to the Doc when I got my concussion, but that was 30 years ago.

Almost two years ago, I was disconnecting a piece of equipment from the tractor. When the last linkage came free, another piece of linkage struck me a glancing blow to the inside of my knee. I barely noticed it at the time, but within a couple of days there was some swelling and quite a bit of discomfort. I figured I'd better see a Doc.
The Doc was not interested in the blow to the knee, but called for X rays of the knee to determine if arthritis was causing any problems (in my hands from time to time, but never in my knees).
The follow up visit a week or so later saw some improvement in my knee with reduced swelling and the Doc was able to tell me there were only a few signs of arthritis beginning in the joint.
Gee thanks, Doc.

I will say though a few years before when I had some discomfort in my shoulder after re-shingling the barn roof, my Doc diagnosed rotator cuff damage and set me up with a physiotherapist.
She set me up with a series of exercises which strengthened the muscles around the joint and I was pain free after a few months.

If there is loss of consciousness or damage which isn't fixing itself, I'm on my way.
Other than that, it feels like a waste of time.

Best
Les

[flatbutt]

Does he have insurance? Is he OLDER? Like 60's?70's? My Dad wouldn't go to a Dr unless it was dangling or wouldn't stop bleeding.

[pwd72s]

Count me among the old guys who hate seeing a doctor. Hey, maybe it's because we get sick and tired of hearing "At your age..." from people less than half our age.
We know our age and what it feels like...damned youngsters, despite all the degrees they may have, don't.

[sammyg2]

Doctors put people in hospitals.
Hospitals are where old people go to die

As silly as that sounds, I know people who believe it and it becomes easier to relate to the older I get.
That reminds me: I haven't haven't had an annual physical in years and one of these days I gotta get a colonoscopy done.

[vash]

Originally Posted by oldE

If there is loss of consciousness or damage which isn't fixing itself, I'm on my way.
Other than that, it feels like a waste of time.

Best
Les

WOW!! change the words around a bit and the Supervisor said essentially the same thing!

[vash]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

Does he have insurance? Is he OLDER? Like 60's?70's? My Dad wouldn't go to a Dr unless it was dangling or wouldn't stop bleeding.

we are insured to the gills.

i think it is pure and simple stubborness..

[Tervuren]

I do not think this is limited to older folks.

Just the ones that are like this AND reach old age tend to be rather hardy, otherwise they would have been dead when young.

I'm not sure I've phrased that in a way that communicates the idea properly, but it is what I have time for today. Weather is nice out.

I am the young and medically stubborn, maybe one day I'll make it to middle aged and medically stubborn.

If I make it to old age I'll be old and stubborn I guess...

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Doctors put people in hospitals.
Hospitals are where old people go to die

As silly as that sounds, I know people who believe it and it becomes easier to relate to the older I get.

Pretty much

[Baz]

I never go unless absolutely necessary. Last 2 times was for Acute Bronchitis to get Z-pacs. I could have done that myself if they didn't need an Rx.

Two doctor visits over a 6 year span...not bad for an old guy.

I get scratched up, cut up, bruised, and sick ALL THE TIME! Doesn't mean a doctor visit is required.

[sammyg2]

[stevej37]

Until I broke my femur last summer, the last doctor visit was when I had a fish bone stuck in my throat at age 12. I will be 65 this fall.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by vash

i think it is pure and simple stubborness..

That has nothing to do with being old, especially if he’s young enough to still be working.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Until I broke my femur last summer, the last doctor visit was when I had a fish bone stuck in my throat at age 12. I will be 65 this fall.

You win

[fastfredracing]

I'm one of those guys. Hate going to the Dr. Will not go unless absolutely necessary . You'd be surprised what you can fix with electrical tape and a shop rag .

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by fastfredracing

Hate going to the Dr. Will not go unless absolutely necessary .

I'll take your advice.

The last time I went to the doctor was to get my prostate checked. He poked a finger up my ... and said it was a bit enlarged. I said I wanted a second opinion and he poked two fingers up

[RKDinOKC]

What is a doctor actually going to do for him, put a bandage on his ribs/arm, and tell him to rest and hold off on activity until he doesn't get dizzy no more?

[drkshdw]

My grandfather is the same way. He fell about 2 months ago and tore open his arm, had a baseball sized lump where he hit his head and was dizzy. He is 97 and still lives on his own. Did NOT want to go to the doctor. An uncle finally forced him to go.

He's now on 8 different pills for who knows how many different ailments and every other day he's at the hospital going through test after test for every little thing the doctor can find. Never had any health problems his entire life (except for polio as a kid) and now all of a sudden the doctor is telling him he is going to die in a month if he doesn't do this, that and the next.

Kind of extreme considering he was just shoveling a foot of snow on his driveway and sidewalk, by hand, and then went on his daily 2 mile walk just 2 days before he fell. And now we know why he didn't want to go to the doc. Dealing with his health has become his full time job now.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by fastfredracing

I'm one of those guys. Hate going to the Dr. Will not go unless absolutely necessary . You'd be surprised what you can fix with electrical tape and a shop rag .

Yes! I had a circular saw blade guard stick many years ago, blade caught my jeans and took a chunk out of my lower thigh. Rags and duct tape, all better! I think my wife is still pissed about that one.

[R K T]

Slightly different scenario......

About 18 years ago my feet started hurting. Pain got worse and worse so I went to a Podiatrist and got a diagnosis of fallen arches and got orthotics. Didn't help and went to another Dr and was told I have a neuroma and he wanted to do surgery. Went to another Dr to get a second opinion and he said absolutely no surgery.

Finally got to see a Neurologist and after a bunch of test it was determined it was Neuropathy not related to Diabetes (I don't have diabetes). Only cause was a history of years and years of standing, walking and working on concrete floors. So start taking prescription drugs. After five different ones that only caused side effects, serious side effects, one that sent me to ER, I said screw it. I will somehow deal with the pain without drugs.

And I did until 3 years ago and I couldn't take it any more and went to a "Pain Management" Dr. He immediately noticed the large scar on my forehead and I told him that I went through a windshield as a teenager. He sent me to get an MRI to see if there was something that could be causing the pain. MRI showed nothing. Next was a blood panel. Everything was perfect up until my platelets which was dangerously low. He said we need to get you in to the Hematologist right now. An hour later I'm at a Hematology Oncologist getting a full blown blood panel and a bone marrow biopsy.

The results were, besides the low platelets, Polycythemia and early stage Leukemia . I now see the Dr constantly to check blood numbers and get phlebotomies. Everything the Dr is doing so far is keeping the numbers stable....so far.

So........if I had not gone to the PM Dr about the pain in my feet, who knows when I would have felt the symptoms of the Leukemia and it may have been much worse when I finally did go to a Dr.
What you don't know can hurt you and kill you.