My cardiologists said “you’re the youngest patient I’ve seen in years!”
I’m pushing 40 fyi.
Don’t think that’s a good sign.
Doctors in the US do not treat young people. Idk if it’s care rationing or insurance or arrogance or what but if you’re under 30 they will just tell you that you’re too young to have certain issues even if all the symptoms are present. Someone under 30 probably can’t even get in to see a cardiologist without having a heart attack in an ER first.
I was told by my doctor to not even get an annual physical until my late 20s bc of care rationing. He refused to send me to specialists when I was in pain
it could be a bad sign for other reasons… like people in your age bracket should be going to the doctor, but aren’t because they have shit/no healthcare coverage or are resisting going because they want to maintain an self-delusion that they are fine.
there’s also a phenomenon of distrust in certain underserved demographics where they believe “going to the doctor makes you sick” because, within their community, there are plenty of anecdotes about people only getting sick and dying after going to the doctor.
of course, what likely happened was these people had medical problems that went undiagnosed and untreated for years until they rose to a level they could not ignore, and then they went in and found out they were hip deep in shit with very limited options.
im in my mid 40s. i started actually going for routine checkups and doing the stuff in my mid 30s. i am still always the youngest person i see in the waiting rooms and halls, and the only other dudes i see are very old and looking rough.
it is grim from a public health perspective.
like people in your age bracket should be going to the doctor
Yeah that’s actually what I meant. Should have made it clear I wasn’t talking about myself, but the fact hardly anyone under 50 actually goes to the doctor anymore.
So I have been seeing medical professionals for a while now cause of my mental health issue. BUT I started seeing other docs as well in my mid 30s (Im mostly fine) but I really think there is some value to do routine checks twice a year like getting your blood checked etc. Much better than the alternative of going years without a doctors visit.
If you can afford it in the US. Im in Europe and its basically free for me.
yeah, im lucky as shit. i got into a union gig and while it still takes a bite of my ass to get healthcare, it’s much better than it was or could be.
i sign up for all the supplemental shit and do all the recommended visits, including dental. dental I have to pay upfront, but i get reimbursed for a shitload of it a month later so it pencils out as affordable in the long term.
the whole system is assbackwards in the US requiring up front pay and tracking paperwork/admin shit, but after going without for a long time, im an enthusiastic user.
i also try to be open about my various medical shit with everyone, but especially guys my age and younger. like trying to destigmatize it, i guess. and dispell the idea that getting treated isn’t weak. it’s smart.
there’s so much toxic messaging out there like everything can be fixed just by eating “correctly” and lifting/working out. like certainly, eating nutritious food and engaging in physical activity are great, but they are just a part of the whole, not a substitute for medical consultation and treatment with licensed professionals.
So awhile ago I had a recurring ear infection that a clinic kept giving me antibiotics for. When they finally let me see a specialist he IDed it as a yeast infection immediately and gave me the antifungals I needed, but the antibiotics had already fucked up my stomach. I went back to the clinic to get referred to a gastroenteroligist and they hit me with “back already? You’re falling apart at your young age!” I understood at once why the receptionist was behind a plexiglass shield.
I have no excuse not to see my doctor and take their advice because I actually have decent free coverage in Canada, but I’m terrified to because my doctor wants constant blood tests every damn time I visit, and I am deathly afraid of needles and especially blood draws. I’ve had full scale hour long panic attacks in my car in the parking lots of testing clinics because I can’t bring myself to go in to get the blood draws done.
i don’t understand why they can’t get our blood another way, like have an outrageously attractive person step into the room briefly and collect it as it gushes from the patient’s nose.
You’d need to be an anime protagonist first
i’ve seen supporting characters get nosebleeds
I’m in the same situation. My doctor eventually caved and started giving me benzos and doing a finger prick instead.
It happens when you are disabled. I have gotten so many “oh you are the youngest one here!” at this point.
Also, glancing down, came_apart_at_kmart is right. There is a lot of bad things happening on the public health department. I have a LOT of friends who need to go to the doctor regularly but don’t because either they can’t or their doctor trauma makes it very difficult for them to go. Hell, I have a great doctor now, but even for me the day is shot normally because I get so anxious because of previous bullshit i’ve had to deal with.
All of this to say, don’t take it personally. It’s good that you are there at all and it might mean that you will last longer now then you would have if you didn’t go at all.
It’s fine. better they find the problems now than in 20 years when it’s too late to actually do anything
Youngest person, so far.
Part of the reason i never scheduled the follow up referrals from my last doctor visit aside from being uncertain of the need (like, do i need a fucking physical therapist? i think i slipped a disc in my neck, give me a fucking xray) is it’s all gonna cost money, like, what, 100 copay each just for a specialist? And being off work this summer and with UI fucking me out of 3 weeks of pay lol yeah my bank account is really low and I don’t want to ask my partner to pay for hundreds of dollars of shit (with no real estimable price tag since who the fuck knows what the ACTUAL PRICE TAG WILL BE for ANY given visit) and that on top of my other reasons for putting shit off has, well, led me to putting shit off.
And it’s like 1pm and I still feel like shit because I still can’t ever sleep so i’m really probably putting it off for one more day but hahaha i really really really can’t put it off any longer. Two days ago i found a lump about an inch below my solar plexus and that’s just another fucking serious thing to try to not panic about. Definitely kinda hoping it would go away, it definitely kinda hasn’t. Lying machine says it’s an epigastric hernia, idk, all i know is the lump and position. To anyone telling me not to google shit, shut the fuck up, I would actually greatly prefer it be that as opposed to what I’m actually worried it is, thx
P.s. really love the irony that I could probably afford the doctor visits no problem if insurance weren’t costing me like 300-400 a month
Since you’re unemployed, are you eligible for Medicaid?
Probably not tbh Im not entirely sure Im supposed to be on unemployment even but while my employer says “you’re eligible” and the state says “sure” i’ll keep doing it. I’ll be back at work in probably 3 weeks either way.
I really just need to get over being in this weird space where I’m relying on my partner for almost everything but this feels like it’ll be “too much.” But even they’re like wanting me to make the appointments because theyre concerned. I just keep thinking about how they’re stressed, their job is about to start paying a lot less, and theyre going to miss a paycheck, so I really don’t want to add to the shock i know they’ll experience when that hits their bank account. But that’s all dumb because I know we have enough money for now and it’s just in my head.
It’d be a lot easier if I had been able to get back on adderall with that initial appointment last month (I’d have been less likely to procrastinate and build it up into a thing to be anxious over) or if like, health care just had firm up front price tags that were easy to understand. It really does just feel like medical stuff has the potential to cost literally any random amount and you don’t know anything until afterwards
When i went with my partner to their gastroenterology appointment the nurse practitioner basically said that they charge for literally every single thing discussed as a separate billing item and that just seems so incomprehensible to me
Oof!
