I don't know how common this is, but I have a weird need to take care of all my injuries and physical discomfort on my own without any input from anyone, medical professional or otherwise. It's not that I dislike doctors; I actually don't mind going to them, and don;t have any special dislike of needles or medical stuff either. I just don't like people dealing with something that I can take care of myself. I rarely even tell anyone when I'm hurt, even if its something serious like a neck injury, because I cannot stand people telling me that i need to get it checked out. A lot of the time, I feel like everyone is making a much bigger deal out of things than needs to be made. I mean, yeah I flipped over at a party and couldn't tilt my head past a 40 degree angle for 2 months without stabbing pain, but it's not like it's a big deal? Yeah a kid hit me with a shovel and made a big bloody spot on the back of my head but there's more important things to worry about, like horses and how cool they are. So what if my hip sometimes sends sharp pains down my leg every time I take a step? It's not that bad and it only happens every once in a while. But apparently people seem to think that these things are 'important' and I 'need to see a doctor before things get worse' pffhh whatever. Maybe it's some primitive-brain impulse to hide any weakness? Maybe it's a fucked up display of independence or self-sufficiency? Who knows! I do know that I am 100% willing to stitch my own wounds with a needle and fishing line before I even tell anyone that i got hurt, and if anyone tries to get me to go to the doctor about it there's no guarantee that I won't scream you out of the room. So I guess my question is, How serious does something have to be before you'd go to the doctor for it? I really don't have any frame of reference to work with, so it'd be cool to finally have that.
imo: Any pain in the neck/head/spine that lasts for more than a week is definitely something to get checked out, especially if it's the result of blunt force. While the odds are that it's not terribly serious, if it is a serious injury you're likely to further injure/incapacitate yourself. e.g., one of my elementary school teachers had a bad fall on ice and ignored it. She wound up needing physio because she wonked up some muscles in her back trying to compensate for the fracture in her tailbone. (At least, my mom volunteered at the school, and this is what I recall her telling me.) Aside from that, breaks/potential breaks, second and third degree burns, large amounts of bloodloss, most things involving eyes, and serious fevers. I guess this baseline is a result of my childhood + first aid training.
Actually, it is. That could have been a fracture of a vertebra. Should've gotten it checked out. Should have gotten your head seen to by a doctor. In a Dutch ER you probably would have gotten away without a head CT, but in other places they might just have given you one, because if there's a bloody spot on the outside, there might be a fracture, or a bleed or both on the inside. Please, please, please don't do that. You can really fuck up wounds that way.
Discomfort that lasts over a week, or any injury or pain that keeps you from functioning normally (i.e. the thing where you couldn't tilt your head a certain way!). Anything that is diminishing your mobility significantly. And also anything, ANYTHING, that "is bothering you", no matter how easily dismissable and manageable it is, deserves checking out, if only to put your mind at ease. Also regardless of any of these things you need regular check-ups every couple years - to check less obvious, long-term stuff like cholesterol levels, blood sugar, how your various body parts are faring etc.
So head and neck wounds are actually super important to get checked out because you never know when it's gonna turn out that yep, you broke your neck. Anything that might be a break should be checked out, though I know I'm pretty bad about it-- I've broken my toes a fair number of times and just wrapped them myself. That being said, my god this is relatable. I know part of mine is a money issue, because I'm loathe to pay for any expense that seems unnecessary and I actually had no idea how Tricare worked for the longest time (and now I don't have insurance! It is what it is.) It doesn't help that consistently doctors have failed to treat me for things, so now I just don't go at all. I've had a severe second degree burn that I treated myself, bronchitis that I just sort of grimly waited out over the course of four months, said broken toes, and I'm really bad about getting yearly checkups. I haven't seen a dentist in years. The only doctor I've ever seen consistently has been the optometrist, and I can't really afford not to go when my script changes.
