salukigirl, I don't like to go to the doctor either. In the last couple of years I have really tried to get better about it, perhaps because I had a problem that was serious and required surgery. But I have gone many years at a time with no doctor visits. I remember one time in the last decade I went 7 years without visiting the doctor. I preferred to deal with my medical complaints on my own. So I don't know if it's just a man thing, because I have been that way too. I think for me, it's more of a self image thing, that I view myself as healthy and I know enough about medicine to know that when I visit the doctor with minor complaints, they can really do nothing, or what they give you may not really help you get better too much faster than if you self-treated. Such as sinus infections--they will go away without antibiotic treatment, just may take longer. Or if I hurt my knee or ankle--it will likely get better with ice, compression, rest, etc.; do I need a doctor to tell me that? I have a pair of crutches at home if I really need them. If several months pass and the knee (or my cough or whatever the persistent problem is) is still bugging me, then I might go see a doctor.