Get it looked atEveryday life

unbry

Get it looked at

A short book about putting off the doctor, the dentist and the screening test, because not knowing feels safer

17 chapters11,268 wordsAbout 51 minFirst edition

What's inside

·Before you startThis is a short book and you can read it in two or three sittings. It's about one habit. You notice something about your body, or a letter arrives…2 min
1The mole in the mirrorIt's a Tuesday morning in September, and you're getting out of the shower. In the mirror you catch sight of the mole on your left shoulder. You've had it…3 min
2Why not knowing feels saferIf you've been putting something off for six months, you're in large company, and you're not being stupid. This chapter sets out why people do it, as…3 min
3"While I don't know, I'm fine"This is the belief at the centre of the habit, and it's hardly ever put into words, because it falls apart once you say it aloud. It goes like this. While…3 min
4"It's probably nothing"Of all the reasons for not going, this is the one that's most often true. I'll start by agreeing with it. It probably is nothing. Most moles are harmless.…3 min
5"If it's bad, I'd rather not know"This chapter is about the fear underneath the other reasons, and I'd like to treat it with respect. Fear of serious illness is one of the most reasonable…3 min
6"I don't want to waste their time"In Britain this reason has a special force. People know the health service is stretched. They've sat in full waiting rooms and heard the news about…3 min
7"I can't face the chair"For some things the fear is less about the news than about the experience. There's the dentist's chair and the sound of the drill. There's the speculum…3 min
8The fear that gets you there and the fear that stops youYou might expect that the people who put off tests are the ones who don't worry enough. One careful study suggests something more interesting, and it…3 min
9What the putting off costsI've left the costs until now because you know the main one already. If the thing is serious, delay can make it worse, and chapter 5 said so once. This…3 min
10The kit in the bathroom cabinetNot everything that gets put off is a symptom. A good deal of it arrives in the post. There's the bowel screening kit, the letter inviting you for a smear…3 min
11"You can never get an appointment"The fourth reason from chapter 2 was hassle, and I've no intention of telling you it's imaginary. In many places getting a GP appointment means ringing at…3 min
12Making the callChapter 8 said the task is to stay with an uncomfortable thought for about four minutes, which is what booking takes. This chapter is about those four…3 min
13The decisionUp to now this book has asked you to look at your reasons. This chapter asks you to decide something. It comes late because a rule given at the start…3 min
14Bad news, brush-offs and the opposite problemThe rule is simple. Some of what follows from it isn't, and I should be straight about that. The wait for results. Between the appointment and the answer…4 min
15The mole againHere's the scene from chapter 1 again. It's an example of how it might go, and I'm not promising it. I've given it the likeliest ending, which isn't the…2 min
·NotesThis book gives general information. It isn't medical advice, and it's no substitute for a doctor, dentist, pharmacist or nurse who can examine you. If…4 min

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