CLEVELAND — When it comes to their own health, men are shockingly averse to go to the doctor, and even when they do, many are hesitant to be honest with their physicians, a study from the Cleveland Clinic found.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, 72% of men would rather do chores than go to the doctor. Among married men, 77% would rather go shopping with their spouse than go to the doctor.
When men do go to the doctor, more than a third admit they've held something back. Some didn't want to be told to change their life styles, to quit smoking or exercise more for example. Of the men surveyed, 37% said they'd withheld information because they knew something was wrong but weren't ready to face the diagnosis, or they would rather not know if they had health issues.
Others weren't ready to face their diagnosis, if it was something bad. A full 65% say they prefer to self-diagnose.
One man who avoided the physician's office was Michael Balla. He thought the sore on his foot was just a bug bite, but it just wouldn't heal.
"It was my wife who basically said, 'You are not well. you need to go to the doctor,'" said Balla.
It turns out, Balla had an aggressive form of leukemia. Thankfully, he beat the cancer. He now gets his blood checked every two weeks to ensure he remains cancer-free.
