I tend to err slightly on the stoic side. I have a simple formula for deciding whether to do something: If I find myself thinking "If my mother knew I had noticed this symptom and didn't go to the doctor, she would kill me," then I know it's time to go to a doctor.

A similar metric is to imagine that I had noticed this symptom in a dependent and was being cross-examined on the witness stand. "You say you saw white spots on her tonsils, Ms. Miller. Doesn't that strike you as a sign that something might be wrong?" "Yes, but she wasn't dead then, so I didn't know for sure."

Also, as I age, I've come to realize that I cannot put my health in my doctor's hands. They are best at reacting to life-threatening situations, and I prefer prevention first, then treatment when that works. Also, since adulthood, none of my problems have been life-threatening (woo hoo!), which means that doctors don't care as much as I do.

It's much better if I come in there already knowing my problem so they can just test me for than and then treat me. Otherwise they flounder around and never figure it out.

Google is my friend. And my insurance company has a new nurse line, which is also my friend.