On average, the typical person visits the doctor four times in a year. I am not the average person. I couldn’t tell you the last time I visited the doctor because it has been so long—until recently.

I have always talked myself out of going to the doctor because I hated the fact that they could tell me something I could have easily fixed myself. For instance, if I got a cold, I could have gotten some over-the-counter medicine rather than go to the doctor and get something just like it.

In the last week of 2018, I had been to Urgent Care twice and to the emergency room once.

All of these visits were for the same reason. It was shocking to hear each doctor tell me what they thought was wrong. No two doctors gave me the same answer. This began to frustrate me.

I just want an answer, to feel better and normal again, but with each test coming back normal I feel further away from the goal of finding an answer.

I am hoping to make progress toward finding the answer to what has been going on, in the next few weeks. I’ve realized how hard it is to not know what is going on with your own body. It’s quite terrifying.

In this new year I have come to the realization that knowing, in instances like this, is better than not knowing.

When it comes to your health, you have to take care of yourself, and you need to remember that no one else knows your body better than you. If something feels unnatural, don’t risk it—go to the doctor.

I hadn’t been to the doctor for a long time before my current visit because I knew my body well enough that the few times I got sick, I knew some remedies to help, and I knew it would go away.

The health problem I have now isn’t going away until someone can figure out what the exact problem is. The doctor I have now is doing a great job in trying to crack the case.

Through this process I have learned to not ignore the small problems. In the end, they add up and become a big mess.

I have also learned that not talking about a problem doesn’t make it go away. For a month I tried to ignore and move past the pain I was feeling until I realized that nothing was going to get better. This problem needs to be addressed.

In this new year I’ve learned that it’s okay to see your doctor when you aren’t sure about something. Just remember, you only get one body, so take care of it now.

Karena Ozier is a freshman elementary education major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or at kmozier@eiu.edu.