One of the things I remember as a kid is the day my dad did his own surgery

One day my dad was cleaning a sediment bowl when it broke and cut his finger. He had it taken care of but for years after he swore there was still glass in his finger. He went to doctors a couple of times and don't ask what tests they did but they kept telling him he was wrong. My dad swore he could still feel the glass in his finger.

One day when we were all away he sat down with a sharp knife and a couple shots of whiskey. He cut open his finger and sure enough he extracted a few small pieces of glass out of his finger. He was just getting ready to sew up his finger with a needle and thread when we arrived home and my mom freaked out at him and packed him off to the hospital for real stitches.

My dad couldn't get what he wanted from the "professionals" so he did what he had to do himself

That's the kind of people I was raised by and that's why I don't whine and whimper when I am sick or get hurt. I just do what I have to.