The worst-sounding piece of advice I've ever been given that does actually work is to frame your health concerns as coming from someone close to you, whom you do not believe. Tell your doctor that you've been having pain and your mom/friend/partner thinks it might be an ovarian cyst, but you don't think so because the pain is much more intense and it has to be something else. This gives your doctor an unseen third party to fight instead of you. They can't just tell this third party, who isn't present, that you pulled a muscle, they now need to prove to this third party that it is not an ovarian cyst.
At which point they will find an ovarian cyst, but they now get whatever fucked up satisfaction they derive out of proving you wrong, because you didn't believe it could a cyst at all, but guess what? They did find a cyst! It's such a good thing you didn't listen to your intuition and came to them to verify your lay diagnosis from that third party! Bonus? Doctor doesn't have to feel like they look stupid in front of a patient, which is really what all this is about. Not your health, why would you think your medical diagnosis is about your health? It's obviously about a doctor's potential ego.
And apparently this works. Apparently you just need to be able to always play 4D chess with your medical professionals in order to find an avenue of advocating for yourself and getting you medical needs met. Isn't that great?
I hate it here, actually.
I've had a lot of success with "It's very unlikely to be x but considering my medical history and previous medical advice it's probably better to be safe then sorry you know? I'm expecting it to be (something minor) but don't want to be reckless with my health you know?" It's important to act reluctant to be there and that you think this is low key a waste of your time but you are trusting doctors more than yourself
And usually doctors immediately take the "of course you need to be checked out! That's the responsible thing to do!"
If they don't order testing adding on "I know it'll probably be nothing but can I get (test) or something to double check? I'd leave it but I've had a doctor tell me this sort of thing needs that and id like the confirmationwhen (relative) fusses at me"
