sorry Norma but not ready to jump just yet because your question is too general. self-diagnosing a cold when you have a runny nose, sneeze and cough doesn't sound too dangerous, a headache when you can barely open your eyes sounds safe enough.
easy to diagnose a headache, trying to get to the cause may take more than just knowing you have pain. same with abdominal pain.
when pain is associated with fever it can be more serious, degree of pain should also be considered.
so 'fess up Norma, what's going on?

Norma,
Were you refering to all of us and the tendency we have to self-diagnose ourselves and then hope that maybe what we think we have (UTI, etc.) will go away in time instead of seeking medical care? And then Helen and I and often Lin remind people quite vociferously that this is dangerous and UTIs and kidney infections can be dangerous and need to be treated)?

If that's the case, then thank you. We try to be a voice of reason and with our combined decades of experience of what happens when you wait and just hope things will get better, we hope others will learn from our experiences.

If for some reason we've offended you or someone else by recommending they seek medical attention, please let us know. We only wish the best for EVERYONE and at times we may come across a bit strident about it, especially when it comes to wishful thinking about a UTI or kidney infection going away on its own. The risk of damage is just too severe and I hate to see anyone experience more pain or damage than this disease already causes.

This is place for honest, forthright discussions. Our feelings will not be hurt. So please, if for some reason we've offended you or someone else, please let us know. Pretty please!

Ruth

If that's the case, then thank you. We try to be a voice of reason and with our combined decades of experience of what happens when you wait and just hope things will get better, we hope others will learn from our experiences.

Yes, that is the case and thank you for your most informative letter. Norma..

just to add to Ruth's wisdom (hard thing to do), those of us like Ruth, Lin and me, who have been at this for quite awhile, sometimes seem to offend people who don't want to hear anything but "oh you poor baby, that must be terrible". I am not referring to you Norma, but there are people who prefer pity over sensible advice and hope they will get that from a support board.
to me, support is to "prop up", not hold down. we all deal with our PKD differently but those who look at the problems as a challenge to keep going generally do a lot better than those who take to their beds with the "vapors".
self diagnosing, whether a cold, flu, UTI, skin lesion, broken leg or whatever is generally to be discouraged. not everything needs a doctor's visit but some things definitely call for at least a phone call.