Posted on 01/12/2015 7:31:19 AM PST by artichokegrower
Do you check your blood pressure regularly? High blood pressure runs in my family and it was discovered at a routine visit. I would never have had any idea that my blood pressure was high because I never thought to check it at home. You would think I would have checked because it runs in my family, but I was pretty young at the time and didn’t expect it.
Took a video EEG to find out I have epilepsy. Not an annual physical, but still great to figure out what caused my multiple seizures a night while trying to go to sleep.
Actually, a lot of doctors would agree that annual physicals are a waste of time, except for the blood pressure check.
Anyone over 50 that doesn’t go in for the shingles vaccine could be in for a nasty surprise
This is the natural devolution of healthcare in the US due to government interference.
Don’t go to the doctor. The ultimate in “efficiency”.
UP YOURS, DUMBAZZ!!!
Me too...I was 33 and otherwise in pretty good shape.
Most physicals are worth a hoot, but depending on your family history, exams after 50 I think are important. My rec would be:
1. 16 hour fasting glucose (8 hr is worthless)
2. HOMA (Homeostasis Model Assessment estimates steady state beta cell function and insulin sensitivity.)
3. Urinalysis
4. Cholesterol screening
5. Vital sign of course
6. Historhy and Physical exam by MD or Nurse practitioner or
7. Colonoscopy
8. I still rec PSA and prostate exam over 50 for men.
If either #1 or #2 are abnormal then I’d get a calcium scoring.
Two years ago, an annual physical exam showed I had hypertension. The doctor recommended a treatment plan, and now my blood pressure is normal.
Last year during my annual physical, my doctor discovered two suspicious lumps in my skin. He referred me to a good dermatologist, who found that I have skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma). The lumps were removed via Mohs procedure, then I used Efudex for several weeks to attack the pre-cancer cells. So my skin cancer is now under control, and I will see the dermatologist at least every six months.
Annual physicals are important, regardless of your age.
Well then where are we again?
Oh yeah...
You don’t need prostate screening....breast cancer screening....and now annual check ups...
But there is no death panel.
Good advice, speaking as someone who suffered a bout of shingles before the vaccine was available. Also, if you're over 65 get the pneumonia vaccine. If you don't like going to a physician, your local drug store most likely can administer both shots.
Anyone over 50 that doesn’t go in for the shingles vaccine could be in for a nasty surprise
Runs in my family too. Mine has been hovering at around 160 over 101.
:-D
I thought that urologists had stopped recommending routine PSA screening because it was found to be so unreliable.
I recommend them still esp with family history. But, who knows, Obamacare has mess up the health care system that no ones knows. Hospitals that are solvent are happy, insurance companies are happy...Will be hard to see this thing straightened out.
It was an annual physical that told me I had a problem. Felt fine but the blood work sent the signal. Absent that I would be in real physical trouble
Bottom line - be your own health care advocate. No one else knows you like you know you. Educate yourself - and don’t accept at face value any RX prescribed.
Most illnesses are due to deficiencies in nutrition or issues in the flora of the gut.
My friend who is just 43 takes 32 pills a day! Anytime they give her a new one, she gets a bad reaction, but they insist she needs it & give her more to counteract the reactions...nasty stuff.
The human body and its systems are much more complex than anything in your house or home. Depending on your circumstances, it may not always be evident when something is wrong or going wrong in your body--consider an escalating lipid reading, or elevating blood pressure. These are "silent" killers that can lead to diabetes or heart disease. Do you want to wait until you suffer from a bout of pacreatitis or a stroke before you see a doctor and perform some simple tests?
“Has anyone noticed that with the ACA, we are hearing more and more that basic diagnostic testing is being shunned? I thought that preventive healthcare was one of the “cores” of Obamacare, and wouldn’t a basic checkup of your vital signs and bloodwork be considered part of that?”
Well ole Zeke thinks that we should all curl up and die no later than age 75. Just think of all the “medical research” we can eliminate if we don’t have to dwell on the aging folks. No annual checkups, no PSA tests. What’s next eliminating breast screening? You let Cancer and heart problems go undetected and voila!, you get people dying earlier, which is just what the Commies want, to get rid of the “expendable people.”
The other thing this ACA crap has done is turn your doctor into a stenographer. With all this mandated “record keeping” my doctor spends more time pounding away on his laptop than he does talking to me. And then I have to go in and look (on line) at what he’s written is wrong with me and ask questions as to where he got the idea about this or that.
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