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We do preventive maintenance on our car, we invest $ in our present home to insure we can sell it at top $ when it is time to retire - but somehow we always put off getting serious about making sure we are in tip top condition as we get closer to the day we can retire.
I have invested some time and money during the past 5 months to work with my doctor, a personal trainer and a nutritionist to meet my goal of being in the best health of my life by the time I retire to DE in 3 1/2 years.
Happy to share some things I have learned along the way with others if you are interested and I hope others might be willing to share some of their health secrets.
For example, how many of you know that there is now a vaccine that can prevent Shingles? Two years ago a friend who is in her late 70's became ill, was house bound for 6 months and it took nearly two years for her to completely recover from Shingles. For those that might not know, if you ever had chicken pox, you are at risk of getting Shingles later in life. It is usually triggered by a stressful event such as being in a car accident, sudden loss of a child etc.
While I was doing some research on the internet back in 2008 about this disease I discovered a vaccine new on the market was available. It is recommended for people 60+. It does not offer a cure, but, rather the vaccine can prevent Shingles if you get the shot when you are healthy.
Unfortuneately the shot can cost about $300 and at the time it was not covered by Medicare. Not sure if that has changed since 2008. The good news is that if you have insurance through your employer and you are 60+ some of the health insurers cover the cost less your PCP co pay.
So, it is worth your while to ask your insurance provider if your policy covers this vaccine. With a co pay of $20 - $30 it costs as much as a rountine oil change in your car. Preventative maintenance for your body and it is a one time only needed vaccine!
When I got this shot 2 years ago it was new and I was on a 4 month waiting list because it is a live vaccine and supplies were very limited. It should be easier to get now, but, you may have to call ahead to be sure your PCP has it. It has to be refrigerated and I think it only has about a 7 day shelf life.
Happy to share many of the things I have learned recently regarding how personal trainers, your PCP and a nutritioinst can all help you take charge of your health. It will be easier to break it down into several posts because there is just so much I have learned. I am sure there is also much I can still learn from others. Let me know if you are 55+ and interested in contributing to a discussion on working on a healthy retirement.
Mary 2014 - to further clarify your shingles vaccine information.....our family practice office charges $211 for the vaccine and MOST private insurances only cover a small part of the cost however many patients do go ahead and get it. It is a frozen vaccine, not refrigerated, so shelf life is not as short as you mentioned. If you are retired military, you can get it at a much more reduced cost, although I believe they have a minimum age of 60 to receive it.
On the subject of immunizations, I recommend your talking to your PCP about pneumovax for prevention of pneumonia, available at ages 55 or earlier if your condition dictates. Also keeping one's tetanus immunization up to date is very important. Think about it - when was YOUR last tetanus shot?? All of us active seniors who are hiking, gardening, working in basement workshops, etc should have our tetanus status current.
Mary 2014, thanks for bringing this subject to the forefront!
little eggplant,
Thanks for the clarification about the Shingles vaccine. It only cost me a $20 copay to get the vaccine, as long as I was over 60. Every health insurance provider policy is different and you really need to call and ask if something is covered. When I scheduled an appointnment recently with the nutritionist I called my health provider first. They told me it was a $35 co pay - which did not sound right because specialists are usually $40 under my policy. I called to set up an appointment with the nutritionist and she said with my particular insurance company I could call 3 times and get three different answers! She called as the provider to find out which codes were accepted under my policy. She called back and said my $110 - 90 minute consultation would be a $40 copay. The medibolic test for resting medibolic rate I would have to pay for myself which would be an additional $65. I liked knowing ahead of time what it was going to cost.
My employer tends to switch insurers every two years or so to try to get the best rates. Because of the increases in health care costs what is covered under a particular policy changes every year. It is important to review your policy every year so you know what is covered. When in doubt ask the PCP office staff to call to confirm if something is covered under your particular policy.
To give you an example of how health insurance companies vary, the nutritionist told me that had I had a policy with Keystone, most of their policies cover 6 visits per year to a nutritionist with $0 copay. The people providing the service are familiar with the local health insurance providers and sometimes having them contact the health insurance company directly to determine if your policy covers a specific coded service is the easist way to go.
Let's talk about your annual check up. Dropping by once a year to say hi to your PCP nurse to get your flu shot does not count as an "annual physical". Scheduling an annual physical once every 5 years - also does not count! Annual means once a year! How long has it been since your last checkup? If it has been more than a year - commit today to make time to get your annual physical within the next 30 days!
If you check you insurance policy, you may find that many insurance providers are big on "preventive maintenance" and this annual trip to the doctor may cost $0 or just a small copay! If you are not sure how much it will cost, ask you PCP office staff to verify the cost with your insurer.
What should be included in your yearly visit? I would ask your doctor about doing fasting blood work so that you and the doctor will know your key numbers for monitoring your risk for heart disease and diabetes. When the blood test results come back ask you doctor for a copy of the results as it is something you will need if you plan to see a nutritionist.
Do schedule your doctor's appointment in the MORNING, as fasting blood work requires you not eat anything for 12 hours prior.
Ladies, you should ask the doctor to also include a test for vitamin D in the fasting blood work so that you will know your Vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3 levels as well as total vitamin D. More about why vitamin D levels are so important for women who have reached menopause to come in another post.
If you have not had a test for colon cancer done in the past ten years you need to talk to your doctor during your visit about getting a referral to have this test done. (More about this test in another post).
Ladies I know some health insurance companies suggest you wait until you are 65 to have a bone density test. However, since you can lose substantial amount of bone density in the first 10 years after menopause, I suggest you talk to your PCP about getting a referral to get a bone density test if you have never had one. At 58 my OBGYN insisted I bring this up with my PCP and he had no problem writing a referral when I asked about the test. She had been suggesting this test for 2 or 3 years, but, I put it off thinking it would not be covered under my policy until I was 65. Glad I finally listened to her because at 58 the test showed that I already had Osteoporosis of the hip. It was a $40 copay for the test and I had put it off for 3 years because I did not take the time to call and find out if it was covered!
We have already covered in previous posts about making sure your tetinus shot is current and considering getting the vaccine for Shingles. The only other thing I want to be sure you discuss with your doctor on your annual visit is the present medications you are taking - are they still necessary?
My brother last year had to find a new doctor because his doctor of 15yrs relocated out of state. His new doctor reviewed all of his files and current medications. Over a period of several months changes to his medications were made to reduce the amount of two of his medications and to eliminate a third medication entirely! We really need to get in the habit of reviewing all of out prescription and non prescription medications with our PCP every year.
What is your resting metabolic rate and how is it calculated? Why do you need to know what it is?
I started my quest for a healthy me by starting with a personal trainer, then had my annual check up with my PCP and then saw a nutritionist. You might want to change the order to PCP, nutritionist and then personal trainer.
My personal trainer estimated my RMR and based on my exercise goals gave me a target of 1600 - 1800 calories a day to maintain my existing weight of 120 lbs. In the past my doctor said this was the absolute minimum weight for my height and not to go below 120 lbs. I was concerned that adding strength training, cardo and healthy eating habits it could cause me to go below this weight. (You can use an RMR calculator on the web to estimate your RMR by entering your height, weight,age and gender).
My personal trainer helped me transition from years of living on Lean Cuisine and Healthy Choice meals for lunch and dinner to eating 6 meals a day of healthy food with the proper balance of protiens, carbs, and fats. Why then by the time I saw the nutritionist a few months later was I down to 113 pounds?
There is a portable devise available that now allows at a very resonable price ($65) for your personal trainer or nutritionist to determine your actual resting metibolic rate. It tells you how many calories you burn at rest and the efficiency at which you convert oxygen to energy.
My test actually determined I have for my age an extremely high metabolic rate - about 20% higher than average. In order to gain a 1/2 pound a week over the next 3 months and get back to 120 pounds I need to consume 2100 calories a day!
It also told me that my ability to convert oxygen to energy was excellent. This was in sharp contract to the results of the three minute step test with my personal trainer. Taking my pulse immediately after the step test indicated that my heart rate was 20 beats higher than it should be - which would indicate poor oxygen useage. Why the difference? I had never mentioned to my personal trainer that for the past 15 years my pcp has had me take my blood pressure at home before my visit because I become so anxious (white coat syndrome) that my normal 120/60 reading at home becomes 170/70 in his office. The nutritionist pointed out that the higher pulse rate recorded by my personal trainer could easily be due to white cost syndrome when I consider the problem my doctor has getting an accurate blood pressure reading on me.
So, the $65 I spent on a RMR test was extremely useful in constructing the correct eating plan for me and it solved the mystery of why I can easily walk 5 -10 miles a day, but, scored so poorly when my personal trainer did a cardo test.
I would recommend this test to anyone who needs to know how many calories you specifically need daily to reach and maintain your weight goal.
As always Mary.......wonderful informative and interesting posts.
As for myself. Excersis is part of my daily routine, along with regual check ups, eating right and just plain keeping active.
I have known some that retire and all they want to do is eat and sit. Got them in this community.
The older we get the harder we have to work on being healthy. The body ain't what it used to be.
Lets not forget the mental and spiritual part too.. The three go hand in hand
Be happy,
Don't hold grudges
love yourself
Give hugs and accept hugs.
Keep a positive attitude.
Living near the beach gives us agreat opportunity to visit regularly.
Lets not forget the mental and spiritual part too.. The three go hand in hand
+1
Mary2014
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All of us active seniors who are hiking, gardening, working in basement workshops, etc should have our tetanus status current.
Your annual checkup
