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It's something that's been recommended for decades and I wonder how many of us really do have them. I've almost always had good, comprehensive health insurance yet I probably didn't start "subjecting" myself to routine check-ups until about 20 years ago. I mean, why bother? I had always kept in shape and enjoyed robust, good health save for a blip now and then which, once dealt with, was dismissed in my mind. But ever since I've been very good about getting the annual physical and blood tests that accompany it.
The one exception I can recall is last year. I usually schedule for August, my birth month, but I was so tied up with care for my wife and her numerous medical appointments and procedures then I had little time and scant tolerance for yet an other medical appointment even if for myself.
That was stupid of me. I just had this year's "ordeal" a few weeks back and the labs that always accompany it. Yesterday I had a follow-up appointment with a specialist because for the first time ever my PSA (prostate-specific antigen) level not only showed a jump up but had climbed precipitously since two years ago. This coming Friday I have the pleasure of having a biopsy. Always something to look forward to.
I should kick myself for skipping last year's physical. I know better, especially at this age. Prostate cancer runs in my family and afflicted my paternal grandfather, uncle and half uncle. For all I know my father also had it but he never said, nor would he have. If the biopsy comes back malignant I'll always wonder if it would have been ordered a year earlier if I'd had the test.
So back to the original question. Who among you dutifully has a physical every year and if not, why not. Are you still feeling the invulnerability of youth?
Last edited by Curmudgeon; 09-13-2015 at 12:04 PM..
I have one every year, but it doesn't appear to be particularly thorough.
Edited to add: Biopsy must be one of the most fearful words to me in the English language. But as everything, the reality is probably not as bad as thinking in advance about it.
Funny you should mention this. Last Sunday, I went to the ER because my nasty case of hives caused my tongue to swell. Not kidding -- I had hive that looked like Holstein cow patches -- huge huge huge. And they had hives, too. I was given prednisone, bad for me because I am diabetic. Makes my blood sugar SKYROCKET. So I had to eat pure and clean, no cheating -- and trust me -- it didn't help much. Almost had to go to the hospital because of my blood sugar.
And they have no idea what caused this -- they think it's food allergies, except I hadn't eaten anything weird, in fact, all of our stuff had been opened and in use for a day or more. We think it was a nasty spider/insect bite on the back of my leg...
But I felt like my life was hanging in the balance, and my body turned on me.
Since I have diabetes, I go to the doc quarterly to keep an eye on things -- but that didn't mean I didn't cheat often. Well -- I'm done and I'm going on the straight and narrow, exercise and clean eating.
I have one every year, but it doesn't appear to be particularly thorough.
A so-called Medicare physical isn't - it's very scripted - but it can and should include normal blood tests. After the biopsy results are in I'll be scheduling a follow-up with my primary for that and issues not included in this last Medicare physical. No sense taking any chances.
It's important to remember that when it comes to healthcare we are, or should be, our own, best advocates.
PS. "Biopsy" isn't one of my favorite words either.
Last edited by Curmudgeon; 09-13-2015 at 12:15 PM..
Reason: Edited to add:
Funny you should mention this. Last Sunday, I went to the ER because my nasty case of hives caused my tongue to swell. Not kidding -- I had hive that looked like Holstein cow patches -- huge huge huge. And they had hives, too. I was given prednisone, bad for me because I am diabetic. Makes my blood sugar SKYROCKET. So I had to eat pure and clean, no cheating -- and trust me -- it didn't help much. Almost had to go to the hospital because of my blood sugar.
And they have no idea what caused this -- they think it's food allergies, except I hadn't eaten anything weird, in fact, all of our stuff had been opened and in use for a day or more. We think it was a nasty spider/insect bite on the back of my leg...
But I felt like my life was hanging in the balance, and my body turned on me.
Since I have diabetes, I go to the doc quarterly to keep an eye on things -- but that didn't mean I didn't cheat often. Well -- I'm done and I'm going on the straight and narrow, exercise and clean eating.
Hope all goes well for you, too.
My first thought was "autoimmune disorder." My wife had one a few years ago that out of nowhere very early one morning (3:00 a.m.) caused her feet to erupt in huge blisters which, when they burst, took off her skin making it look like 3rd° burns. It took six months of constant and intense wound care for the sores to heal and she still lost half a big to that had to be amputated due to exposed bone.
Autoimmune disorders can be nasty as well as inexplicable.
Best of luck and please do stay on that path to continued health and wellbeing.
Every year - a physical by PCP and "mole patrol" by dermatologist. The latter is because they almost always find something to remove that comes back as pre-cancerous and every few years there has been one they needed to scoop a little deeper. No big deal caught that early, so I keep having them look every year. The physical is mostly a chat, "cough" and labs. Sometimes an EKG even though I have no history of cardiac trouble. I do have chronic costo chondritis, though and one of the concerns with that is that I am too conditioned to having chest pains and might ignore heart trouble warnings. I don't think I would as from what I understand that is pretty different but I figure better safe than sorry.
You folks sound like a bunch of old wimmin comparing their operations: "The doctor said my case was the most unusual one he had ever seen!" At 68, no I don't go running off to some doctor every year, but then, I don't use Medicare, either, and have no idea what a Medicare physical is.
If something runs in your family, by all means get checked for it. But don't become a victim of medical greed, wherein you let them constantly do a lot of testing for a problem that does not exist. I know people who pay for a ton of lab tests every year for the same thing. Damn doctors own the labs!
And no, I don't get flu shots every year, or at all. Dont get me started with that!
You folks sound like a bunch of old wimmin comparing their operations: "The doctor said my case was the most unusual one he had ever seen!" At 68, no I don't go running off to some doctor every year, but then, I don't use Medicare, either, and have no idea what a Medicare physical is.
If something runs in your family, by all means get checked for it. But don't become a victim of medical greed, wherein you let them constantly do a lot of testing for a problem that does not exist. I know people who pay for a ton of lab tests every year for the same thing. Damn doctors own the labs!
And no, I don't get flu shots every year, or at all. Dont get me started with that!
Yore gonna get slapped with the PC noodle for that first statement. I am less concerned about being a victim of medical greed than I am about getting very ill and/or dying from something they routinely catch in early screenings.
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