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I haven’t had blood work in at least a decade,
age 61. Blood draws are quite unpleasant, make me nauseous.
I know my BP though and it’s good.
So, no doctors for me unless emergency or some concerning symptoms were to come up.
Another consideration for visiting a doctor to check that your health is good, and having a GP kind of "on retainer", if you will.
It's much easier to see a doctor when you really need one if you already have a doctor. If you're healthy and have no health issues it's likely you won't need to see the doctor often, maybe annually or even less than that. But you'd be able to see the doctor and get the help you need in the event you need to.
This. Consider that if you establish a healthy baseline/history with a GP they are more likely to pick up something starting to go off the rails. When it's most fixable. They'll have a better idea what is normal for you, what might need attention and what doesn't. Trying to determine your "normal" while you're presenting yourself sick isn't too effective.
I see a GP every couple of years for routine stuff; basic blood chemistry, monitoring the couple of health issues I already know exist, gynecological, GI, physical palpation exam, etc. Just like an annual dental cleaning/exam or checking for glaucoma (family history there). Kind of like routine scheduled maintenance on my car or my house. Wear parts wear out. Things age and break. I can either repair them, replace them, or ignore them. Unless I want my car to run. I don't hover around doctor's office doorways. I stay up to date, informed and stop worrying. My GPs pretty much hand me test results, act as a source for information. They don't demand that I do anything. They inform. When I've needed something more they are the portal to get that care a lot more quickly...right when time may be of the essence.
Last edited by Parnassia; 11-17-2019 at 04:48 PM..
Good idea and especially if one has Good health insurance...otherwise expect a hefty charge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by germaine2626
Good points.
I disagree.
Sometimes a doctor needs to "list a problem" because some insurance companies will not pay for "wellness checks". I have had that happen a couple of times (for example when I thought that I had a UTI but I didn't).
Or, sometimes a person who hasn't been to a doctor in a while will have a bunch of suspicion things to check out. Heck, the OP hasn't seen a doctor in 20 plus years. The doctor may find nothing, but I wouldn't be surprised if the doctor finds something.
To both of you-under the ACA, insurance is required to pay for one well visit per year for free at the point of service. This is true regardless of the type of insurance-high deductible, etc. The only exceptions are those "grandfathered" policies. Vaccines are also free at the POS. I'd wage the OP needs at least a tetanus booster.
I haven’t had blood work in at least a decade,
age 61. Blood draws are quite unpleasant, make me nauseous.
I know my BP though and it’s good.
So, no doctors for me unless emergency or some concerning symptoms were to come up.
Good for you Arktikos
I don't have a problem with blood draws but probably since menopause for me health stuff cropped up and I found myself having blood drawn once a year, I have the stack of reports for the last 15+yrs...some blood reports were helpful like Vit D and A1C and homocysteine but if I didn't need to check in with MD for a couple refills I would not go to doctors. She won't just refill without an appt to see me. And I get that.
I've made it my job and hobby to keep myself healthy with the world of alternatives.
Last edited by jaminhealth; 11-17-2019 at 05:07 PM..
I haven’t had blood work in at least a decade,
age 61. Blood draws are quite unpleasant, make me nauseous.
I know my BP though and it’s good.
So, no doctors for me unless emergency or some concerning symptoms were to come up.
I'm 40 and I think I'm healthy. I go the gym 4/5 times a week, never smoked in my life, have a social drink every now and then. I try to have a good diet - I don't eat fried food, avoid dairy and pork meat and sugary drinks - but I'm not paranoid about it. I don't deny myself junk food once every few weeks.
I got all vaccines when I was young but that was it. I've never been to a doctor in my entire life after that. I've come down with the flu and food poisoning a couple of times but obviously treated those at home.
I was having dinner with friends the other day and someone mentioned something about blood pressure. I was amazed that everyone knew what their normal blood pressure is and a number of other indicators. I was standing there in the middle of the conversation with "???" written all over my face.
Is any of this unusual?
I almost died of a heart attack at 46. I was fine. My doc wanted a baseline stress test, the clogged arteries were discovered then. Stress test one day, angiogram the next and cut the next. I had zero symptoms
It's a good idea for you to go get a complete physical, NOW!
e fact that the doctor will 100% find something "wrong" with you.
That's what annual checkups do. They are to bring people into the medical industry for profit. Via more testing, prescription drugs or surgery. And followup after followup after followup visit.
Such as?
Blood sugar and pressure can be checked at home.
Cologuard can also be done at home if so desired. Indeed, I have.
I’m not interested in tracking my cholesterol numbers.
My diet is good, cardiovascular is excellent and I would probably not take a statin
if advised to do so anyway.
Go. My husband never had symptoms, refused to go to the doctor. I finally got him to go to the dentist. They discovered he has high blood pressure and wouldn’t work on him. So he went to the doctor.... he has Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. He’s lucky he didn’t drop dead from everything.
Go....
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