How often do you go for a complete physical?
Does your doctor try to schedule this for you as a regular thing?
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Once a year. Both my doctor and my health insurance send reminders.
Once a year – - -Doctor reminder, insurance reminder and volunteer organization I drive vehicle for, including a vision test.
What does constitute a complete physical?
Once a year, but it’s mainly been my parents pushing me to do it. I’ve skipped a year before.
Like, never. I go to the Doc often enough now for various crap I don’t need to get a physical.
I was without insurance for 5 years, from 2002 to 2007. When I got insurance the first thing I did was go get a general check over. Lo, my blood pressure was 235 / 140, or something. I thought the nurse was gonna faint. She rushed out of the room and rushed back in with a doctor in tow.
Last time was six years ago, last time I had insurance.
I wouldn’t really call it a complete check-up. But I get a pretty serious amount of bloodwork and see the oncologist every three weeks. And every three months I get a head-to-wang CT scan.
@rebbel -I should’ve asked that as I think it might vary per patient.
Once a year for the complete physical. As far as scheduling I had to think about it but they do seem to keep track of what is coming down the pike and what type of check up is needed. They pick the orifice I pick the time and day.
@Vignette -The last one I had, they had me run on the treadmill. Do they have you do that? I am wondering if that is standard or do they gear them towards the specifics of the patient?
Treadmill would be to check your heart rate.
Once a year. I schedule the next years appt at the previous appt. Email reminders, paper reminder and I keep my little appt cards, too.
They include the blood work, ears, lungs, eyes, reflexes, check blood flow in ankles, pap if needed, and done. Oh and of course the fabulous mammary manipulation part! :)
Once a year.
Mammogram separately.
Have been doing this for over 20 years when I got my present job with great insurance.
@lucillelucillelucille I think many of the tests (at least for me) are age related or other medical concerns dictate it. I HAD to go on a treadmill in order to qualify for a high life insurance policy after I essentially failed a random physical in regards to my blood pressure. So if you are asking me, I would say a doctor ordering a treadmill is drilling deeper to rule in or rule out a suspected problem with your cardiovascular system. Even though mine was to proof out my health rating for insurance purposes I was around 50 so not sure if that would have been a routine request at my age then. A stress test may also be ordered if you are undertaking a new demanding physical endeavor/exercise/sport
@KNOWITALL Yes. I am weaning off of one of 2 meds. I have made a couple significant lifestyle changes and my goal is to be off of all BP meds soon.
@Vignette Lucky you, my doc said with my family history, there’s nothing I can do that he’d take me off my one low daily dose. I didn’t even think it was high enough to merit a med in the first place. (I hate pills!)
@KNOWITALL I have that same dark storm cloud of family history over me as well. I do believe with the right diet and lots of exercise we can break the thread of family history. I am on my way.
@Vignette -I have a family history of heart disease but I assumed that they’d do a stress test regardless.
I did this in my late 40’s with the mindset that I would drop dead on that treadmill before I gave up and I lasted a long time.They had four nurses surrounding the treadmill in case I did just that, I assume.lol
I think they wanted to take a cigarette break after awhile.
The end result was that the nurses told me I lasted longer than a lot of 20 year olds.
Go old farts! :)
@lucillelucillelucille You rock! I can one up you there. I failed my first treadmill as my 260/160 blood pressure force them to stop the test before I stroked out. They wanted to admit me right there but I ran out the door before they could stop me. Long story short I put in a serious effort to get fit and in 6 months I was retested I could see the nurse lost a big bet in that I made the whole 10 minutes without hitting even 140 BPM. Yay me!.
@Vignette -That is great news!
They kept me on longer Idkw
@lucillelucillelucille Your amazing pulmonary conditioning may have been the reason. Treadmill tests are usually combined with an EKG to map out your heart function under stress. At least mine required hitting a 140 beat per minute threshold and once you get your ticker to that heart rate is when they start the EKG reading. Anything less than the 140/150 bpm is not stressed enough to measure your heart function under stress and your superwoman condition just meant it took you longer than most to get up to that 140/150 bpm range. Mine took 9 and a half minutes to get there and I was told if I kept a low heart rate after 10 minutes I would have to go outside and start towing parked cars by a rope uphill to get my heart rate up.
@Vignette -That had me at an incline at a full sprint. Lol!
Now with my gimp leg they’d have to inject me with some drug to blast my heart rate.
Not looking forward to doing that.
@lucillelucillelucille By any chance were you wearing spandex leotards and a mask with the treadmill leaning up the wall?
@Vignette _ I was wearing winged shoes, by golly.
I genuinely don’t think I’ve had a “physical” since schooldays & that was hardly what you’d call complete.
This big butch “nurse” put an ahh stick in my mouth then held my balls & told me to cough.
That was it, fit as a fiddle apparently :D
@Vignette -The drug induced heart failure test?
My friend had that and said she almost lost her mind.
@ucme- I fully expect that my doc will bother me to have one again.
Aside from type 1 diabetes and MS, I feel fucking fabulous! lol
@lucillelucillelucille Instead of injecting you can’t they just strap Tip O’Neil to your back to make it more challenging to walk the treadmill?
@Vignette -He died in ‘94, so imagine it will be super easy.
@lucillelucillelucille Hahaha!
Over here when you reach 50 you get mail every single week offering life insurance, I’m like, woah wait up…I got plenty of living left in me & they’re fitting me for my coffin :D
Besides, I’m as fit as a twentysomething & prettier too :D
I’ve never had a check up where all these procedures listed above were done.
If I go with a certain complaint the doctor will take my blood pressure (if it’s connected to the complaint, obviously).
I’ve had other tests done (blood, urine, feces), but only after I came with complaints that were, again, connected.
Also, it’s not a custom in the Netherlands.
@rebbel Wait wait wait….so preventative care is not a custom in the Netherlands? So your wife or mom waits until she feels terrible or gets a growth to get a mammogram instead of yearly exams?
Great, now I have to research health and mortality in the Netherlands…lol
I can tell you they’re healthy as hell @KNOWITALL!
No no no, we do have certain tests, for certain diseases, but no complete physicals (although there might be people who take them, from private clinics).
Women over thirty get pap tests, women over 50 (I believe) the mammogram (I might be wrong, but I think this is done every 5 year, after that initial one).
Men over a certain age (50?) are urged to get their prostate checked.
I’m sure there are more checks, but I’m just 52, and male, so that’s all I know.
@rebbel With all the healthcare system questions, I was interested. Thanks @rebbel.
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