Also, I have seen doctors regularly for years and years. I think women are more inclined to do so because of child bearing. Either they are bearing children, or they wish to prevent children from happening.
~VOW
Absolutely. I have a diabetes screen once a year for my type 2, and a wellness exam once a year for med renewal. I also have an annual MRA to make sure that the two aneurysms in my head have not grown. And I go to the dentist once or twice a year. It’s just good maintenance at my age.
I hadn’t had a checkup in five years at 52, and thought it was a good idea. Turned out I had undiagnosed cancer.
I went literally decades without seeing the doctor. Then I went for a small something (it could’ve been stepping on the proverbial rusty nail in my barn sending me for a tetanus shot) and mentioning I had trouble swallowing. I had an enlarged thyroid. Started on levothyroxine, eventually had my thyroid removed. Now they won’t refill my meds without an annual blood check. I’m 58 and healthy - BP 120/80, good cholesterol, A1C 5.3. But they still hold my meds hostage.
I do get a regular mammogram (sister, mother and aunt with breast cancer). And finally allowed my doc to talk me into a colonoscopy last year. Cancer gallops in my family, so that’s probably what will get me in the end.
StG
Yeah my high deductible plan was the same way, no dental or vision, $130 for a doctor visit. But it is just a part of living in America for me. This year I wised up and got a different plan so now it’ll just be $75 to see the doc.
And yes, you can go get an eye exam without needing glasses. I didn’t wear glasses until I was 18 but I had regular eye exams before that. My optometrist saved my life by diagnosing my pseudotumor cerebri when I was 14.
Your eyes typically change around the time you’re 40. That’s when I got bifocals but you might need reading glasses at least. If nothing else, they check for glaucoma and other eye diseases.
Let’s see… I have T2 diabetes and stage 3 kidney disease, so I have to see an endocrinologist and a nephrologist. I also see a cardiologist, since several years ago I had my aortic valve replaced, plus quadruple bypass. Annual eye exam, teeth cleaned every 3 months. Now I’m seeing a vascular surgeon for my lower legs, and a spinal surgeon for my spinal stenosis (hoping to get that surgery soon). Knee surgeon; had knee replacement surgery 2 years ago, but it’s hurting again.
Oy. I think that’s about it.
I wised up in the opposite direction and switched to the high deductible, high copay health savings accounts plans enabled by ACA. I am not going to exceed my lower deductible anyway with routine stuff. I stash a little more than the difference in my costs between the normal deductible plan and that plan into my HSA.
It is not a great idea for those that are risk averse. It also isn’t a great idea for those that wont save enough to deal with the potential of two straight max out of pocket expense years if something goes very bad right after annual enrollment and carries across both years. It works really well for me, though.
Yes. 2-Times a year for checkup. Once a year each for skin (melanoma) and ophthalmologist (old eye injury), and twice annually to dentist. I’m pretty active and would be majority bummed if I had to miss a bike trip, day on the slopes, travel overseas, etc. due to preventable illness, condition, or early death.
Nope.
I do get my eyes checked and my teeth cleaned, but I don’t go to medical doctors unless I have something I think they can fix, and I usually don’t. (Also, I’ve been wrong about 3/4 of the time of whether they can fix it, and about 1/4 of the time they can’t even figure out what’s going on.)
Current evidence is that routine annual physicals are of dubious value to those under 40. People who get annual physicals don’t live longer or have better health than those who don’t.
What’s more, it drives over-treatment. Just because a doctor finds something doesn’t mean that something will eventually lead to a future health risk. However, because we can’t predict the future, once something is detected, it needs to be treated and treatment always carries risk. As screenings become more sensitive, the treatment can be in aggregate worse than the disease itself even if it’s rational for each individual.
If you suspect something specific is wrong with you, then there’s a lot of value to a doctor testing for that specific thing. But general, broad spectrum testing of otherwise healthy individuals is not a clear win.
About 30 years ago I went to my doctor for my physical. Blood work was okay, everything was fine. The last thing he did was feel my throat - and he found a lump on my thyroid. I got half of it removed.
That was the only night I’ve spent in the hospital since I left after being born. A lot of that record comes from catching things early so that they can be fixed without hospital stays. They found AFib and prostate cancer that way - controlled and cured with no hospital stays.
In this area, ignorance is not bliss.
I get an annual physical from my PCP. Otherwise, I try to avoid going because I have so many rheumatologist appointments. But I have to say, I haven’t found docs eager to over-treat. At least, mine haven’t.
I get many, many eye exams and tests every year due to my multiple vision issues.
I’ve always gone to the dentist 2-4 times per year. I want to keep my teeth as long as I possibly can.
I’m 58. Yes, annually for a physical. Military habit.
I have a Medicare Advantage-type plan with a HMO. It calls for a free no-copay “Annual Wellness Check” once a year. They are the most superficial and perfunctory “exams” I can imagine. The doctor (or assistant) takes blood pressure and a few vital signs like that. Then the doctor asks me if anything has changed since last year, or if I have any new symptoms or problems to report. If so, we discuss that a bit. He probably will order a few blood tests (lipids in my case, because of high cholesterol and maybe a few other standard blood tests). He will probably listen to my heart and lungs, since I have chronic respiratory problems.
We’ve all heard (even in this very thread) of doctors finding serious problems in their early stages before the patient is aware of any symptoms. I have a hard time believing that this happens with the kind of annual check-up I get. I can easily envision developing some serious disorder that doesn’t get caught until it is too late because the “exams” I get are so superficial.
I do get my flu shot every year, but that does not entail seeing a doctor. For this, during flu season, they set up a “flu shot clinic”, consisting of some tables set up in a hallway near the entrance, with some nurses there giving shots to anyone (well, any member) who walks by.
ETA: My plan does, however, include dental check-up and cleaning twice a year, so I do get that done.
Dentist twice a year and an annual eye exam. I do get an aviation physical every other year, but that is pretty cursory.
Inertia mostly – I know I should get the aforementioned colon cancer check.
Brian
i go to my cardiologist and primary care physician one a year and my eye doctor twice a year. I have had two heart attacks and I have glaucoma, so I need to be aware of any changes. As far as the dentist goes, I can drop my teeth off to be worked on and pick them up later…
… and also the dentist twice a year, and annual eye exams.
I’ve been getting the annual once-over plus mammogram for quite a few years. I’ve got controlled BP and cholesterol, so I get periodic blood draws to ensure the meds are still working. As a retired Fed employee, I’ve got good vision and dental insurance (I pay extra for it but it’s worth it) so I see the dentist twice a year and I get my eyes checked annually. And I’m hoping instead of yet another colonoscopy, when I’m due I can use the mail-in option, since there’s no history of colon cancer in the family.
I am glad our PCP also accepts Medicare, so I didn’t have to search for a new practice. Overall, I’m pretty happy with all my providers.
A good habit, but it’s required for veterans who are covered by VA medical. If I don’t get an annual checkup, they will remove me from the healthcare system.
Not a fatal mistake, but trying to re-enter the system is a red-tape hassle you don’t want.
I’m worse than you, I’m Hell Nope. I’m 61, and never thought I’d be around this long. My only doctor currently is the one who diagnosed my PTSD, which qualifies me for Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuanna program. What more do I need?
My last visit to my old PCP ended in a shouting match. I’ve had no real reason to find a replacement.
Four years ago at my one year follow up with the cardiologist who placed my stent, I was kept waiting for over an hour. When he came in the room he asked a few questions, ausculted my chest for a few seconds and said I should come back in 3 months. My copay was more than the doctor’s fee for uninsured patients. Fuck that.
The last time I had a skin-situation, the wait for referral to an approved dermatologist was 13 months. Yeah, right, no thanks.
I might have shitty health insurance, but it’s what I can afford as a self-employed person in the US today.