"Head to toe" physical--what does that consist of?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

I have been on maintenance meds for some years and so I see a doc/nurse practitioner at least once a year for med check and renewal. I had a couple of Pap tests in the past few years that came back OK so I am not interested in that exam again. So anyhoo, this last med check, the nurse practitioner said he wanted to do a full physical next year, head to toe (and that he could skip or refer the Gyn part if I wanted).

So, what should I expect from a head to toe physical? (He is ordering glucose and cholesterol tests beforehand, and I get the thyroid checked regularly to determine the level of meds for them to prescribe. Are there other routine blood tests they might do?) I don’t like the idea and so I’d like to know what to expect.

2

How old are you? A physical for a 50 year old will be different than one for a 30 year old.

Next year when I’m 50 I will be getting a colonoscopy. whoohoo.

3

I’ll be 40, so I guess it’s time. I assume a proposed mammogram would be a separate appointment?

4

Mammograms are done separately, usually at a hospital facility.

At my last physical, I had the OB/GYN exam, she listened to my heart and lungs, and ordered bloodwork.

5

Some docs (mine among them) do EKGs for patients over 40. For men over 40, there’ll usually be a PSA test. Other blood tests will probably include CBC (red/white/platelet/etc counts) and a metabolic panel.

I had my last physical in January – the EKG was slightly abnormal, and my TSH was low; I was referred to a cardiologist for the EKG and a pronounced heart murmur. Turns out I had a 90% blockage in the LAD artery, and I had an angioplasty in March. It was basically the same condition that killed Tim Russert last month, except my blockage was worse than his – I was a heart attack waiting to happen, as I had no symptoms at all.

6

Expect a lot more time to be devoted to the head end than the toe end, with a significant portion to the bits about halfway in between.

7

Depending on your age, they might do a skin check for moles/skin cancer.

I used to have a co-worker who was about 60 years old and has fair skin and some moles (and a history of sunburns when she was younger). She got her skin checked head-to-toe by her doctor every couple years, to keep an eye out for new moles and make sure the old ones hadn’t grown or changed.

8

Bumping this question…what would, say, a 30-year old guy expect from a physical? At my age, can I just skip the junk-handling portion?

My last real checkup was at age 12. And I’m pretty sure that doctor died of old age a while back.

9

Very irresponsible of you to say that. Once you hit 40 the toes are a series of 10, and sometimes 12, though occasionally 9, timebombs waiting to go off.

But why would you want to! That’s like going to Disney and skipping Space Mountain.

10

I sure am looking forward to next year when my Doctor has stated that it is time for a prostate exam. Oh, and along with a cough test. This will be a bag of laughs.