# "Head to toe" physical--what does that consist of? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 21, 2008, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-to-toe-physical-what-does-that-consist-of/457297 "2008-07-21T20:27:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-to-toe-physical-what-does-that-consist-of/457297/1 "2008-07-21T20:27:53Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-to-toe-physical-what-does-that-consist-of/457297/2 "2008-07-21T20:33:08Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-to-toe-physical-what-does-that-consist-of/457297/3 "2008-07-21T20:39:51Z")
I’ll be 40, so I guess it’s time. I assume a proposed mammogram would be a separate appointment? ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-to-toe-physical-what-does-that-consist-of/457297/4 "2008-07-21T20:43:37Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-to-toe-physical-what-does-that-consist-of/457297/5 "2008-07-21T22:56:22Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2008, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-to-toe-physical-what-does-that-consist-of/457297/6 "2008-07-21T23:13:33Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-to-toe-physical-what-does-that-consist-of/457297/7 "2008-07-22T00:58:28Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Shroud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@The\_Shroud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Shroud)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-to-toe-physical-what-does-that-consist-of/457297/8 "2008-07-22T05:56:15Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-to-toe-physical-what-does-that-consist-of/457297/9 "2008-07-22T06:10:17Z")
[QUOTE=KneadToKnow] 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. [/QUOTE] 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. > [@The Shroud](#): > > 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? But why would you want to! That’s like going to Disney and skipping Space Mountain. ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-to-toe-physical-what-does-that-consist-of/457297/10 "2008-07-22T06:48:06Z")
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.