# What are the most comprehensive medical checkups I can get? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 4, 2006, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-comprehensive-medical-checkups-i-can-get/371386 "2006-09-04T10:20:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-comprehensive-medical-checkups-i-can-get/371386/1 "2006-09-04T10:20:44Z")
I’m due for a yearly at the docs office, but this time around I want the whole package. Everything. I want to know what all I can get tested for and how they do it. We’re talking beyond turn-your-head-and-cough and pee in a cup. I want the whole shebang. I’m sure they’ll try the standard ECG, pee in a cup, tap my chest a few times, and maybe test my blood for cholesterol. What do I tell my doc to do to get this mid-thirties body completely checked out with no chance of overlooking something? -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-comprehensive-medical-checkups-i-can-get/371386/2 "2006-09-04T11:46:59Z")
Pee-in-cup, shit-in-a-jar, blood tests, cough and spit into a dish, full body CAT and/or MRSI scan and x-rays, bone densometry scan, eyes tested, hearing tested, hair tested, skin tested. And probably yer toe nails too… ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-comprehensive-medical-checkups-i-can-get/371386/3 "2006-09-04T13:32:51Z")
[QUOTE=Tomcat] What do I tell my doc to do to get this mid-thirties body completely checked out with no chance of overlooking something? -Tcat [/QUOTE] Better ask for an autopsy. A good doc won’t shotgun you with tests, but will choose those which have been shown to be beneficial in screening you, given your particular risk factors. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-comprehensive-medical-checkups-i-can-get/371386/4 "2006-09-04T15:46:22Z")
In a recent issue of Scientific American appeared an item about a company that does dozens - or maybe hundreds- of tests from blood samples. No insurance will pay for it, but you could get an early warning about all kinds of conditions and illnesses. But IMHO these elaborate measures aren’t the best use of your time, money, and initiative, if your goal is to be healthy. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-comprehensive-medical-checkups-i-can-get/371386/5 "2006-09-04T16:20:36Z")
[QUOTE=Napier] you could get an early warning about all kinds of conditions and illnesses. [/QUOTE] You could also get a lot of false positives, and then have to undergo further testing, some of which may be invasive, to determine if you really have the disease or not. And the invasive tests could lead to consequences which will require procedures to fix, and not all those procedures will work perfectly, and you could be left with a permanent change. All because you got tested for an unlikely condition. With some diseases, the testing procedures have the potential to kill more than they save. [when should you start getting prostate exam? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=323040) > [@](#): > > One must do more good than harm with screening tests. > > Take ovarian cancer for example. Virtually without symptoms until it’s too late to cure. Then you die. > > One can find it with a pelvic ultrasound, before it is so far advanced. Early enough to cure it. So do we ultrasound every woman over 25 every year for the rest of her life? It’ll cost billions, and we’ll have to train thousands more ultrasound techs, and radiologists to read the ultrasounds. > > Oh, by the way, ovarian cancer is rare enough that for every case you find, you’ll have about 15,000 false positives for it on the ultrasound. (I’m approximating these numbers, as I don’t have them at my fingertips). So for those 15,000 they’ll have to have laparoscopy, an invasive surgical procedure. About 150-300 of those will have significant complications from the procedure (1-2% complication rate) and 1-3 will die from the complications. > > So to pick up one cancer early enough to save a life, Billions have been spent and 1 to 3 people have died, and 150-300 have been sickened. ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-comprehensive-medical-checkups-i-can-get/371386/6 "2006-09-04T17:23:26Z")
Let’s not forget about genetic testing. At between $1-$5000 a pop you can start getting genetic testing with some Affymetrix gene chips and it might tell you that you have a predisposition towards particular types of cancer even though it might not be able to tell you that you actually have it. I really hope that this was a hypothetical question. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-comprehensive-medical-checkups-i-can-get/371386/7 "2006-09-04T17:27:03Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] You could also get a lot of false positives, and then have to undergo further testing, some of which may be invasive, to determine if you really have the disease or not. And the invasive tests could lead to consequences which will require procedures to fix, and not all those procedures will work perfectly, and you could be left with a permanent change. All because you got tested for an unlikely condition. With some diseases, the testing procedures have the potential to kill more than they save. [when should you start getting prostate exam? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=323040) [/QUOTE] What about a skin check? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-comprehensive-medical-checkups-i-can-get/371386/8 "2006-09-04T17:29:23Z")
[QUOTE=Sage Rat] What about a skin check? [/QUOTE] What about it? If the person is at higher risk for skin cancer (past history, family history, sun exposure history), a yearly total surface exam is a good idea. Non-invasive, inexpensive, and fairly reliable, so long as all suspicious lesions get adequately biopsied. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-comprehensive-medical-checkups-i-can-get/371386/9 "2006-09-04T18:31:19Z")
Don’t get a CT or MRI just because you feel like it. Especially do not get an annual CT just because you feel like it. The dose of radiation from 1 CT scan is equivalent to about 200 chest x-rays. And you’d be surprised the number of people who have CT reports that say things like “para-aortic lymphadenopathy - of doubtful clinical importance” “Sclerosis of L2/L3- of doubtful clinical importance” “2cm haemangioma of liver- of doubtful clinical importance” Everyone has one or 2 weird things going on, that would probably never otherwise have been discovered, never mind causing them a problem. Seriously all you need is: A thorough history and physical examination ECG FBP Urea and electrolytes Liver and thyroid function tests Urine sample Faecal sample If you have some family history suggestive of sudden cardiac death, or early death from cancers, heart disease or diabetes, you might warrant additional tests, otherwise, that should be sufficient. You’re taught in medical school that 85% of diagnosis comes from the history, 155 from examination and 5% from investigations- if you have no red flag symptoms in your history and a normal physical examination, anything more than routine tests becomes a fishing expedition…for Moby Dick. ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-comprehensive-medical-checkups-i-can-get/371386/10 "2006-09-05T14:13:32Z")
Thanks. I have had regular tests for the past 9 years, including cholesterol tests at least once, but sometimes twice, a year. My father died at 50 from heart disease, so I am sensitive to that. I was mainly planning on abusing the medical system here. I’m on my wife’s company medical policy in a country where the health care system is A) pretty good, and B) Subsidized, so everything is cheap. So why not do it all, just once? I’ve never had a CT or MRI, why not just once? Thanks **irishgirl** , that is just the list I was looking for! I’ve never had a faecal sample test in my life…I’m assuming it helps point out problems with your digestive track. I’ll order it along with everything else. I wonder if I should have a sperm count done now that they are no longer needed…(read the other post!). -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-comprehensive-medical-checkups-i-can-get/371386/11 "2006-09-05T15:27:46Z")
you’re welcome ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-comprehensive-medical-checkups-i-can-get/371386/12 "2006-09-05T17:05:06Z")
Sorry **Lobelia** , thank you too. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2006, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-comprehensive-medical-checkups-i-can-get/371386/13 "2006-09-05T17:55:33Z")
A faecal sample can be used for a faecal occult blood test, or FOB (to see if there is any bleeding from the GI tract), a bacterial culture (to see if you have any little nasties living in your gut), and an ova and parasite screen (to see if you have any bigger nasties living in your gut)! If your blood pressure and cholesterol are good, your urine has no sugar or protein and and you’re not overweight, I wouldn’t bother with an HbA1C or other diabetes tests. My consultant would call you one of the worried well! Actually his usual saying is “the two groups of people who cause me the most trouble are the worried well and the unconcerned ill”…if you’ve seen _House_ you have an idea of his bedside manner. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2006, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-comprehensive-medical-checkups-i-can-get/371386/14 "2006-09-06T16:47:49Z")
Here’s what you need, the executive physical. [http://www.canyonranch.com/resorts/tucson-executive-wellness.aspx](http://www.canyonranch.com/resorts/tucson-executive-wellness.aspx) The program for the company above includes a four day stay at the resort with a complete physical, nutritional advice, etc etc etc. Or google executive physicals for a link to a Forbes article about them.