When I told Lina I was running to the ophthalmologist because I realized I hadn’t had my eyes examined in 18 months, she joked: “You go to a lot of doctors.”
He's not one of my docs. Darn!
It’s no joke. Besides the eye guy (who I should see once a year to check for cataracts, glaucoma and my general vision), I go to:
An internist/cardiologist for an annual checkup, including heart and lung CT, stress test, EKG, blood workup
A gynecological urologist to treat stress incontinence (sounds charming, doesn’t it?)
An ear doc for my annual hearing check
A breast surgeon for my annual mammogram
An endocrinologist for my annual bone density check
A dentist for an annual checkup and his hygienist every six weeks for a cleaning (I have a problem with plaque–at least not in my arteries)
A dermatologist for a annual complete body check for melanoma
Can’t leave out the gastroenterologist, who I see for a colonoscopy every three years.
And, to make it an even 10, I see the gynecologist for a pelvic exam (I’m not sure why I do this because I had a complete hysterectomy 20 years ago.)
So there you have it. That’s a high dose of docs, but at least it’s preventative, except in the case of the urologist.
My aunt never went to a doc in her entire life, at least till she was 81, when she learned she had colorectal cancer. Maybe she had the right idea. Who knows?????
0 Responses to “In sickness and in health”
DocP says:
Geri, I realize I’m late to comment, but a good family physician or general internist could do everything but the dental work, eye check, and perhaps colonoscopy. How did this terrible fragmentation of your healthcare happen????
I wish I could agree with you, but family physicians or general internists here do not perform thorough exams of hearts, bones, breasts, skin, ovaries, ears etc. I don’t even know an internist in New York who does mammograms, PAP smears, heart CTs, bone density tests, audio tests etc. The specialists here call for and interpret those tests. Every one of my friends and my sisters go to all these docs, too.
I had a hysterectomy at 41 and two breast lumpectomies in my late 50s–all results benign. Do you have annual checkups for eyes, ears, heart, bones’ breasts, skin etc?
Yes, Im here until the 15th of Sept. Doing the laser on Aug 3rd and 10th. The Dr. doing it agreed with the first. I liked the second better because he only deals with c and g problems. Drops for 30 minutes and then a 30 second blast.Could it be any faster! We will get together before I depart. Stay well. Sharon
Dear Geri, I went to have my eyes checked because I realized that I could see better without my glasses.No more glasses just for reading. But, he found that I have narrow angle glaucoma,and this could lead to an attack of glaucoma. Laser corrects this. So keep going for check-ups.
Well, my mother never even got her eyeglass prescription changed.She never went to the dentist. She lived to be 80; when she died, she couldn’t walk, see or hear. The only reason I go is I don’t want to spend my last years as she did- miserable and making everybody else unhappy to boot.
All this doc visitation is a good idea, and I do most of it, too. But Geri, you WORRY so much about it! Maybe in addition you need to see maybe, er.. ANOTHER kind of doctor???? LOL!
0 Responses to “In sickness and in health”
DocP says:
Geri, I realize I’m late to comment, but a good family physician or general internist could do everything but the dental work, eye check, and perhaps colonoscopy. How did this terrible fragmentation of your healthcare happen????
Geri says:
Hi Doc P,
I wish I could agree with you, but family physicians or general internists here do not perform thorough exams of hearts, bones, breasts, skin, ovaries, ears etc. I don’t even know an internist in New York who does mammograms, PAP smears, heart CTs, bone density tests, audio tests etc. The specialists here call for and interpret those tests. Every one of my friends and my sisters go to all these docs, too.
Best,
Geri
Duchesse says:
Wow. Am guessing you have some health history that makes all this necessary.
Geri Brin says:
Hi Duchese,
I had a hysterectomy at 41 and two breast lumpectomies in my late 50s–all results benign. Do you have annual checkups for eyes, ears, heart, bones’ breasts, skin etc?
Geri
Geri says:
Hi Sharon,
Are you home? Would love to see you. Did your doc tell you to have laser yet?
Geri
sharon Segal says:
Yes, Im here until the 15th of Sept. Doing the laser on Aug 3rd and 10th. The Dr. doing it agreed with the first. I liked the second better because he only deals with c and g problems. Drops for 30 minutes and then a 30 second blast.Could it be any faster! We will get together before I depart. Stay well. Sharon
sharon Segal says:
Dear Geri, I went to have my eyes checked because I realized that I could see better without my glasses.No more glasses just for reading. But, he found that I have narrow angle glaucoma,and this could lead to an attack of glaucoma. Laser corrects this. So keep going for check-ups.
Geri says:
Hi Kate,
I did go to that other kind of doc for years. I swear I don’t worry about any of it. It’s just irritating to have to do it.
oxo
Kate Line Snider says:
Well, my mother never even got her eyeglass prescription changed.She never went to the dentist. She lived to be 80; when she died, she couldn’t walk, see or hear. The only reason I go is I don’t want to spend my last years as she did- miserable and making everybody else unhappy to boot.
You go ( to the doctor) girl! 🙂
Kate Line Snider says:
All this doc visitation is a good idea, and I do most of it, too. But Geri, you WORRY so much about it! Maybe in addition you need to see maybe, er.. ANOTHER kind of doctor???? LOL!