My Journey With Health And Fitness – Time For My Annual Health Check In

I have just decided the gym is not happening this week. Mornings with this cold are hard and I just don’t have the energy. I do still go for my walk and today it was really great because it was cold meaning deep breathing helped with my cough. While I had hoped maybe Saturday would work since it is a later morning fitness class I learned yesterday that I have an all day meeting Saturday so my goal is going to be at least a 1/2 hour walk. Still I’ve managed to get in some exercise every day.

It is that time of year for me when I get a whole bunch of medical tests done. Trust me, this is not a bad thing. It started on Tuesday with a trip to the dentist which was just a cleaning an examine. Fortunately my teeth are in great shape which is good because I don’t really have a dental plan. Today I got a call from my optometrist’s office advising I was due for my annual exam (note, if you have diabetes you need an eye exam every year to watch for both retinopathy and glaucoma) which I have now booked for March 18th. March 20th is the gamut of blood tests that I have once a year which include blood glucose checks, cholesterol, calcium, thyroid, red and white blood cell count, and numerous others. March 24th is my annual diabetic exam which I do despite being in remission. Finally sometime in June (not sure of the date but it is in my calendar) I have my annual mammogram which as the daughter of a breast cancer victim is absolutely necessary.

For 40 years I have gone to my doctor every year for a check up. I have been lucky because every doctor I have had has agreed to at least do annual blood work because of the diabetes in my family. I often wonder if my brother had done the same if he could have been diagnosed earlier and maybe prevented some of the devastation the disease caused him but you know, hind sight is always 20/20. Still, I know many people who think that they feel good means they shouldn’t see a doctor at least once a year. I so disagree (with the recognition that here in BC there are so many people that don’t have a doctor to go see). I think it is imperative to at minimum have standard testing done to look for asymptomatic illnesses that can easily be identified via a simple blood test. Diabetes is a prime example. I had zero symptoms when I was diagnosed and it was only because a doctor ordered the annual gamut of testing that it was discoverer. Oh, and that same doctor had me have an ECK despite my age and the fact my family (other than my brother) had no real history of heart disease. Fortunately that test turned out fine.

Now to be clear, I obsess over all of my test results. When they are finally posted online I freak if any of them show they are abnormal even if it is just ever so slightly off the normal range. I then research everything so that I can ask my doctor questions. I swear every time I do my annual physical after the blood work when I question things she slap her hand to her forehead and decrees me healthy. But hey, I have already admitted that I am neurotic and paranoid and analyzing test results just feeds in to that.

So I ask all of you, even if you feel good, please check in with some sort of doctor once a year. Moreover, press them to do a complete blood workup. Remember, early diagnosis of many diseased gives you a fighting chance.