#medical #health #medicine #lifestyle — I rarely go to the doctors. I use to go only when I get a sports injury (which was not that regular) and whenever I had a bad bout of bronchitis cough that lingered on for longer than I wanted. Even that, I haven’t had that winter cough for a few seasons now, maybe because I don’t hang out in public offices filled with sick people anymore. So my visits to my doctor are far and few. However, I do make an effort to get an annual medical physical checkup each year.
For a few years now, I’ve had to endure that dreaded digital rectal exam for prostate cancer which is routinely done on all men over a certain age. Ask any man and he will tell you that it’s one of the most uncomfortable (but painless) situations to experience. And of course, getting blood tests are no fun either. But I do go through it all willingly each year just to make sure that I’m on track healthwise.
For me, my annual medical physical checkups are usually a two visit process. The first visit, which I had yesterday, was the main examination where my doctor did the routine checks, took blood and urine samples as well as that dreaded rectal exam. I’ve committed myself to a very healthy lifestyle which includes eating right and enough exercise to keep me in shape. My reward this morning was a blood pressure reading of 110/60 – not bad for a guy who will turn 50 in a few months if I do say so myself!
The second visit will be next week when I go back to go over the results of the blood and urine tests. I’m expecting everything again to be quite uneventful since I work very hard to maintain my health.
The only thing that will be a red flag in my blood tests is the minor thalassemia that will show up. This is a genetic blood disorder which results in slightly decreased red blood cell size and is a condition that does not require any treatment. Let’s put it this way, this condition has not stopped me from becoming a certified ski instructor, a scuba diver and a karate world champion. So it’s no biggie.
An uneventful medical checkup is what I usually expect anyway since I know that I follow the right lifestyle. But I still dragg myself each year to the doctor’s office to get confirmation. Everyone should get an annual medical physical just to be on the safe side. I’ll report on my follow up visit with the doctor next week.
If you want to know a bit more about what I do to stay healthy, I discuss it in my free World Champion Personal Growth Guide that you can get. Just see the sidebar at the left side of this blog or at the Free Stuff tab of my Motivation Facebook page.
photo credit: pixel_bunny
At least YOUR physical doesn’t have to include a mammogram!! Talk about uncomfortable (but not painful)!
Oh, I think not much in the world is worse that getting a finger up the butt real deep – major grimace!