Go to Nanaroo to you...
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- Go to Do the words 'Complete Physical' scare the heck out of you???
Given the state of medical practice
the "complete" physical is a myth. You may be embarrassed or chilly because you have to remove your clothes, but the rest is fairly easy.
Height, weight, blood pressure, a check into your potentially health damaging habits. Do you smoke? How much do you drink? Do you have unusual stress in your life? What medical traits in your family. A little needle stick to take a small tube of blood so they can run it through their machines and check your cholesterol, white count, electrolytes, etc. And a urine sample. Most of the preliminaries are handled by the nurse. Some are cool people, some are like Nurse Ratchet in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Depending on how long it's been, you may need a pap smear, which I won't describe here. It's not painful, it can save your life. The Doctor arrives after you've begun to feel chilly in your paper gown or towel, may or may not look in your eyes and smile pleasantly before you get down to business. There's a breast exam, a life-saving necessity. S/he checks your fingernails, the linings of your lower eyelid, listens to your pulse, pinches your skin at the ankle to see how elastic it is and how soon the color comes back. All this takes two minutes unless there's something wrong or you complain about being constipated or having dizzy spells or a chronic cough. He's gone, you get dressed again, and in a couple days there's a call that all findings are negative and you should come back in 12 months for follow-up.
Nothing to worry about.
posted by
Pat_B
on October 3, 2006 at 8:42 AM
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I try to avoid the doc as much as possible! LOL
posted by
shelly_b
on October 2, 2006 at 5:02 PM
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i'd be far more frightened if i found i needed to visit the "free" clinic!
but i know what you mean. i've still not had a mammogram, i've not once had it described that settles my concerns.
posted by
fourcats
on October 2, 2006 at 9:41 AM
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No, because they will only do whatever HMO pays for...
whih isn't much! But the 3 hours away from the office does scare me.
posted by
WritersBlok
on October 2, 2006 at 9:40 AM
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Yeah, it's not nearly as 'complete' as you might think it would be for the
$$$ I'm sure it costs your insurance. Go with confidence. If you don't want to participate in any test, simply say, 'I don't want to do that one today.' You'll be fine.
posted by
Schatz
on October 2, 2006 at 9:18 AM
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babe
thanks for the info... I appreciate it!!!
posted by
Nanaroo
on October 2, 2006 at 8:24 AM
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I just had one and I was scared to death. But I lived through it. I had a blood test and a breast exam and she listened to my heart. Tested my reflexes, took temperature, blood pressure, discussed with me the results of a mammogram which was abnormal. Height and weight. Also had to fill out a questionnaire and some things are checked if you have close relatives who had certain diseases. She wanted to give me a physical a year prior but my arm was in a sling and I couldn't lie on the table.
posted by
babe_rocks
on October 2, 2006 at 8:16 AM
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