|
Visiting the doctor is certainly no one's idea of fun, but it is necessary. While most people are willing to do it when they are feeling ill, they are less willing to do it when they're not feeling particularly sick. If you have been putting off your yearly physical, it is time to stop procrastinating and pick up the phone. A quick visit to the doctor's office could save your life. Just why most people hate to make this commitment is a bit of a mystery. Yearly physicals rarely take longer than 45 minutes and involve less poking and prodding than most people realize. If you've never taken advantage of top-notch Central Florida medical care, now is your chance to get an idea about what you can expect during your yearly physical exam. A Frank Conversation The first thing you can expect from your exam is a conversation about how you're feeling, how your health has been, and whether there have been any changes to your personal history or that of your family. For example, if an immediate family member was recently diagnosed with diabetes, heart disease, or any type of cancer, you would want to tell your doctor so he or she could update your family history records. By having a complete and thorough family history, doctors can make better and more informed decisions about your personal care. For example, if a close relative was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, a doctor may order earlier or more frequent mammograms. The more information medical professionals have, the better care you will receive. Always Come Prepared When it comes to updating history, be sure to talk about yourself too. Have you recently had any procedures your current doctor is unaware of? These could include things like having wisdom teeth removed, having any kind of dental surgery, starting birth control, becoming sexually active--anything and everything that could have an impact on your health should be reported to your doctor. While your doctor will certainly give you prompts and ask a lot of specific questions, it is always a good idea to go into your doctor's office with a list of personal history additions in hand along with any medications or supplements you are taking. Checking Your Vitals The next part of your exam will probably be checking your vital signs. This is the part where they take your temperature, blood pressure, respiration rate, and heart rate. These vital signs give the doctor a very good look into your overall health. If all of these things are in the normal range, your exam is pretty much over. If, however, your doctor finds that any of these are in or almost in an abnormal range, he or she will spend a good deal of time trying to figure out what is going on. The Gender Specific Exam No description of a physical exam would be complete without disclosing that there are exams specific to males and females. While they may be slightly uncomfortable, they are key in detecting things like cancer, STDs, and other abnormalities that could be life threatening. The good news is that doctors are extremely good and efficient at what they do, which means this part will be over in a matter of moments. If you're feeling extremely uncomfortable, be sure to communicate that to your doctor, they don't want to cause their patients undue stress and will do whatever they can to help you. The Blood Draw Finally, after a thorough physical exam, your Central Florida medical care provider is likely to order labs to test for things like thyroid function, vitamin D levels, and cholesterol levels. While blood draws are certainly not fun, they usually go by quickly. If, for any reason you don't feel comfortable with the person drawing your blood, don't hesitate to ask for a different lab tech!
Related Articles -
central, florida, medical, care,
|
