twosummers Loc: Melbourne Australia or Lincolnshire England

I've tried to come up with a valid reason to avoid health screening but so far I have failed - so, as I get older, I just say "bring it on" - if anyone can provide a reason I can use please let me know?

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

He's over 65, so I suppose he is.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Sad but true. Money is King!

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Is he diabetic? If so, eating too many sweets or carbs, even over a period of time, would raise his A1C.

Retina Loc: Near Charleston,SC

Medical care requiring a physician's orders is subject, in part, to the law of supply and demand. Wait times, whether for appointments or in the waiting room, and the cost of care are high because the supply held low. The difference between most commodities, products, and services is that medical care is over-regulated far beyond the need for quality control. It is a myth in the U.S. that only the top few percent of students are qualified to become doctors. There are simply not enough schools to meet the need. This is intentional, buttressed by myth about qualifications and the aura that surrounds the embroidered white coat and stethoscope. Like my earlier reference to the Wizard of Oz, the four had high praise and adulation due to royalty because he, and only he, held any hope for what they needed. I will never forget the reply from a doctor to my question about the cost of a particular procedure costing several thousand dollars that took little time, was done by a tech, and where the materials cost almost nothing. He said if I called around I would find everyone charges the same. He didn't answer the question, of course, but it said a lot about what is called racketeering in most other professions. The same is true for the cost of a medical education. This comes as no surprise since we have the best government money can buy. I apologize if this offends those on the provider side of the fence. I am only addressing one reason for the undeniable fact of excessive wait times and the cost of even the most basic care that requires a doctor's order.

srt101fan

Deleted

Tom Bar

A blood sugar test will tell you what you blood sugar level is at the moment. If the pancreas is working properly, it takes about 2 hours for the blood sugar to return to fasting levels. A hemoglobin A1c will tell you what your blood sugar has been doing over the last couple of months. If your friend is medicare age, his MD is required to get certain lab work for his "annual wellness check" (we can't call it an annual physical anymore. Medicare doesn't pay for that.) His MD will decide if any labs other than what is required are indicated based on his past history, family history, etc. Our health care system has been based on treating illness after it happens rather than catching something early or preventing illness. I'm not sure government mandates and name changes can turn that principle around, and folks just don't want to do what is necessary to prevent illness. "Don't ask me to change my lifestyle. Just give me a pill to cover whatever is wrong." said the patient, myself included. Buckle up Buttercup, and get your a$$ to your MD.
Free medical advice worth about what you pay for it.
Signed
A retired physician whose license has expired

Retina Loc: Near Charleston,SC

Many dangerous conditions remain asymptomatic until they are incurable or cause severe morbidity. A properly done wellness check cannot catch all of them, of course, but enough to make it worthwhile, especially if accompanied by a thorough history and physical (good luck with that.) About the apparently ironic requirement to avoid exercise prior to certain blood tests, one reason is to avoid masking a result that could indicate heart damage by the effects of exercise on skeletal muscle. Exercise causes short term damage with long term benefits when done consistently over time.

tgreenhaw

You should suggest he read what the A1C test is. It uses a biomarker to identify blood sugar averaged over a long period of time. If he is concerned about blood sugar, the AIC blood test is critical and wont be heavily impact to what you ate before the test.

fetzler Loc: North West PA

There are two tests for blood sugar.

1. measurement of blood glucose concentration. This is taken after a 12 (or more) hour fast. If you are normal the glucose level will be normal.

2. A1C measurement - this represents about a 3 month average glucose level. This could be a bit high if you are normal and consume a LOT of sweets but if you are normal it will be normal too.

If you are diabetic you won't be able to hide it.

niteman3d Loc: South Central Pennsylvania, USA

The annual wellness exam is a service provided by Medicare, but to my knowledge, it is not "required".

greigfla

If your friend is past the age of 12 he is probably more afraid of what the test will show than of any needles. And, as others have correctly stated here, blood sugar returns to "normal" quickly, so the most a high glucose would tell the doctor is to do a A1c test to see if it was suggesting a temporary or long term condition . . . . which is very useful information for anyone who wants to live long and prosper.

Avoiding doctor's appointments to keep from hearing what one doesn't want to hear is frowned upon by the medical profession . . . . but encouraged by underemployed grave diggers.

Dannj

My doctor says nothing but water 12 hours before.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

No, and he wants to stay that way.

alliebess Loc: suburban Philadelphia

Ask for an HbA1C test; it gives an average of blood sugar over a number of days, not just the day the blood was drawn.