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Poking, Prodding Can Be Good Things

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By MARY SHEDDEN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 25, 2008

I've always been an advocate of preventive medicine. I never hesitated to make the time for an annual exam.

That was until I turned 40, and the tone got a lot more serious - and depressing.

Joyce, the nurse practitioner I've seen for years for an annual gynecological exam, has such a perky disposition that getting the dreaded Pap smear wasn't awkward. But as the years progressed and I turned 38, 39 and 40, new vocabulary started creeping into our conversation: "advanced age," "mature" and "risk factors."

She didn't care that I was a healthy, active woman. My body had crossed a chronological threshold, and I needed to embark on a more active regimen of clinical and personal physical examinations. Though she did it with a smile, Joyce's words made me apprehensive.

I thought it ironic that my proactive desire to watch my health was what now scared me. Instead of fear, I needed to take Joyce's warnings as a call to be more informed, more prepared and to tackle well-being with new fervor.

One thing that helps is seeing recommendations from groups like the American Heart Association and American Cancer Society. They're in the trenches researching the diseases and know best what tests and exams identify illness. But that's still a piecemeal approach. And I wonder how people who don't have a trusted health care provider get this critical information.

I recently ran across the harried soccer mom's solution - and I love that it's from the Men's Health Network, an advocacy group that targets health policy for the gender even less likely to visit a doctor.

Their "Get it Checked" maintenance schedule is a simple checklist that helps men and women understand the body parts they need to get poked and prodded on a regular basis. All the tests may not be necessary for everyone, and your insurance company or financial means may not make it possible. But the list arms you as a patient with a concrete conversation-starter when you go see a doctor.

Here's a glance at some of the more critical annual checkup recommendations, but the complete checklist also includes tests needed every two, three or five years. The entire list, divided by age groups, is available online at www.menshealthnetwork.org. There's a "Get it Checked" link on the home page.

CHECKLIST

Women, all ages: Pap test and pelvic exam; clinical breast exam; blood pressure; clinical rectal exam; self-exams for breast, skin and oral health (monthly).

Women, 40-49: All tests listed above plus mammogram; hemoccult screen for polyps or colon cancer; chest X-rays for smokers.

Women, 50 and up: All tests listed above plus general physical exam; blood tests and urinalysis; EKG (electrocardiogram) for heart abnormalities; colorectal health exam; bone density test; discuss estrogen screening.

Men, all ages: blood pressure; clinical rectal exam for hemorrhoids; colon or prostate cancer; self-exams of skin, testicles, breasts and oral health (monthly).

Men, 40-49: All tests listed above plus Prostate Specific Antigen prostate blood test for black men; hemoccult screen for polyps or colon cancer; chest X-rays for smokers; testosterone screening.

Men, 50 and up: All tests listed above plus blood tests and urinalysis; general physical exam; EKG (electrocardiogram) for heart abnormalities; bone mineral density health (age 60).

Want to share your health and fitness idea? Contact me at (813) 259-7365 or mshedden@tampatrib.com. box

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