What to Discuss With Your Doctor at Your Physical
Be prepared so you get the most out of your visit to the doctor. A House Call Doctor checklist.
House Call Doctor
Here is a handy list of important things you should be discussing with your doctor when you go in for your annual check-up:
-
Heredity – If everyone in your family has a heart attack when they are young, it is smart to worry about heart disease early. If they all lived to be 100, then not so much. Discuss the significance of these facts. Some diseases are more significant to have in your family tree than others. Colon cancer, for example, has a strong genetic link, whereas leukemia is not as clearly genetic.
-
Lifestyle – Do you smoke? Do you drink? Do you spend your time in front of the TV eating cookie dough ice cream? Do you work around asbestos or lead? All of these facts need to be discussed because they can affect your health.
-
Your Medical History – Diabetes, high blood pressure, past history of cancer, or prolonged use of certain medications will play a big part in determining what has to be monitored or watched out for.
-
Age and sex – people who are in their 20’s are more likely to die from accidents than they are of cancer. Men have heart disease earlier than women, but women are much more at risk for breast cancer.
Finally, just remember that your doctor is there to help you stay healthy, so the more they know about your history and lifestyle, the better they can do their job.
Doctor and Patient image from Shutterstock