Medical Checkups ?

[Karnak]

Dear Mandie or any other marvellous medical proffesional or forum person with an opionion.

For those of us that have had or will have fairly major transformations is it advisable to have a complete physical/checkup or anything at the end of during it ?.

I see on TV shows people have "regular checkups" or a "full workup" but does that or should that happen in reality ?. I and most people I know go to the doctor when we are sick and thats it which for me is generally once a year for a prescription refil and thats it.

Should we be getting checked out anyway ?.

[Mandie]

Depends on the person really. Anyone over the age of 18 should see their doctor approximately two yearly for a "general" check up - that involves a blood test to check for diabetes, check cholesterol level, check iron stores in the blood, and a general physical check up including blood pressure. Unhealthy people obviously need to see their doctor more often!

Obese people are more prone to diabetes, high cholesterol, heart problems and high blood pressure. Therefore, obese people should get a medical checkup yearly (if things stay stable) and more often if you get symptoms or if you are getting bigger. It's a good idea to go get checked up if you are very overweight, get the blood tests and stuff. Tell your GP you are losing weight - they can encourage you and give ideas and motivation! Plus, it can be a good idea to get regular blood pressure checks for example as you lose weight - I had borderline high blood pressure when I was 140kg (and 20!), and after losing 20-30kg, I was back to normal (still normal now!). So that's another great way you can keep tabs on your health improvements!