I just had my own annual checkup last month, and I am pleased to say that
everything is looking good. The little extra weight I had last year has gone,
and the cholesterol has come down with it.
My annual medical check-up is an important part of my
planning for the future, a future with a good Quality of Life. Check-ups are
inherently involved in the Quality of Life. Longevity alone, with no quality,
just isn’t worth it in my book.
Many people work on the principle that they would rather not
know about any underlying or sinister medical conditions they may have. After
all, we are all going to die one day, aren’t we? I have always said that despite
all advances in medical science, the death rate will always be the same - one
per person! But wouldn’t you rather have pleasant final years than one of poor
health, infirmity and aches and pains?
The guiding principle behind check-ups is to find deviations
from normal health patterns at an early stage. Early enough that the trend can
be reversed, before damage has occurred. Examples of this include Blood Pressure
(BP), as high BP can affect many organs in the body, not just the heart. But an
elevated BP generally gives no warning symptoms.
Another example is blood sugar. Again, it requires sky-high
sugar levels before the person begins to feel that something might be wrong. And
by then the sugar levels have affected vision, the vascular system and many
other systems, all of which can decrease your future Quality of Life. Amputation
of a limb is a common result of unchecked blood sugar levels.
Cardiac conditions and abnormalities, be that in anatomy or
function, can also very adversely affect your Quality of Life, but are very
easily found during a routine check-up. Various blood tests and an EKG can show
just how well the cardiac pump is functioning, and how well it will continue to
function in the future. The inability to walk more than 50 meters certainly
takes the fun out of shopping, yet this can be predicted - if you have some
serial records!
Another of the silent killers can be discovered in your lipid
profile, with Cholesterol and its fractions HDL and LDL, being intimately
connected with your cardiac status.
Let me give you an example. A younger man who was obviously
overweight, but played golf three times a week and had no apparent problems. He
enjoyed his golf, and the beers at the 19th hole. Just like his overweight
golfing mates.
This chap’s blood tests were not so good, and his diabetic
tendency was now more than just a tendency. Despite the fact that he was not
having chest pains, he decided to have the 64-Slice CT of the coronary arteries
carried out. This showed three blockages. Three corrective stents later he could
return to the golf course, but with urgent recommendations to get his weight
down and get his blood sugar and cholesterol under control.
There are actually so many conditions that can affect your
enjoyment of the future that can be discovered early. Renal (kidney) function
and liver function can be monitored through an annual check-up, as can prostate
size (indicated by the PSA blood test) or breast tumors (by mammogram).
Hopefully you are now thinking about an annual check-up. If
so, I have some very good news for those of you living in Pattaya. The Bangkok
Hospital Pattaya has repeated their previous King’s birthday promotional
packages with big discounts on check-up packages (up to 70 percent for some
individual items, though the Check-up packages themselves are generally at 50
percent off).
Even better news is that the discount program continues
through to February 29, 2012; however, you must pay by December 31, 2011, to be
able to get this huge discount.
I do urge you to take advantage of this, for your enjoyment
of the future, if nothing else. This is a genuine offer, and does give everyone
the opportunity of ‘preventive medicine’. Catch anything early and you have
given yourself the chance to correct it - and get a better Quality of Life in
the forthcoming years.
