The best $ 500 you can spend

[see_change]

When we be an IP we do are due diligence . Building reports , pest inspections , searches etc . The costs add up but we don't think twice about doing it .

But do we do the same due diligence on our selves ?

About a year ago , one on my patients came in asking me to give him a clearance to participate in an ultra marathon in Africa . He was a fit , heathy 51 year lid who did marathons on a regular basis . I took a history and declined to give him his clearance .

The reason why .? Both his father and grandfather had dropped dead of heart attacks aged 50 . Fast forward one week , he'd had a CT coronary angiogram ( cost $500 ) which showed one of his coronary arteries was critically narrowed , a stent and a clearance to go and do his ultra marathon .

Although it's not something that necessary for everyone. But anyone with a family history of heart disease , high risk factors , smokers , overweight , high BP , diabetes ETC should raise it with their GP. I've been ordering them on a regular basis over the last few years and almost every one who has had significant risk factors has come back with evidence of coronary heart disease .

Now days this is treatable .

While a stress test will show if you have critical blockages of your arteries that are capable of causing symptoms now , they won't necessarily show if you have blockages that are not critical , but can cause symptoms in the near future.

We do our DD on our properties , but does everyone take the same care over ourselves ...

Cliff

PS I'd don't have shares in the company that make the machines or shares in radiology practices ..

 

[Rolf Latham]

Gold !

ta
rolf

 

[MarkB]

Lets be honest, there is an awful lot of chaff on Somersoft.

There is a good deal of wheat also of course.

The occasional bit of gold.

A rare diamond.

And then there are posts like this which could potentially save a life.

 

[ok180]

...........

 

[wylie]

What annoys me is that I did some research and decided I probably had a deficiency in Vit D. I had no idea how important it is to not be deficient in Vit D.

I went to my doctor and told her my thoughts. She would not order me a test, said something along the lines of "we cannot test everyone for everything". I also think there was a bit of the "you are the patient, and I know best" attitude. I went to another doctor, a more holistic type (cost me $500 - not your regular GP though - lectures overseas). He ordered a whole raft of tests.

Turns out that I was dangerously low in Vit D. My level was about one third of the lowest level in the normal range. Being this low apparently gives me the risk of cancer, heart disease and all sorts of other things. That $500 visit was money well spent.

This doctor told me that "regular" GPs have a quota of different tests and if they send more people for tests per month/year they are investigated, so they don't. At least, that is what he told me. So annoyed. I still go to that doctor for minor things, but have completely lost faith in her insofar as thinking she is in any way interested in my health over her interest in keeping out of the line of sight of the medical bureaucracy and the issue of being investigated.

 

[handyandy]

Good on you Seach.

Acquaintance had stents inserted and this impacted her travel insurance.

Not sure on the full story but as a couple they both have stents he was able to get insurance as they had been in place for a while but due to the recent nature of her procedure she was not able to get the insurance. (last I heard)

Cheers

 

[Mitch1]

What annoys me is that I did some research and decided I probably had a deficiency in Vit D. I had no idea how important it is to not be deficient in Vit D.

I went to my doctor and told her my thoughts. She would not order me a test, said something along the lines of "we cannot test everyone for everything". I also think there was a bit of the "you are the patient, and I know best" attitude. I went to another doctor, a more holistic type (cost me $500 - not your regular GP though - lectures overseas). He ordered a whole raft of tests.

Turns out that I was dangerously low in Vit D. My level was about one third of the lowest level in the normal range. Being this low apparently gives me the risk of cancer, heart disease and all sorts of other things. That $500 visit was money well spent.


This doctor told me that "regular" GPs have a quota of different tests and if they send more people for tests per month/year they are investigated, so they don't. At least, that is what he told me. So annoyed. I still go to that doctor for minor things, but have completely lost faith in her insofar as thinking she is in any way interested in my health over her interest in keeping out of the line of sight of the medical bureaucracy and the issue of being investigated.

Totally agree on this one! Like you I had really low vit D. Iron so low I needed a transfusion and still have to get injections due to the fact that I do not absorb iron, and had a failing thyroid...for 3 yrs I went to docs to be told I was in early meno??!! They looked at me and decided it answered the question of extreme exhaustion so tested that only??! Tests came back crooked so that must be the answer!
I basically diagnosed myself and went to doc using the fact that I had glandular fever right before all this happened and check thyroid and a full blood work out. Bingo...since I started the right treatment all other blood tests for so called meno have come back into line....now if only they would stop adjusting the damn thyroid tabs....

But Now I have no excuse for being a moody cow ...

 

[ok180]

..................

 

[Mitch1]

But do we do the same due diligence on our selves ?

QUOTE: About a year ago , one on my patients came in asking me to give him a clearance to participate in an ultra marathon in Africa . He was a fit , heathy 51 year lid who did marathons on a regular basis . I took a history and declined to give him his clearance .

The reason why .? Both his father and grandfather had dropped dead of heart attacks aged 50 . Fast forward one week , he'd had a CT coronary angiogram ( cost $500 ) which showed one of his coronary arteries was critically narrowed , a stent and a clearance to go and do his ultra marathon .QUOTE

It can be hard to do DD when good docs like you are in short supply! I had a bad back for a while but was only ever recommended physio. Stumbled on a step one day and couldn't feel my legs so was taken to hosp. By ambo. Given pain killers and when feeling returned got sent home with more physio suggested. Insisted on a scan and had foraminal stenosis, 2 discs out, 1 pressing on sciatic and d.d.d. Spinal surgeon said only answer Was a cage for lower back, sent me off for allergy testing for metals and I had reactions to a number of them including what was in this metal cage but he wanted to go ahead anyway saying it wasn't a massive reaction??? Another surgeon said the same thing. Third surgeon said drastic answer lets remove the discs shave the bone and see how you go...3 years later, pretty good.

When I researched the surgeon it seems the people who make these back devices invest a lot of money into his research. I was not going to be one of his 'thank you's' ... It took 8mths (while on crutches with failed cortisone injection) of dd to see someone who did what was right for me and not their investors.

I totally admire your commitment to your patient... And envy your patients their good fortune in finding you!

 

[nww]

Just had my second bowel scan. first at 35 and now at 44 , got the all clear.
Uncle with bowel disease but did live an unhealthy lifestyle.

Not sure I would worry about the heart ,father dead at 96 , grandfather at 100
Mother doing ok at 88 and her mother dead at 95 and father 94

Not sure I would want to be around much after 90

 

[Sim]

What annoys me is that I did some research and decided I probably had a deficiency in Vit D. I had no idea how important it is to not be deficient in Vit D.

There's actually a bit of an epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency in our society these days - particularly amongst kids. The paediatrician we see for our kids rants about this a lot and points to a lot of research showing we have become too good at "slip-slop-slap" etc and now kids are suffering because of a lack of exposure sunlight! It's about balance - even fair-skinned people need some exposure to natural sunlight, just not too much.

We've collectively become so scared about melanoma and such, that we have created a new set of problems for ourselves.

This is a big issue for us given our kids have dark (African) skin, my son was diagnosed with a Vit D deficiency - and with so much melanin in the skin, they have difficulty absorbing vitamin D.

We even had to get a letter from our paediatrician telling the childcare centre that under no circumstances were they to put sunscreen on our son.

 

[Mitch1]

Vit D deficiency is becoming a real issue for all of those reasons Sim because of the skin cancer issues, slip, slap, slop became a way of life. Like all things, everything in moderation is good for you!

One thing I learned which may be of use is that it the greatest absorption for vit D on the body are 'the big bones' (when I was told this I burst out laughing cos at 5ft 2 I reckon I don't have any!!) upper arms and thighs basically!

So your kids could quite easily sunscreen face, hands, feet and neck for protection on more sensitive areas but leave the big bones exposed. And if I am recalling correctly, 20 mins of exposure per day covers what you need and then some!

 

[pinkboy]

I spend a fair few $$$ on my body for sure. I take supplements (multi, immune, magnesium, and 12x fish oil), I see specialists when I have a problem (such as a physio, GP etc), blood tests etc and I invest in good quality nutrition for my workouts/training.

I also require these medical certificates to enter into some races I do, but I don't do it for the sake of doing it, but for the sake of knowing Im in physical shape to do so.

You don't get this peak physique for nothing!


pinkboy

 

[Ed Barton]

Medical professionals, particularly GPs, need to ensure they are only ordering tests that are funded (or part funded) by Medicare in a sensible fashion. They need to be spending the national health budget wisely.

We could screen all males for breast cancer as regularly as we do females. Yes, men can and do, get breast cancer - but it's prevalence is so low that screening is 'uneconomical'.

 

[lizzie]

I also went to the doctor suffering from extreme tiredness - with some help but more a shrug after the tests came back.

Went to a naturopath and it turns out I suffer from too much iron (but not hemacromotosis) and a bad reaction to refined sugar ... not strangely I find I feel so much better when I avoid red meat and sugar ... but the hard part is that when you feel tired, one craves the sugar ... opps ... I just ate two lammingtons ... paying for it now.

Would love to have an entire body CT - just to see what was going on

 

[skater]

Thankyou for the reminder to take the vitamin D. I had tests last year, & was taking it, but then ran out & forgot to buy more. Oops! So...just logged onto Ebay & bought a tub of them. Yes, a strange thing to look on Ebay for, but I know I've got them, otherwise I'd probably forget to get them again next time I go to the shops.

 

[allsuccess]

I'm low on vitamin D too. This thread gave me a reminder too .

 

[lizzie]

I'm right on the Vitamin D ... nothing like a day in the garden ...

 

[Highlygeared]

Fast forward one week , he'd had a CT coronary angiogram ( cost $500 ) ..

Is this procedure covered in part by Medicare/private health fund ie will the outlay be a full $500? Also, can I just rock up to a GP and ask for a referral to get this done?