Author |
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Max
Moderator
08-12-2000
| Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 10:05 am
Okay, back to this thread -- the baby boomer aspect, that is! At the ripe age of 50, I'm starting to have my share of daily aches and pains. The question is this: given that I have crappy insurance ($1,000 deductable that I can't afford unless absolutely necessary), am I terrible for not heading in for a complete check-up as my gyno wants me to do? I really don't have medical issues other than a slightly low thyroid level (for which I take medicine) and a high bad cholesterol level (which is balanced by a high good cholesteral level for a ratio that's in the low normal range). Yes, I'm overweight, but have never had blood sugar or blood pressure issues. (I've been overweight since I was about five, so I suppose that genetics have something to do with it.) Anyway, just wondering what you other boomers do as far as regular checkups even if you're feeling okay. On the up-side, I am now an official employee of the company I work for, so in six months' time, I will be covered on their Kaiser plan. At that point, I can at least feel assured that getting such a thing as a regular checkup won't cost me an arm and a leg. 
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Merrysea
Member
08-13-2004
| Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 10:19 am
Max, I'm also 50 (and I can say that for a whole 'nother week!), and I don't have any insurance, so I don't go for regular checkups. I figure that if they find something, I can't afford to do anything about it, so I'm better off not knowing. But my darling oldest son bought me a Tempur-pedic pillow for Mother's Day/birthday, and after sleeping on it for only three nights now, I don't have all the aches and pains when I wake up!
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-31-2000
| Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 10:39 am
I go to my certified midwife annually and call it good. Gotta go because I'm having an awful peri-menopause and need meds. But otherwise, I wouldn't. Don't do the annual mammograms either, much to her dismay. I am having some medical tests done now because for the last 3-4 years, I've been having some odd kind of muscle spasming that is progressively getting worse and keeping me awake nights. I've been trying to ignore them, but that they are growing worse seems concerning. 
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Brenda1966
Member
07-03-2002
| Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 10:49 am
max, do they have a health fair in your area? They do one here, sponsored by one of the news channels and many others. You can get free or inexpensive testing done annually. It's a great deal and something I'd keep my eye out for until your Kaiser kicks in. As soon as it kicks in I'd be making that appointment!
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Gidget
Member
07-28-2002
| Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 11:36 am
max you sound like a prime candidate for metabolic syndrome considering the problems you already have. which is likely why your gyno would like you to start taking more care. at 50 you are likely heading for or in menopause which is going to take away some of the protection your heart has had up until now. the insurance is an issue i understand. but you only get one body on this trip and you are likely to be occupying it for another 40 years G-d willing. if i were you i would get at the very least some base line tests. ask the doc what she thinks is absolutely necessary. i just turned 50 this year and i am calling it my mid-century service call. getting everything checked out. however, unless your doc has seen something of specific concern, if it was me and i felt fine i would feel comfortable waiting the 6 months.
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Mocha
Member
08-12-2001
| Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 11:42 am
How would you know you don't have blood pressure or blood sugar issues if you don't get it checked? I would've never known I had blood sugar issues if it weren't for my multitude of doctor appts and bloodwork. I've only got 1 body and taking care of it means yearly checkups as well as mamograms. Hell if I can get them done twice a year, then others can do it once a yr or every other yr if it can save your life.
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Jimmer
Moderator
08-30-2000
| Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 11:58 am
People may think this sounds silly but the best thing about regular check-ups (at least in Canada) is getting to know your family Doctor (if you can find a really good one) and he or she getting to know you. It's a good thing for a couple of reasons. One reason is that if anything does go wrong or you do have a question, he has a good idea of what you are like (physically and mentally) when you are healthy and so is much better able to assess you when you are sick. A second reason is that I suspect knowing your Doctor has a positive benefit when it comes to treatment. Having a Doctor that knows you and cares about you and is willing to go to bat for you to get tests, see a specialist and so on is a big help. IMO, quality family Doctors are one of the most under-rated resources in the country.
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Max
Moderator
08-12-2000
| Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 12:07 pm
Well, I do go for my annual gyno and breast exam. That's non-negotiable for me. I have a very good gyno who does a bunch of blood tests as part of that exam and that's how I found out about the thyroid issue and cholesterol stuff (just started those this year) and how I know that I have no blood pressure or blood sugar issues. Plus, I donate blood on a regular basis, so I get blood pressure checks then, too. Once the Kaiser kicks in, I will go for a tune-up both for my own peace of mind and to start establishing a relationship with a doctor. Especially since then I will need to get a Kaiser gyno (hate the thought of losing my current one, but there are compromises to be made here) that I can trust. The nice thing about Kaiser is that they do a lot of up-front stuff to help avoid larger problems, so that will be good. 
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Mocha
Member
08-12-2001
| Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 12:23 pm
Yay Max!
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Chewpito
Member
01-04-2004
| Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 1:13 pm
I go to the gym at least 5/6 days a week and do a swim class and listen to audio books while I walk on the treadmill.. My gym offers every 6months a blood screen for cholesterol and all the other stuff for only 15 dollars, so I take advantage of that.and take it to my gyno apt so he can keep a record of it. Most labs charge a fortune.. .I think exersize is very important, even if its just walking.. I do an annual gyno and every other yr breast exam. Ive heard that just a regular check up/ unless you are having a specific problem are a waist of money. Im not sure. I also do not have insurance. Its scary.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 5:37 pm
My gyno is willing to act as my primary. She orders the blood work and the mammos for me, and does the urine tests. Max, Kaiser is wonderful I am really glad you are getting benefits that include Kaiser. One of the things I hated most about moving out of San Francisco was losing Kaiser. And yes, they do a lot of preventive stuff, would rather give you a colonoscopy than have to deal with the undetected cancer later. Max, I would think you can chance it a little more and wait the six months. But as Brenda said, the health fair is an excellent idea too. And then get your butt to Kaiser on the first day you have a card. LOL.
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Newman
Member
09-25-2004
| Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 9:30 pm
Yeah Max, wait for the Kaiser to kick in, unless you have a Ch. 9 Healthfair in your area. I worry about the people without insurance. What can you do? Exercise, eat well, stay healthy. I'm concerned with my blood pressure now. I think my top number has always been high. I should probably have it checked out in the summer. I tend to blow off the colon cancer screening every year. Can't wrap my mind around scraping some poop onto a card, 3 days in a row, and then mailing it in to Kaiser. I don't think either of my parents had colon cancer issues but my twin has a different memory of that. Anyway he had his checked and was ok; so I worry less...
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Abby7
Member
07-17-2002
| Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 9:39 pm
just had to post this zachy post again: -------------------------- Picked him up and took him home. Tucked him into bed. Gosh it was so good seeing him. He might not go to France, he said he would miss me too much! He's so handsome and he makes me laugh so hard! For an hour and 10 minutes I was rolling! How did I get so lucky? ---------------- zachy, the answer to "how did i get so lucky?" is so obvious! because you deserve all those wonderful feelings you are feeling at that moment. cherished moments. you deserve it zachy, that's why.
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Newman
Member
09-25-2004
| Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 5:31 am
If we're going to talk about ZMom's non Baby Boom (or is she a baby boomer?) dating life, I'd like to give one male perspective. <57> If a man is feeling like ZMom, the way she writes, so excited and happy and optimistic about meeting Mr. Right, well, the expectation for sex is very high. From my point of view. If sex is denied, when the feeling is so good, and you're clicking so well, and the chemistry is amazing, when you meet a new person, well...frustration sets in. Why is she setting out the stop sign? Doesn't she like me? Isn't she as aroused as I am? Doesn't she like sex? All these questions and many more insecurities pop up, as well as other things popping up... I don't know if a Baby Boomer could actually feel this excited about meeting a new person. We are mature and experienced and cautious. Lots of life experience would temper things down. Don't mean to burst any balloons. I hope ZMom finds true love in the airport. However, if we are going to talk about her love life here, and she seems willing to, then I would like a balanced discussion. There is another side to the story. If finding love were easy, we'd all be madly in love...
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-31-2000
| Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 6:34 am
Newman, actually I think you are not the norm, in comparison to the Baby Boomer men I have met. Most of them are quite content to wait and let a relationship grow, rather than force intimacy. They realize a relationship is much more than physical connection, and they want to be sure it's right for them before they get more involved. And the wise person of either sex in this day and age should be cautious anyway! I think that's one thing that the maturity of age brings to men, and I find it very appealing. I would find a fixation on how soon we "do it" to be very unhealthy and offputting.
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Gidget
Member
07-28-2002
| Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 6:45 am
yes a boomer could feel this excited. she could be so excited she couldnt open her coffee creamer. but since someone explained safe sex to me i have pretty much lost interest. i remember sex the way it was supposed to be. all that latex. i fail to see the point.
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Mocha
Member
08-12-2001
| Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 7:39 am
Well Gidg you can just get the necessary tests done before and the you won't have to use latex. Kar, that cracked me up.
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 10:09 am
Um, just for the baby boomer record, you don't have to scrape poopie-doo onto a card and mail it anymore. You now float some tissue paper thing on top and observe the results, then mark the results on a card and mail that in. I often wonder if this thread has not runs its course and perhaps we should start a similar but different thread that is more inclusive. I have a tentative working title: Life, Love, Laughter, and Lesser Evils. I mean, I hate to think we can't dissect Zmom's love life just because she was born a year too late.

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Cndeariso
Member
06-28-2004
| Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 10:12 am
i know if i were to be dating someone and had those giddy feelings that zmom is referring to i would step back and ask myself if i was emotionally ready. just because my body is throbbing with desire doesn't mean i'm ready for the emotional consequences that come with fulfilling that desire. that would be the main reason i would put the breaks on sex.
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Kearie
Member
07-21-2005
| Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 10:59 am
Amen to that Chessy. That's what I do. The body always seems to get extra "giddy" in the beginning of a relationship. Just because I'm physically excited, doesn't mean I have to jump into bed. I try to let my head rule my body and my heart rather than the other way around. I also complete agree with Kar's post. I see men that are willing to wait until I'm ready, as men worth having. Those that pressure me for sex, well ... they obviously don't care about my emotional needs ... only their sexual ones. They aren't worth my time.
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Rosie
Member
11-12-2003
| Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 11:08 am
Juju, as usual, has hit the nail on the head.
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Chewpito
Member
01-04-2004
| Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 11:47 am
well at this stage in my life, If I was feeling that giddy, I think my brakes would malfunction and I would just pray He had some good coffee brewing in the morning...
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Kearie
Member
07-21-2005
| Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 11:54 am
lol Chessy
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-31-2000
| Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 12:02 pm
Just a clarification, regardless of the thread title, everyone is welcome to participate in this thread and every thread at TVCH. As always. 
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Juju2bigdog
Member
10-27-2000
| Thursday, May 18, 2006 - 1:49 pm
Thank you, Rosie. As you can see by my colonoscopy talk, my recommendation that Max get her butt to Kaiser, and my tissue paper expertise, I occasionally do know some shit. <continues to pound nails into head>

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