K.P.
answers from
Miami
on
Ask for a complete physical, including blood work.
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I am notorious for avoiding the Dr. as much as possible. However, I have been having some neck pain and stiffness for a while now, and finally set up an appt. for next week to get it checked out. It has been a few years since I've seen a dr. and since I'm going in anyway, I requested a cholesterol screening because I know that particular test requires a 12 hour fast. I live 75 miles from my dr. and would really prefer to only have to go in once.
Can any of you tell me if there are any other tests I should ask them to run that also might require a fasting time so that I can hopefully get it all done at once? I'm hoping that the dr. will tell me that the neck pain is just a residual from the chronic back pain and problems that I've always had due to a bad shoulder, however I still feel I should get it checked out. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
Ask for a complete physical, including blood work.
You should really go annually. Scared of them or not, your health is worth it.
And you should ask for a full physical and blood work up. Ask the doctor to check EVERYTHING. Also, my doctor has M. go for my blood work a week in advance, so the results are back by the appointment and we can go over them.
Do you have a place closer to get blood drawn? My surgeon is about an hour and a half away from M., so any tests that required M. to fast, I had done locally. They J. write M. a script and I go get the testing done - no big deal.
Metabolic tests and diabetes tests require fasting...if those care concerns.
You need to make sure your appointment includes both a sick visit (for the neck) and a complete physical. If you tell them it's J. for your neck, they will usually only give you a 10 minute timeslot, and that's not enough time for the eval of your neck and a physical.
If you have the physical, in addition to the neck eval, your doctor can order all the bloodwork he thinks is necessary. If you are fasting for the cholesterol test anyway, then you should be fine no matter what tests are ordered and you can get them all done.
Most likely your doctor can place the order for the blood work while you're there for your neck and then make an apt for a physical and to go over the blood work. I would ask.
You could call your doctor's office and let them know that you would like any blood work to be done that day and ask them what they recommend. Your doctor might take a look at your record and be able to make that determination before next week.
I urge you to make an appointment for a physical exam. There are many tests that should be regularly performed. The doctor may order a complete panel at this visit and make an appointment for the rest of the exam later. Talk with him about it. I doubt that he'll order tests without also having an exam.
I suggest that you'll need two appointments. I have to make the appointment for my physical 6 weeks in advance. The office only alots a certain amount of appointments for physicals and those slots fill up ahead of time.
SED rate for inflammation.
A1C for blood sugar average over several months.
