As the lifting of emergency regulations allow us to return to parks, beaches, and other outdoor spaces that bring us comfort, we must not forget to address what makes all things possible – our health. Just as staying indoors and maintaining social distancing helped to reduce the social spreading of COVID-19, medical exams and testing give doctors the chance to address potential issues or irregularities with our health.
An Updated Overall Assessment
A first step your doctor might take before a face-to-face appointment could be a blood test. Many of us have not had the opportunity to exercise during our sheltering, or there has been a change in diet (e.g. Spaghetti-O’s) and this might be reflected in blood test results. If a blood pressure test is not included at the lab or hospital, you might want to purchase a BP machine and report a sampling of results to your doctor.
Get That PSA Test
We at Fans for the Cure have been urging men age forty or older to ask that the PSA test be included in their blood testing. In most cases, it is simply another box for the test technician to check on the long list of possible screenings. Please try to adhere to the PSA testing intervals you and your doctor have agreed upon.
Take Care of Yourself Now
You also might want to make sure that you get back in a regular schedule with doctors you see annually or multiple times a year. Dermatologists, dentists, cardiologists, and ophthalmologists are just some of the health professionals who fall into this category. While the temptation is to skip this year’s appointment and blame it on the coronavirus, the price of doing so could be conditions and complications that will have had two years to develop.
A physician’s office is likely not the first destination of choice you will want to visit when your state and the country reopens. We get that. But resuming a set routine of health maintenance with our doctors is a responsible decision – for ourselves and for those we love.
