We’ve always talked about taking care of ourselves, but most of the time it is just that–talk. We as women of a certain age fail to schedule our yearly exams. The ones that we should do at least yearly unless the doctor tells us to do something differently. How we fail to schedule our exams is a mystery to me–we are master schedulers.
My girlfriend Avis always schedules all of her exams close to her birthday–she says that way she will always remember. I do put mine on my phone calendar, plus my doctors are really good about reminding me. I never miss!
There are several exams that should be done yearly.
- Mammogram–the one that most people know about is a screening mammogram. This is a low dose x-ray of the breast from different angles. Some people with dense breast, women of a certain age or for other reasons may also be advised to do a diagnostic mammogram or ultrasound of the breast. .
- Pelvic Exam and Pap–no you are really never too mature to have this exam. It is done to determine precancerous or cancer of the cervix.
- Step on the scale–close your eyes and wish away the pounds. Unwanted pounds can lead to deadly illnesses.
- Blood pressure–even if your blood pressure has risen, you can lower it without medication. It can be a silent killer.
There are other exams that you should do less frequently unless your doctor suggest yearly. Here are a few:
- Hearing test–with the noise of the world it is surprising we don’t need one every year.
- Eye exam–as we age our eyes do get tired, and we may need reading glasses or develop cataracts.
- I’m sure there are other exams that some of us do such as dental exams and checking cholesterol.
As women of a certain age, we have to remember that it is all about us. All of us want to live long lives, but we also want to be in the best health possible.
Remember “thisisyourbestyear”–schedule your yearly health appointments just like you schedule that nail appointment.