Comprehensive health check up

Mocrie14

Am looking to get one of those very detailed medical check ups done. Have seen the Beacon Clinic in Dublin advertising - think it is called a 'Executive Medical'. Will obviously be going to my GP first but just wondering if anyone has any experiences of these or recomendations? Have also heard that the Blackrock Clinic offers a very good one. I'm 37yr old male by the way and so want to get thoroughly checked out for all the usual suspects and more. Am perfectly fit and healthy (I think!) but too many people around me are getting ill and I dont want to be next!



Thanks

dudara

Not really a PI as such, moved to Medicine & Biology

dudara

DrIndy

Depends on what you want to find or not find.

In fairness, going to a hospital is no benefit from chatting to your own GP and getting few routine blood tests and blood pressure check. Family history and what they show up dictates the next step as well as advice on changing any bad habits early.

All you will get at one of those fancy checkups is a visit to a hospital - the identical thing and be billed 3 times as much for it. Private hospitals are there to make money.

InFront

Yeah I'd be a bit cynical about those executive medicals. You'd probably be better off spending the money on a bike or putting it towards joining a gym, and just get a regular medical from your GP.

I think we have a terrible tendency to under-invest in our personal healths, not in terms of getting ourselves checked out per se, but investing in our fitness levels and general wellbeing through time spent exercising and moulding our diet. I think this can be especially true for men. Expensive medicals of questionable value aren't necessarily the right way to go towards a long, healthy lifestyle

Mocrie14

Thanks for your replies. The sort of things I'm looking to get checked are:

Heart
Colesteral
prostate
testicular cancer
moles
eyes
liver
kidneys
stomach
colon

That just about covers everything! Not sure a regular medical with my GP will be comprehsive enough but I suppose I could start there

funsize

I'm a 35yo male in a similar situation to Bazbu - I just want to know now what could be lurking in the future and catch it early.

I asked my GP for a full check-up. He did the usual: sent me for blood tests, took my blood pressure, tested reflexes, measured weight, looked into my ears and eyes.

I phoned him to check the blood results and got a not very satisfactory answer - "Don't worry, everything is normal". While that is obviously a good result, I wanted a lot more detail. I wanted advice on diet, lifestyle etc based on my results and of course my family history (heart disease).

I'm thinking about going to a private clinic for the "executive medical" mentioned above. Has anyone undergone one of these?

FS

Bison

funsize wrote:

I'm a 35yo male in a similar situation to Bazbu - I just want to know now what could be lurking in the future and catch it early.

I asked my GP for a full check-up. He did the usual: sent me for blood tests, took my blood pressure, tested reflexes, measured weight, looked into my ears and eyes.

I phoned him to check the blood results and got a not very satisfactory answer - "Don't worry, everything is normal". While that is obviously a good result, I wanted a lot more detail. I wanted advice on diet, lifestyle etc based on my results and of course my family history (heart disease).

I'm thinking about going to a private clinic for the "executive medical" mentioned above. Has anyone undergone one of these?

FS

I had one done in Blackrock a few years ago.
Tests were: eyes, hearing, weight, blood + urine, ECG, Chest Xray and a stool blood test that was posted out to me and involved some unpleasant toilet DIY... There was no mention of prostate or colon checks but probably because I am still young.

Didn't go into diet/lifestyle too much but I am fairly fit and eat well.. just some tutting over my beer consumption as like 90% of the Irish male population I drink more than my 2.5 pint credits on a night out. I'm sure they can go into more detail if you want.

My thoughts were it was worth the cash every few years and in between get GP + bloods done. It depends on your lifestyle though and if you have bad family genes etc so maybe get it more often if you are concerned about something.

Maybe all these tests are available from the GP? Any GP's out there confirm?

UrbanFox

In the absence of some specific symptoms requiring a particular investigation would normal bloods and a few extras like cholesterol and PSA and the like not be adequately sufficient once a year with a GP ?

I agree that you might be relieved of your money by some of these fancy establishments !!

The next area for exploitation - in the good and bad senses - seems to be the field of genetics. Can any of you please explain what, if anything, can be determined about your likely future medical status by DNA testing or the like. Does this actually reveal anything about potential medical nasties lurking in your future or is that another piece of tabloid type tripe ?