Non medical medical advice.

JohnnyCrash

Hi guys,am running my first marathon this year,DCM.Hoping for 3.45 or a little less.To appease her good self,I have to take a medical. What im wondering is this:- would I be better off going to a doc that runs rather than one who does'nt? ie would I get a more thorough going over,or does it really matter? Cheers in advance

pansophelia

JohnnyCrash wrote: »

Hi guys,am running my first marathon this year,DCM.Hoping for 3.45 or a little less.To appease her good self,I have to take a medical. What im wondering is this:- would I be better off going to a doc that runs rather than one who does'nt? ie would I get a more thorough going over,or does it really matter? Cheers in advance

First of all, do you have a regular GP? If you do, and if you're happy with them, then I would go there for the medical - it's useful to see someone regularly who is aware of all your medical history.
If you don't, then it might be of some small advantage to go to a doc that runs, 'might' and 'small' being the operative words.
The most important part of the medical will probably be an ECG, as very very rarely, this can show up an underlying heart condition that would preclude intensive training.
People are advised to get medicals before they start training for a marathon, and while this can be useful, to me it's probably more important to look after yourself well during your training - taking care of niggles, seeing physio if you need to, not running if you're sick/injured, and going to the doc if you're feeling particularly run down.
And the above is only my opinion, I'm sure others will disagree!

JohnnyCrash

Cheers form the reply.To answer your question,no,I dont have a GP,as i dont have a medical history,touch wood. Plus, im currently@ 30-35 miles pw as a base. Training in earnest starts Sunday:D

gerard65

If you feel inclined you can make an appointment with a private clinic like the Beacon, etc. a friend of mine got a voucher for his 40th birthday for the Beacon and was very happy with checkup. they did a full MOT and advised him on some lifestyle changes. The full thing took a morning and they had the blood tests back within a couple of hours. But it costs, I think it was around €400, but if your OH insists she can pay:P

huskerdu

JohnnyCrash wrote: »

Cheers form the reply.To answer your question,no,I dont have a GP,as i dont have a medical history,touch wood. Plus, im currently@ 30-35 miles pw as a base. Training in earnest starts Sunday:D

Then, I would advise that you ask friends, neighbours and work colleagues for a recommendation for a local GP. I dont think you need one that runs, but I would go for one that is <=50, has a reputation as a good communicator who treats patients as equals. A good GP will do all the tests you need, or book them for you. This is much better value than the Beacon clinic, where you will pay private consultant rates for stuff that the GP can do, and pay for blood tests that a GP can get done in a public hospital for free.

dahat

Running aside i find it hard that you don't see a GP for yearly checks at least.
These checks can highlight any issues before they are too late to correct....

p.s.......my dad went 35 years without seeing a GP,next time he saw one was after triple bypass and pacemaker!!!