Visiting your primary care doctor on a regular basis for wellness checkups can help ensure optimal health and wellness. A wellness checkup is considered preventative care, which focuses on keeping you well while identifying potential health issues before they occur or before they progress into bigger problems. Wellness checkups are typically performed yearly and they are usually separate from doctor's office visits that are related to a specific injury or illness. Here are some things you can expect at your doctor's office the next time you visit them for your wellness checkup.
Personal And Family Histories And Physical Examination
Your doctor will talk to you about your personal and family histories to determine if you or a close family member has or had any chronic illnesses. These illnesses typically include diabetes, heart disease, cancer, stroke, and high blood pressure. A family history of these illnesses does not mean that you will get them too, however, in certain circumstances, they can raise your risk.
Your physician will also perform a physical examination where your vital signs such as your temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure will be assessed. They will also listen to your heart with a stethoscope and evaluate the quadrants of your abdomen with palpation and percussion techniques. Your throat, nose, ears, and eyes will also be examined and your skin will be assessed for any color changes and unusual lesions or moles.
Diagnostic Blood And Urine Testing
During your doctor's office visit for your wellness checkup, your physician may also have your blood drawn for a chemistry profile and complete blood count. A chemistry profile can assess your blood for high blood sugar levels which may indicate the presence of diabetes and abnormal liver enzymes which can indicate problems with your liver, pancreas, or gallbladder.
The complete blood count (CBC) evaluates your white blood cell count and red blood cell count. An elevated white blood cell count usually means that an infection is present and a low red blood cell count may mean that you have anemia. You will also be asked for a urine specimen so that your doctor can check it for infections, blood, glucose, and bacteria.
To help ensure optimal health and wellness, schedule regular wellness checkups at your doctor's office. Being proactive with your health can give you peace of mind knowing that any health problems that you may have will be identified and addressed while still in their early stages when they are most treatable.
Contact a local doctor's office to learn more.
Share26 June 2023
When my mother fell at home and broke her hip, we all thought that we were going to have no choice to put her in a nursing home when she got out of the hospital. My mother had always asked us kids to avoid putting her in any kind of home, but we didn’t know what else we could do. None of us were capable of giving her the kind of rehabilitation and care that she needed. Then her doctor suggested that we find out if her insurance covered in-home care. I didn’t even know that that was an option. I was pleased to discover that in-home care was covered by her plan. Now she gets great care from nurses and nurse assistants that come right to her in her home, where she wants to be. It’s a great option, and I’m so glad we have it.
