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I was wondering is anyone else taking a closer look at their own health after being accepted into medical school. 
Closer look at Health
- Thread starter PHD_2007
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its always good to take care of yourself.
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Yup, this has finally given me to push I needed to get my fat a$$ off the couch. I got up at 6 AM and ran 3 miles this morning!
Also, I cut red meat out of my diet awhile ago, but I'm finally considering taking the last steps to vegetarianism.
Also, I cut red meat out of my diet awhile ago, but I'm finally considering taking the last steps to vegetarianism.
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I was wondering is anyone else taking a closer look at their own health after being accepted into medical school.
It does make me want to eat less trans fat so that I may practice longer as a physician. I attribute most of my health choices to my nutrition class though.
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isn't there a joke about how med students always think there's something wrong with them because they read the diseases they're studying and think it applies to them?
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I always take care of myself. I don't need med school to let me know all the things out there that are bad...that's what the news is for.
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I already do that a lot and I'm not even in medical school yet. I think I was just born like that, I've always been a little paranoid about any physical symptoms.
I don't even want to think about it getting worse during medical school.
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UT southwestern, eh? good school.I already do that a lot and I'm not even in medical school yet. I think I was just born like that, I've always been a little paranoid about any physical symptoms.
I don't even want to think about it getting worse during medical school.
what did you think about Dr Hillis's recitation yesterday? I don't know if I want to use the microphone so everyone can clearly hear me give the wrong answer
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The fact that he may call on me on a day when I don't know any of the answers scares the heck out of me.
Especially if he's going to give me the microphone so that I can announce to the class how much I didn't study. I'm also taking Histology with him so as you can imagine I can be called on practically 4 out of the 5 days of the school week. You would think this would be enough to scare the senioritis out of me and get me to study like I used to before, but all I'm thinking of right now is how nice it would be not to have to go to class
. Yeah, after getting the acceptance to SW I've just been floating in this heavenly place where I don't have to work so hard anymore... I'm saving my studying energy for when I start med school.
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I already do that a lot and I'm not even in medical school yet. I think I was just born like that, I've always been a little paranoid about any physical symptoms.
I don't even want to think about it getting worse during medical school.
I am the same way sometimes...probably because I don't like going to the doctor that much (our campus doctor is not the greatest in the world). I've always been concerned about health, though...I watch what I eat, exercise at least 4x/week, and avoid tobacco/alcohol. So I guess it won't take med school to get me to work on my health more.
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Yup, this has finally given me to push I needed to get my fat a$$ off the couch. I got up at 6 AM and ran 3 miles this morning!
Also, I cut red meat out of my diet awhile ago, but I'm finally considering taking the last steps to vegetarianism.
whoa whoa whoa. let's not get carried away now.
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I'm almost afraid to admit this to a bunch of would-be and will-be physicians, but I haven't been to see the doctor since 1995, and that was only for a mandatory physical before I could participate in a program abroad. I'm a man (so no yearly exams "down there"), very health conscious (diet, sleep, exercise, balanced life) and very attentive to my own body. Until I become old enough to need regular exams for prostate cancer and the like, I'm content going to a doctor only if I feel like there is something wrong. When I did go in 1995 the doctor merely touched my balls and asked me all the questions that I ask myself anyway, then said, "Sounds good; keep up the good work." What's the point?
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What's your cholesterol levels like? Blood pressure? Do you examine your testicles for testicular cancer (you're probably near the prime age group)? There are dozens more questions.
Ah, sweet bird of youth.... You don't need to get an annual physical like you will when you get older (which will happen sooner than you think), but at least going once every couple of years is a good idea.
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Don't need med school for that, just try WebMD.
The Internet is the most satisfying thing ever to happen to hypochondriacs....
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As cynical as I am, I still suffered from this:
- thought I was wheezing during our pulm unit (I wasn't)
- developed an enlarged lymph node during heme
- worried about my urine output during renal
- chronic headache all through neuro
and easily the worst:
- daily diarrhea during GI
Topic specific hypochondria. Gotta love it.
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As cynical as I am, I still suffered from this:
- thought I was wheezing during our pulm unit (I wasn't)
- developed an enlarged lymph node during heme
- worried about my urine output during renal
- chronic headache all through neuro
and easily the worst:
- daily diarrhea during GI
Topic specific hypochondria. Gotta love it.
I can relate to this post, I'm ashamed to admit. The funny part is how I immediately jump to the worst of conclusions instead of the least worrying...
For example, if I experience thirst and the urge to go the bathroom more than usual, instead of shrugging it off as nothing serious, it goes something like "OMG, I HAVE DIABETES!!".
I'm going to have to learn to control that...
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I had blood tests done last year and had almost mythically good results. These included an HIV test, though I've never practiced unprotected sex with anyone who didn't have both a one-month and a six-month clean bill of health. I do get general blood tests done every couple of years, and the results have so far always been stellar. That is largely good luck, of course, but is also partly thanks to the fact that I am very attentive to and proactive about my health. I also do explore my testicles regularly, occasionally looking for cancer.
I realize that all of this good health and good fortune could change in a moment, but I am attentive for warning signs. NOTHING that doctors have ever done during a physical exam could have found anything that wouldn't have given me some warning signs. The fact is, they always ask about warning signs, so my plan is to go see a doctor once I get a sign to talk about. That way I don't simply sit there saying "no problems there, doctor. None there, either. All good there. Nothing new there. Thanks, and here's your $150."
I don't consider my position obviously correct or unassailable, so I welcome your criticisms and those of anyone else who might convince me that I'm overlooking something.
I should clarify that I'm older than you have imagined: 35.
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Ever hear the Clarence Darrow quote about anyone representing themselves has got a fool for a lawyer? Even doctors have primary care physicians that they see. And doctors will know what to look for far better than you (who I presume to be a non-physician) would. You may recognize symptoms that you can dismiss, but you won't know the significance of certain combinations of symptoms.
Wow, then you should definitely be going in for you check up. And annually might be erring on the side of caution, but if you're 35 now and haven't had one since you're 24, I think that's foolish. I'm in my thirties as well, and this decade is notable in that it's the age at which friends start to get life-threatening health problems.
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Not to argue the same point over and over, but...
I don't find the Clarence Darrow allusion compelling because we're not talking about expert investigation into an acknowledged problem. That doesn't happen until a symptom presents itself and is reported. Combinations of symptoms are not yet pertinent because there is not even a single symptom yet to address. What are we asked typically in a physical? Any new aches and pains? Any difference in your recovery time after exercise? Any sleep problems? Any problems eating? Any reduction in this or that ability? Any increase in this or that malady? In other words, has anything changed since the last time that I saw you? If you can't say "yes" to that, then they don't go any further investigating. Thus, only when I experience some change, however minimal, do I feel the need to go to my doctor so that I can report it. I do get blood tests and blood pressure checked, and I do check my own testicles for anomalies. What more would a doctor find if I don't have anything to report to him? (I say "him" because my doctor is actually a man.) I might add that even my doctor has sanctioned this behavior as long as I promise not to hesitate to see him if some change in my status does occur. Do you think that ours is simply a legitimate difference in opinion, i.e. that neither of us is more correct than the other, or do you think that I am reckless and totally off base? How do other people feel about the matter? Again, I'm sincerely curious and eager to hear any criticism.
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As cynical as I am, I still suffered from this:
- thought I was wheezing during our pulm unit (I wasn't)
- developed an enlarged lymph node during heme
- worried about my urine output during renal
- chronic headache all through neuro
and easily the worst:
- daily diarrhea during GI
Topic specific hypochondria. Gotta love it.
During parasitology in micro I became entirely convinced I may have had West African Sleeping Sickness.
