Has anyone ever had a health assessment?

[Iced_diamond]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has ever had a health assessment? These are usually available privately and they cover a range of tests and check your overall health. I have been thinking about having one for some time now, but just wondered if they are really worth it? Also, if anybody ever has had one, do you get the results such as blood test results and heart test results etc straight away or do you have to wait? My only thinking is that if you don't get all the results when you're there, how can you have the chance to talk them through with the doctor or health care professional? Any feedback, greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[carmen2012]

Hi, I have been suffering from HA for a couple of years now & the list of ailments have been endless. Blood tests have all come back normal I had a mammogram for breast pain, went to ENT with a constant sore tongue but got the all clear. It's a nightmare because no matter what happens I still believe that I have something wrong at the moment it's daily diahorrea I saw a Colorectal consultant on Friday I'm now waiting for a CT scan.. My husband has been sympathetic but he want's to pay for me to have an overall health check with BUPA he seem's to think that it will put all my health concerns to rest, I'm not too sure & it's so expensive.. I am thinking about it at the moment though :)

[Iced_diamond]

Thank you Carmen. :) Well, I will be having a think about it. In any event, I hope that you will feel better soon. Best of luck. :)

[Loubelle87]

Because of my health anxiety I actually forked out £500+ for a 360 health assessment at Nuffield Health. They tested literally everything - blood tests, urine tests, cholesterol tests, blood sugar, stress test, ecg, physical exam, you name it. I was there for about 1/2 a day.

Everything came back normal.

However, this satisfied me for a couple of weeks and it was the best two weeks for years!!

BUT my symptoms soon came back and I was/am convinced they missed something or something has developed further.

So, depending on how bad your HA is depends on whether it's worth doing. I thought it would give me peace of mind but 6 months later I'm still suffering the same, if not worse, than before so do bear it in mind before forking out a lot of money and ask yourself whether you will be satisfied if you're told everything is normal. I don't regret doing it because I always think of it when I'm having a really bad episode but it hasn't really helped my anxiety as much as I had hoped. Lou xx

[Iced_diamond]

Hi Lou, thank you for your post. I am sorry to hear that the assessment did not help you as much as you hoped it might...I would like to think that knowing everything was ok, would make me lose my anxiety, but I can't be sure of that, as I usually end up obsessing about something else...Do you mind me asking how long it took for you to get the results and if you had the chance t discuss them with a doctor? Thanks a lot. :)

[TheGroundhog]

Lovely as it would be to get reasurance in this way it will never ever work for someone suffering from HA.

Whether it is an hour, a day or a week (or two) all the 'did they miss something?' 'did they do all/the right tests?' 'is this new sympton a sign that something has started since they tested me?' thoughts will start to crowd in and you will be exactly where you started but poorer.

There is no reason that you couldn't have a test on Tuesday, get the all clear and then a cancerous growth could start to grow on the Thursday, what if one of the tesst sparked one off? (Radiation etc) What if you picked up an infection from a blood test? What if you got food poisoning from something you ate while you were there?

See? Pointless. The hardest thing about HA is that our current state of heath is rather uncertain, is that bruise where you banged your leg or leukemia? Is that chest pain indegestion or a heart attack? Until you learn to accept this uncertainly you are screwed, because your body is in a constant state of flux, it is a living thing, you will ALWAYS have symptoms, you have to learn to live with that and them.

As a HA sufferer you have to learn to live WITHOUT reassurance, from ANYONE. It's the ony way.

Best of luck to you :)

[Iced_diamond]

Groundhog...I think you are a firm, but fair person. As much as I don't want to, I find myself thinking: That person is right...you sort of just described everything I worry about without even knowing me...thanks for the insight. Probably very true...:)

[Loubelle87]

Hiya

I got my test results back 2 weeks afterwards. I got a full report detailing everything. I didn't dicuss anything with the doctor as everything came back normal but I could have done if I wished.

But like I said, I am still suffering exactly the same and it hasn't changed anything. I do think of it and I re-read my results over and over to try and kick the HA but it never does and, like Groundhog said, how do I know something hasn't developed since those tests? How dO I know the tests haven't missed something?

I've also developed NEW symptoms since the tests which I am now worrying about because I didn't discuss them with the doctor obviously because I didn't have them at the time of my health assessment.

When I saw the doctor, I was with him for about an hour and I spoke to him about every concern but he knew I had anxiety so I wasn't overly convinced by what he said. This is the trouble with HA. You will move from one thing to another....my main problem is that I think I've a problem with my heart and I am convinced it's not anxiety but then other days I'll feel like I have a brain tumour.

It's a neverending cycle and I was convinced the health assessment would kick it for me but unfortunately it hasn't :( Lou xx

[matrix123]

I don't know if there's a standard "full health assesment". I did a check-up some months ago and it included full blood tests, urine test, abdominal ultra-sound, Chest X-ray, ECG, heart ultra-sound. On top of that I did some more tests (thyroid ultra-sound, heart holter monitor, etc). All came back normal, and the symptoms I had with heart, chest, etc are gone.

However the tests didn't include any neuro checks and now I have lots of neuro symptoms and as you can guess scared as hell it's something bad. I'm planning some neuro tests now, but I'm not sure if they will help...there are always more things to be tested...

[justina]

I have, and it was good for me.
I felt taken care of, the doctor explained everything he did and all the tests he did. Almost everything came back ok, a few things I had to repeat and the second time they were normal as well.

I felt much better for a long time after the health assessment.

[Iced_diamond]

Hi guys, and thank you all very much for your responses. From what you all say, I gather the reassuring results are only a comfort for a short time until something else comes along to worry about...I guess that's just how it is for us, huh? :weep: well, I certainly appreciate your comments and would urge you all to believe your encouraging results. Should I opt for one of these assessments I will post on here to detail how it went. All the best to you guys and thanks! :hugs: