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Women - how often do you go to the doctor for routine exams, etc?

I see my GYN / OB/GYN:

  • Routinely - every 6 months

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Routinely - once a year

    Votes: 4 66.7%
  • Randomly - as needed

    Votes: 1 16.7%
  • Other

    Votes: 1 16.7%

  • Total voters
    6

Aunt Spiker

Cheese
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Since my husband is officially retired from the military (finally) we had to shift insurance plans a bit.

So we were in someone's office today, filling out paper work, answering questions, etc. It came down to me to address my primary care doctors - so I have a general practitioner, but I didn't know who it was. The woman looked it up - and noticed I haven't gone to the Dr in a long time. At least 5 years. Then, she had to look up my OB/GYN to see if the referral was in place. It wasn't. So then there were more questions - and what it came down to is I had to figure out my GYN - not an OB/GYN. (Ob is Obstetrics = pregnancy).

I had to leave that line blank - no GYN for me. I don't go, ever. I don't engage in yearly poke-around exams. I don't see the point.

Needless to say - that woman gave me a hard time. Seriously, she criticized me like she was my mother. Why is it that big of a deal? If I have a problem, I got to the Dr. The last thing I did was deliver a baby and then have my tubes tied in 2006.

So that made me curious - how many women actually GO to their GYN *once a year* and get all that stuff done?
 
I haven't seen a doctor since 1991 when I had a hysterectomy and swore off the medical field. Should I break a leg or arm or such I'll get it set, if I'm in an accident, since I don't have a valid reason for a DNR and therefore cannot get one, I guess I'll have to live with whatever if I'm unable to speak. Being born dead, open heart surgery at three, hospitalized til four, and all the medical crap that goes with being that person through my teen years (one of the first children to have open heart surgery to a guinea pig throughout with tons of followup stuff even after no real medical need), I've just don't care anymore if I'm not perfectly fine. I'll deal with whatever til I die. No more docs, no more pills, no more needles, no more poking or inserting or anything, no more.

That said, it's not a choice I'd recommend to anyone else.
 
I have different dangly parts, but I can tell you when it is not pregnancy related, my wife never goes. Same for the mammograms--If I wanted my GD boobs put into a vise and flattened like pancakes I will go to the effing garage!" or some such excuse.
 
Since my husband is officially retired from the military (finally) we had to shift insurance plans a bit.

So we were in someone's office today, filling out paper work, answering questions, etc. It came down to me to address my primary care doctors - so I have a general practitioner, but I didn't know who it was. The woman looked it up - and noticed I haven't gone to the Dr in a long time. At least 5 years. Then, she had to look up my OB/GYN to see if the referral was in place. It wasn't. So then there were more questions - and what it came down to is I had to figure out my GYN - not an OB/GYN. (Ob is Obstetrics = pregnancy).

I had to leave that line blank - no GYN for me. I don't go, ever. I don't engage in yearly poke-around exams. I don't see the point.

Needless to say - that woman gave me a hard time. Seriously, she criticized me like she was my mother. Why is it that big of a deal? If I have a problem, I got to the Dr. The last thing I did was deliver a baby and then have my tubes tied in 2006.

So that made me curious - how many women actually GO to their GYN *once a year* and get all that stuff done?

I put routinely because I'm on birth control and have to get prescriptions for it annually. When I had the mirena I did skip a couple years. But it is covered by my insurance to get checked up annually so I do try to take advantage of that.

I do hate when any kind of doctor gives you a hard time for whatever reason, like you said a parent. It's really none of their business.
 
Not a woman, so I won't comment on the frequency at which I get regular checkups.

Just an anecdote.

My mother was one of those women who never went to the doctor unless she REALLY needed to.

About nine years ago one of the neighbor ladies began pestering my mom to go get a mammogram.

One of their close friends had recently died and I guess this woman began to feel her own mortality so she wanted my mom to feel her's too.

The pestering went on for a couple months til eventually my mom went and got a mammogram just to shut the woman up.

Turns out they found a lump.

The lump was cancerous and needed to be addressed.

So they sent my mom for some pre-op testing.

Turned out she also needed a triple bypass because her arteries were so clogged and her heart was functioning at such low capacity that it just wasn't strong enough for her to undergo the cancer surgery.

If my mom hadn't gone for the mammogram, essentially on little more than a whim, she'd be dead right now.

100% without doubt she'd be dead right now.

Now, that might not mean anything to you.

Not about my mom, of course, I don't expect complete strangers on the Internet to care about her.

But it might not mean anything to you that you could be in the same boat, right now.

A ticking time bomb just waiting to go off.

Maybe you're completely happy with the life you've led and are more than ready for it to end tomorrow.

Your husband is recently retired so I imagine your kids are probably already old enough that they don't, strictly speaking, NEED a mother.

And I know a lot of people look forward to retirement to do all the things they never had the time for, to see all the places they never got to see, during their working lives.

But maybe you're not like that, or maybe your financial situation doesn't afford you that luxury, and all you've got to look forward to is staring at the same four walls until the day you die.

I know a lot of military spouses look forward to their husband's/wife's eventual retirement. They finally have an opportunity to spend a little time with the man/woman they love, who has spent far too much time deployed away from home, especially these last few years.

Maybe that's not you.

Maybe death is preferable to spending one more day with that raging jackass.

Maybe your relationship with Jesus is such that you put you life fully in his hands and expect that if he wants you to live he'll see to it and if he doesn't there's nothing you can do to prolong your life.

But maybe you don't live in some gloomy, dejected fantasy world.

Maybe you've got kids who love you and who want you to stick around long enough to enjoy your grandchildren. Maybe your husband loves you and you love him as much as life itself and you're looking forward to your remaining years together. Maybe you've been able to scrimp and save and put a little something away toward your retirement and now's your chance to enjoy it. Maybe you love Jesus but realize that he wouldn't have invented doctors if he planned on being around to catch everyone from doing every damn fool thing that people do to hurt themselves and impair their health.

If you're in this last group, get your ass to the gynecologist and at least get a checkup once a year. Go to your primary care doctor every year to eighteen months and get your ticker checked out.

For the $40 worth of co-pays and the two hours you'll have to invest it'll be more than worth it.

I imagine y'all spend more than that keeping your automobile(s) in good working order.

Your body is a machine, just like your car, and it occasionally needs a little tune up and even less frequently needs some more extensive maintenance.
 
Well - leave it to me to forget there aren't many women on DP :D I should have left it more open to everyone who could speak for someone. :)

Soot, I hope things are going okay with you and yours.

Summerwind - I'm with you. Too many issues and such during all of my pregnancies, I got sick of it. I've had a lifetime worth of tests and checkups. My kids are healthy and I really don't care too much about myself - I did it all, already. I'm on a vacation.
 
Since my husband is officially retired from the military (finally) we had to shift insurance plans a bit.

So we were in someone's office today, filling out paper work, answering questions, etc. It came down to me to address my primary care doctors - so I have a general practitioner, but I didn't know who it was. The woman looked it up - and noticed I haven't gone to the Dr in a long time. At least 5 years. Then, she had to look up my OB/GYN to see if the referral was in place. It wasn't. So then there were more questions - and what it came down to is I had to figure out my GYN - not an OB/GYN. (Ob is Obstetrics = pregnancy).

I had to leave that line blank - no GYN for me. I don't go, ever. I don't engage in yearly poke-around exams. I don't see the point.

Needless to say - that woman gave me a hard time. Seriously, she criticized me like she was my mother. Why is it that big of a deal? If I have a problem, I got to the Dr. The last thing I did was deliver a baby and then have my tubes tied in 2006.

So that made me curious - how many women actually GO to their GYN *once a year* and get all that stuff done?

I have a complete physical once a year. Although I hate the exams, I see them as a good idea to perhaps catch any problems early and to prevent problems from developing.
 
Last time I went for a gyn exam was 8 years ago. The time before that, had been 19 years prior. I don't worry too much about it, unless I'm having a specific problem, and the reason I went last time, was because I was having mood swings, and thought it was likely due to hormone changes- and it was.

I went for a complete physical (minus the gyn exam) last summer, because I was feeling terrible- physically and emotionally. My vitamin D level was low, and I had been extremely emotionally stressed, so I started on a high dose D supplement, and all this other crap which she wanted to put me on, which I gradually whittled down to just the D. Don't take it personally that they get on your case about not going. They do the same to me, and I just smile and ignore it. It's my body, and I am acutely aware of changes in it. When something is off, I'll get it checked out. Otherwise, I'm not spending my time in the doctor's office.
 
Since my husband is officially retired from the military (finally) we had to shift insurance plans a bit.

So we were in someone's office today, filling out paper work, answering questions, etc. It came down to me to address my primary care doctors - so I have a general practitioner, but I didn't know who it was. The woman looked it up - and noticed I haven't gone to the Dr in a long time. At least 5 years. Then, she had to look up my OB/GYN to see if the referral was in place. It wasn't. So then there were more questions - and what it came down to is I had to figure out my GYN - not an OB/GYN. (Ob is Obstetrics = pregnancy).

I had to leave that line blank - no GYN for me. I don't go, ever. I don't engage in yearly poke-around exams. I don't see the point.

Needless to say - that woman gave me a hard time. Seriously, she criticized me like she was my mother. Why is it that big of a deal? If I have a problem, I got to the Dr. The last thing I did was deliver a baby and then have my tubes tied in 2006.

So that made me curious - how many women actually GO to their GYN *once a year* and get all that stuff done?

I've never had to maintain a schedule because I wind up doing it when I go in for something else. Routine STI testing, when I had my tubal consult, etc. I just do it then. My pap schedule is lax because I was vaccinated in my mid-teens.
 
I don't actually see a gynecologist. I have always had a yearly pap smear at my yearly physical though. So far I've had no reason to see an OB/GYN. No issues, and no pregnancies so far :)
 
Elizabeth Edwards should be a reminder why women shouldn't skip their exams. She had mamo's regularly since the age of 40.....except she skipped one year...the year that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. We have pretty good insurance so there's no reason for me to miss them....even though I HATE them!!
 
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