The prospect of making an appointment with the doctor is not something many people look forward to doing. If you feel well overall, and consider yourself to be a healthy person, it’s easy to let yourself think you can go without seeing the doctor until you notice a change in your health or well-being. The frequency with which to see the doctor when you feel healthy is a question often debated by adults. For those of us who suffer from “white coat syndrome”, which refers to the anxiety that can be felt during doctor’s appointments, this is especially true. For many people, the anxiety felt during an appointment can be enough to cause a rapid rise in blood pressure.
There isn’t a hard and fast rule to follow on how often a senior who is overall healthy should visit the doctor, but at least one wellness visit or physical exam each year is essential.
A yearly checkup gives your doctor a chance to evaluate your needs and schedule routine health screenings, such as mammograms or colonoscopies. It also gives them a chance to order and review routine bloodwork. Cholesterol screening, vitamin deficiencies, and testing for diabetes are all common ones.
Your doctor will likely discuss an immunization schedule for you. This can include your yearly flu shot, but also things like the shingles or pneumonia vaccines.
And when you’re feeling great, an annual physical lets your doctor confirm that there’s nothing wrong with you. It also gives them the chance to identify any small issue that might exist before they have a chance to blossom into big problems.