How to Schedule Doctor Visits

Have you had a physical in the past decade? When was the last time you got your cholesterol checked? It's easy to miss these important tests, especially if you rely on your overworked doctor to remember to order them for you. Before you make an appointment, call your insurance company: Some offer free or low-cost mammograms, cholesterol tests and eye exams.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Schedule a physical yearly for men and women.
2. After the age of three, you should schedule a dental appointment twice a year/every six months.
3. If you have prescription eye glasses or eye problems, you should get used to seeing your ophthalmologist or optometrist once every two years to check for glaucoma, tumors or the brain and optic nerve, cataracts and retinal degeneration. If you're extremely nearsighted or over 65, you should go annually. If you have no symptoms, you should go every three to five years to be safe.
4. Starting at age 20, women should get a clinical breast exam each year and administer monthly self-exams. Get your first baseline mammogram between 35 and 40. Between 40 and 50, get a mammogram every other year; after 50, get one yearly.
5. For men, get an annual prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood-test screenings after age 50, or annually after 40 if you have risk factors like family history or being African-American.
6. If you're over 50, get screened for colon cancer annually. If you have a history of inflammatory bowel disease, get tested more often. If you have a parent or sibling who had colorectal cancer or polyps before age 60, get tested 10 years before the age they were diagnosed. If you have had polyps at any age, start getting screened in your 40s. If you are at high risk, consider getting a colonoscopy first.
7. Women should start gynecological exams at age 18. Get a yearly pelvic exam with Papsmear (test for cervical cancer). Start younger if you are sexually active. If you have a history of abnormal Papsmears, ask for the new Hybrid II DNA test for chlamydia, a sometimes asymptomatic sexually transmitted disease that can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility.
8. Men and women should get a lipoprotein analysis every five years beginning at age 20. This test checks your total cholesterol.
9. Between ages 20 and 39, men and women should have a complete body exam every three years for skin cancer. Get an annual exam with a digital imaging screening if you have: A family history of skin cancer; many moles; fair skin; red or blond hair or freckles; had excessive sun exposure as a child or teenager; or if you are over 40. Do monthly self-exams to check for freckles, moles and suspicious lesions.

Tips & Warnings

• Follow your pediatrician's guidelines for your child's vaccinations and checkups.v
• Be prepared to supply up-to-date insurance information. Add a photocopy of the health care cards of all family members to your personal calendar so that you have the required reference information on hand when making appointments. See 289 Organize Medical Records.
• Bring a list of questions for the doctor. Once in the examining room, it's easy to forget them. Then write down the answers to your questions.
• This chart is only a guide. Talk to your doctor about your choices.