Originally Posted by
big john
I've not had a lot of luck with doctors. People on the forum always seem to swear by their doctors and I guess it's right to get checked out but I usually get told something like "you look good for your age" or one told me last year "well, you are 64". I wanted my heart checked out and the next thing was the insurance denied seeing a cardiologist. Months of that b.s. and I gave up as the symptoms subsided somewhat.
I guess I'm doing ok "for my age".
That sucks! It makes sense to get yourself checked out before there is a problem. Frankly, I think my doc OVER tests me.
Example: I am scheduled for an ultrasound of my carotid artery to see if I am more susceptible to strokes. Why? Because the doc asked if I had any family members who had had a stroke. My brother had, so the protocol is to order the test.
I told him that my brother was (1) morbidly obese (2) diabetic (3) got zero exercise and ate terribly and (4) was taking mega doses of vitamin K to improve his eyesight (it also causes blood clots), but even so, I guess it makes send to do the test.
Typically, you can get expanded testing if you present the right symptoms. If you want a colonoscopy, tell the doc you have seen blood in your stool (who hasn't at one time or another?), and almost all will order one. I suspect there are symptoms you can honestly present to your doc to trigger a better cardio workup.
You might want to consider a CT angiogram with contrast. Using groupons, you can get that for $150-$200. That will give you an indication of the status of your coronary arteries. I had one and it gave me some peace of mind.