View Full Version : Year of No Doc
If only, I can stay well. I am making a committment to doing all I can to get in excellent health. I have quit taking statins and need to eat well,exercise and lose weight. I really don't want to go to the doc, have scrips written for my thyroid and bp meds for a year, so I am taking charge of my health!!! Thanks for listening to my announcement. We'll see how it works out. I'm about to turn 52 and friends of mine are so medicated, constipated, complicated and twisted this way and that by advice of the doc and need for ambien, zoloft, etc, etc. that I think the problems are breeding problems. Oh, will get my mammo in July and that's that!!!
Here, here! I have had a year (and then some) of no doctors because I have no health insurance...and I really have begun to take much better care of myself considering where I was starting from - I was smoking too much, drinking too much, and staying out too late. Starting in January, I began going to the gym and stopped going out almost entirely. I worked on changing my diet to extremely healthy food choices, and I also worked really hard on getting a consistent sleep schedule. I realize now I was chronically sleep-deprived due to stress about my mentally ill teenage daughter and I dealt with it by going out to the bars to alleviate the stress. I literally had several years in which I only got four to five hours of sleep a night.
I am 49 1/2 years old and doing so much better now because I am taking responsibility for myself; I simply can't afford in so many ways to let myself go anymore! So far I have been very healthy aside from a lot of aches and pains in my hips, pelvis and back due to some old, lingering injuries and my increased physical activity. Even with a lot of stretching, I really need to get to the chiropractor more often to keep me tweaked right but at $50 a visit I can only go if I am in agony!
So good for you for making the commitment to your health! Though as I am saying this, I am about to go on a rare night out to the blues jam at the bar because I really need some social contact! I will probably have one beer, but no more than two and belt out a few blues numbers :)
I haven't been to the doctor in 2-3 years (not necessarily trying to make a statement--just lost track of the time and have had no medical complaints. I'm 59.. take no meds). Peace Pilgrim used to say how once she just let go of a lot of stuff, mentally, emotionally, and materially, she just started feeling well. She ate right, she definitely got exercise (walking from coast to coast), and she just had no dis-ease.
Well, Good for you!! I just hope that the fickle finger of fate doesn't get you - when it comes to health it is usually all about time......None of us are immune to health problems regardless of our lifestyle but I congratulate you on trying to take charge of your health.
Peace
iris lily
6-10-11, 12:30am
If you go to the dr he will find something wrong, guaranteed. Stay away.
If you go to the dr he will find something wrong, guaranteed. Stay away.
I'm with Iris Lily on this one. I avoid doctors whenever possible. I try to eat right, exercise (including stretching) regularly, get enough sleep, eliminate stress, drink lots of water, and take a good multivitamin. I go to the ER when I break bones or need stitches (about once every decade; the last time was in 2006 after my dog bit me, had I known they wouldn't stitch it up, I would have stayed home) or to the doctor when my body tells me soemthing is wrong. Last time I went to the doctor (2009) I told her I had Lyme disease. She told me I didn't, but agreed to order the appropriate bloodwork. Guess what? I had Lyme disease. She was shocked.
Doctors aren't gods. They are just regular people who have been trained to take a bunch of disparate information and guess at which puzzle pieces are out of place. I find that sometimes they are lucky guessers and sometimes they are not. I find that oftentimes doctors don't like me because I ask a lot of questions, I am well informed, and I will question their opinions (and, yes, I do believe that generally a diagnosis is better labeled an opinion than a fact as there is too much about the human body that we still don't understand).
So I fully support anyone who wants to try to improve their lifestyle so that they can avoid going to the doctor!!!
poetry_writer
6-10-11, 12:52pm
Well, Good for you!! I just hope that the fickle finger of fate doesn't get you - when it comes to health it is usually all about time......None of us are immune to health problems regardless of our lifestyle but I congratulate you on trying to take charge of your health.
Peace
An older gentleman I used to work with said "Somethings gotta carry you out of here". Very true, if you live long enough something going to go wrong with the ole bod. I have no insurance and have to use the ER for my care which makes me very much want to remain healthy as I can. Working on improving my eating habits and more exercise.
I have the free insurance provided by my job which they fondly call the "road kill" policy, way high deductible, no co-pays, etc. If something goes tragically wrong, I have insurance. I am going to do some looking around for free wellness websites,etc.
screamingflea
6-11-11, 1:24pm
I generally refuse to see doctors for some of the reasons listed above. I broke down the other day after a host of flu-like symptoms leveled me for almost two weeks. I'm glad I did! I had been up coughing all night every night for this time and it was becoming a vicious cycle preventing me from recovering. One codeine cough syrup prescription, and viola! I'm up and about again after 48 hours.
I admire your dedication to keeping yourself well - it would be a far better world if we all felt that way. Just please don't shoot yourself in the foot with it. Some situations really do require professional help and maintenance, and toughing it out may do you more harm than good.
I believe most people are their own worst enemies when it comes to their health. It is sad to see the ppoor physical state that so many people are in and mostly due to their own choices. I can't say how many doctors I saw for a particular problem a few years back with absolutely no relief - just endless diagnostic tests and run-around. I don't want to play that game anymore. I won't go to a doctor again unless it is a true emergency. Glad to hear you realize you have a lot of control in the state of your health
I was sick most of last year and have seen enough doctors to last me a long, long time. I think what has helped me more than anything is retiring. The long commute, the stressful job, lack of rest were doing me in. Now that I am home, I get enough rest, we eat very well, and have time to read, quilt, and do the pleasant daily stuff. I hope to take a year off from doctors too!!
HappyHiker
6-13-11, 12:21pm
Count me in--I'm on board with you other doctor-avoiders.
For a long time, I've believed and read about managing your own health with diet, exercise and meditation. Seems pretty convincing that most of our major diseases (diabetes many cancers, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity) are caused/greatly influenced by our affluuent Western diet of high fat, sugar and white carbs...and chronic stress.
Hippocrates said it best: "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food." So far, it's worked well for me...but it sure can be a mine field to eat well and avoid all the junky foods being thrown in our faces through constant advertising and marketing.
A couple of days after I decided to do this my dsil with whom I am very close and the same age as me, was diagnosed with colon cancer. Guess I will add the dreaded colonoscopy (I am almost 52) to the list along with mammo, that and possibly flu shot, no other doc stuff!!! Flu shot I can get at work from district nurses in the fall.
Wow, y'all are going to the wrong practitioners! I love my PCP - she's a Physician's Assistant, and I consult her when I need help around a very specific issue. She's awesome, and knows my desire to avoid medications. I rely on her, and really like & trust her. She tells me when something is under my control in terms of lifestyle changes, when intervention might be appropriate, and what the range of options are. Then I decide, and she respects my decisions.
I have a friend who is post menopausal, and decided to skip her PAP's, and not go in for 3 years. Then she started bleeding again, and thought it was normal. Nope. Uterine cancer - hopefully containable, but after 3 years, it could be very very bad. I was shocked that she chose to forgo routine check-ups AND ignored bleeding post-menopause!
Practitioners are usually consulted for a reason, hence they often find "something wrong" with one. Being an optimist, I prefer to see this as them doing their jobs, and finding something correctable rather than wrong. We're not cars, where parts wear out & are replaced!
I hope that if you're unhappy with your PCP relationship, you can find a better one... it's really worth it.
A couple of days after I decided to do this my dsil with whom I am very close and the same age as me, was diagnosed with colon cancer. Guess I will add the dreaded colonoscopy (I am almost 52) to the list along with mammo, that and possibly flu shot, no other doc stuff!!! Flu shot I can get at work from district nurses in the fall.
Oh, I am so sorry to hear about your sil/friend... I hope she can move through treatment successfully.
Wildflower
6-13-11, 10:13pm
I have a friend who is post menopausal, and decided to skip her PAP's, and not go in for 3 years. Then she started bleeding again, and thought it was normal. Nope. Uterine cancer - hopefully containable, but after 3 years, it could be very very bad.
The medical guidelines now are that PAPs are done only every 3 years after the age of 50, so chances are your friend wouldn't have had a PAP anyway, even if she had gone to the doc's in that time period. Of course, if someone is having bleeding or previous abnormal PAPs it will be checked more often than that.
Redfox, I hope your friend has a good outcome.
I generally refuse to see doctors for some of the reasons listed above. I broke down the other day after a host of flu-like symptoms leveled me for almost two weeks. I'm glad I did! I had been up coughing all night every night for this time and it was becoming a vicious cycle preventing me from recovering. One codeine cough syrup prescription, and viola! I'm up and about again after 48 hours.
I admire your dedication to keeping yourself well - it would be a far better world if we all felt that way. Just please don't shoot yourself in the foot with it. Some situations really do require professional help and maintenance, and toughing it out may do you more harm than good.
I'm with Flea. I'm prone to really nasty sinus infections. I've tried several times to ride them out, but it does no good. I end up REALLY sick. I'm extremely allergic to penicillin, which really reduces the number of antibiotics I can take. I don't want to end up being resistant to the antibiotics, so I only go to the doctor when I'm really sick. I did that last summer, and I ended up being out of choir for a MONTH (I even had a few people who didn't know I was sick asking if I'd been kicked out of choir!). Never again. I do use the neti pot at the first sign of something, which my doctor approves of. I know some people have issues with their sense of smell from constant use, so I've backed off some on use when I'm not sick.
flowerseverywhere
6-14-11, 8:40am
I would make sure to have my BP taken catwoman since you are on meds. I generally go every six months to have cholesterol and BP checked due to crappy family history, then once or twice a year due to poison IVY everywhere, an occasional x-ray through the years, or some type of infection but I also try to stay away from the MD.
Wildflower, I was shocked that pap smears are no longer yearly, sure enough, it is every two to three years. Who knew?
I find the mammogram guidelines more controversial - I am not sure exactly what is the right thing to do. since I have no family history of either I have to consider going by the lower guidelines.
I will say that every person has to make sure they know their own health risks. for example, DH goes every six months for a complete skin check due to a bout with Melanoma, which can quickly kill you if not detected. My friend that has a sister with breast cancer does the yearly mammogram thing, which seems very prudent.
I don't think that anything is better than eating right, exercise and a good mental attitude for your health but sometimes cancer and other problems can affect the most healthy of us. I do love my doctor and GYN, but it took me a while to find them. If you don't like your MD I agree with Redfox that you should shop around, sometimes a NP or PA in the office can be your ticket.
I am one of the few women I know that is not on hormone replacement, cholesterol, BP or anti-depressants and I am doing just fine, but I do take very good care of myself with a low fat vegetarian diet with lots of exercise.
Thanks for the replies everyone. Flowerseverywhere, I would love to be in your shoes re: the no-meds, good diet and plenty of exercise. That is my goal, but also have a crappy family history re: hypertension. I am, however, on the lowest dose of bp meds. Also, I have Hashimoto's disease, which I think is just actually low functioning thyroid, so have to have yearly blood work done. Once a year is my goal on that! Is it possible at the age of 52 to reverse all this bad stuff with exercise, good nutrition and weight loss?
My HMO recommends PAP's every 2 years post menopause, and more frequently if one has bad family history; I think recommendations vary depending upon one's insurance, sadly.
I'm also not on any meds except the every 8 months cortisone injection into my left knee to reduce arthritis pain. I've unfortunately been relying on good genetics; my food intake is overabundant, however organic it is! I'm overweight - working on that once again - and my exercise isn't stellar.
Catwoman (love your pic BTW - she is VERY cute!), I think it's always possible to make significant inroads into all sorts of medical probs with diet & exercise. The data is quite clear that even moderate exercise lowers all kinds of risks, from breast cancer to diabetes to heart disease. Perhaps one of these days, I'll go for a walk before work instead of jumping into internet-land...
flowerseverywhere
6-14-11, 1:34pm
Thanks for the replies everyone. Flowerseverywhere, I would love to be in your shoes re: the no-meds, good diet and plenty of exercise. That is my goal, but also have a crappy family history re: hypertension. I am, however, on the lowest dose of bp meds. Also, I have Hashimoto's disease, which I think is just actually low functioning thyroid, so have to have yearly blood work done. Once a year is my goal on that! Is it possible at the age of 52 to reverse all this bad stuff with exercise, good nutrition and weight loss?
Even if you can't reverse all your health problems I think most of us feel better eating right and getting the right exercise. In the beginning, it was really hard for me as I was in cubicleland for years and was grossly out of shape. I started with short walks and kept increasing my exercise slowly as the last thing I wanted to do was injure myself. My stamina took a while to increase but it is great now.
giving up meat was hard, out of habit more than anything, but I got books from the library and also saw a registered dietician for advice on how to correctly choose food. I never felt better on a high carb, low fat diet.
forgot to add that your library might have prevention magazine which is a very good resource, as well as nutrition books and great cook books and magazines to help. Good luck.
I did everything right (and still do) and still got sick. Sometimes you're just unlucky in the genetic lottery. I wish (unlike most on this thread) that I'd gone to my doctor earlier and been more insistent about my symptoms. I put up with a lot of pain for about 6 months prior to going to the doctor (and sporadic pain issues for about three years prior to that), and I only went then because I could no longer get my shoes on due to swelling. I now have permanent joint damage in my feet, knees, hips and neck which even my miracle meds can't reverse.
But other than twice-yearly compulsory trips to my specialist (no meds if I don't go), and occasional trips to my doctor for possible infections - side effect of my meds - I don't visit my doctors at all.
my dentist was itching to order a root canal. i suggested a round of antibiotic. tooth no longer hurts, at all. i will schedule a routine cleaning next spring, unless something else is needed.
i was diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis last year (with proper testing) and the urologist is hip on me considering Elmiron, which i have declined. my own spider sense suspects what i've dealt with is unresolved infection; when i take an antibiotic for any other issue (see tooth, above), ALL of my IC symptoms disappear...ALL of them, which the doctor dismisses. i have recently put myself on a 1/2 tsp of D-Mannose every day (or, every-other) and i feel about 80% improved already. if things continue to roll along this well, my visits with the uro will be few and far between.
other seeing my gastro doc (Crohn's...auto-immune, didn't ask for it!) and my neuro (hormonal migraines, again, didn't ask for) AND my gyno (i came equipped with a vagina), for yearly checks, i hope to be good to go, as far as staying healthy and away from the waiting room. :)
my local newspaper did a feature on an elderly couple who, despite the years, are fit and healthy. their personal mantra was to eat small amounts of really good food AND to avoid the doctor, relying on current issues of the Merck patient manual.
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