Get Your Shots and Book Your Screenings: A Fall Health Checklist
Today I would like to share my thoughts on vaccines and screenings that can help people over 40 avoid, or catch early, treatable illnesses. Look at this post as a fall health checklist.
Vaccines are an area of contention in the US today. Should you vaccinate your children or yourself, and if so, when? These questions plague parents and adults today in a way many of us never considered before.
My opinion on vaccinations pertains only to adults and seniors. If a simple jab from a needle prevents me from suffering from an illness, I am all for it. The thought of getting long COVID, complications from shingles, or a serious case of the flu is enough to encourage a visit to my local CVS. And with a history of cancer in my family, you can bet I will have mammograms and colonoscopies.
COVID
I know individuals personally who still suffer from long COVID years after they were ill. In fact, one individual is no longer able to fully do his job because of the aftereffects. Chronic fatigue and brain fog are two of the most common symptoms of long COVID.
Shingles
Shingles shots are another important vaccine to get when you are older. Shingles can lead to long-term problems, depending upon the severity of the case. In some people, a bout of shingles can result in something called “postherpetic neuralgia.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, postherpetic neuralgia “causes a burning pain in nerves and skin ... (and can) last long after the rash and blisters of shingles have gone away.”
To me, that is reason enough to get the two doses of the shots. Shingles shots can pack a punch for many people. My recommendation on scheduling your first and second doses of the vaccine is to get them on a Friday morning. This will give you an entire weekend to recover.
Also, remember to take Tylenol for pain (if you can) and feel free to take a normal over-the-counter (OTC) cold medicine for any fever and chills. Check with your doctor or pharmacist first if you are unsure what is safe for you.
For my first dose, I chose to gut it out and wrote a blog about just how miserable I felt. For the second dose, I took appropriate cold meds and was up and running in a day.
Preventative Health Care
I am glad that women are more comfortable talking about their health than women were in my mother’s generation. But women spend too much time worrying about other people and often neglect their own health. As a woman, I have experience putting off my own health to care for the health and well-being of others.
Preventative health care is very important for women. Detecting issues when they are small can lead to a long, happy, and healthy life. Many of these screenings start before 45, and your own doctor can tell you the right schedule for you, especially if cancer runs in your family.
Mammograms and Pap Smears
Beginning at age 40, you should plan to have a mammogram every two years. No excuses allowed! Today’s studies are efficient and speedy. Yes, it can be uncomfortable having your breast smooshed, but it doesn’t take long to get the information they need.
If you still have periods, schedule your mammogram for the week after your period ends. Breasts get tender during periods, and it can make the mammogram more painful than necessary.
If you need to sit down during your exam, ask for a chair. I went through a period when I was lightheaded, and they always had a chair for me. It’s a little more awkward to get the mammogram done, but you can still get good results.
Depending upon the density of your breast tissue, they may ask you to come back in for a second test. This allows a technician to take a second look to make sure there are no worrying lumps in the breast. Don’t immediately panic if this happens to you. It’s happened to me twice.
Every three years, you should visit your gynecologist for a Pap smear. This test will help screen you for cervical abnormalities that can lead to cancer.
Colonoscopy
After 45, you will start having colonoscopies every ten years. If you have any history of colon or related cancers, your physician may have you get checked every five years.
There are two types of tests that can check your colon. The more thorough version, and the one used for people with a history of cancer, is the colonoscopy. You take a bowel prep to clean out your gut. The doctor uses a small scope to look for polyps or lesions. I look at this experience as a fast from eating and a cleanse.
The second version uses a stool sample you take at home and send to a lab. We refer to this as “poop in a box.”
Colon cancer is one of the most common and deadly cancers. Because you may not have symptoms for years, the cancer can grow and spread undetected.
Stay Healthy!
Please, do yourself and your family a favor by following these recommendations. Fall is the perfect time for COVID and flu shots. Why not schedule your colonoscopy and mammogram at the same time so that you don’t forget?
Comments