My most recent physical exam was very mild. It started with being weighed in all my clothes. Then I was taken to the x-ray room and given a chest x-ray with all my clothes on. She did check to see if I had any metal buttons or anything in my shirt pocket.
She then took me to the exam room and had me lay down on the exam table, told me to pull my shirt up and hooked up the leads for an EKG. She put all the pads on and did the EKG. Then she took all the pads off and told me I could pull my shirt down. She also took blood pressure, pulse, and temperature.
She asked me some questions about my health and gave me three words to remember for later on. Some history questions and then asked me to repeat the three words, which I did correctly. She then stood up and said the doctor will be in soon and left.
So in a couple of minutes the doctor came in and started looking in my ears, throat, eyes, feeling my glands. He then listened to my lungs and heart over my shirt.and also listened to my cartoid artery. He did not have me lay down and palpape my stomach to feel my liver and other internal organs. He did not check me for a hernia. Even though my PSA has been growing and it now at 6:0 he did not do a digital exam of my prostate.
I think this is only the second time in many years that I have not had to take my pants down for a hernia check and prostate check. He then talked about my EDG, my being over a year past the date for a colonoscopy, and because my PSA had risen about a ½ a point he wants me to go to a ulologist. So I left the office with an apppointment for a colonoscopy, with my heart doctor to examine the EKG as the doctor thought it was irregular.
He also sent meet to a dertmatologist for a full body skin exam, all this occurred in two weeks and I had a previous dental appointment during this two week also. I have been to all of them but the gastroenterologist (sp). I do have to go back to the Urologist for a special blood test, I believe it is called a 4K test. So this week I have the follow up blood test for my prostate and next week I have the full blown colonoscopy. Hopefully after the colonoscopy I will be through with this round of tests and can proceed with life for a while.
The last two years the actual physical exam is getting smaller and quicker but the tests he sends me for are increasing. He also made an appointment with my heart doctor to check my EKG. So it seems that the current state of physiclal exams expecially for older people is to refer patients to a whole realm of specialists for evaluation. I am hoping this current round is over next week and I can get back to normal. Time will tell. So they want to test me for skin cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer. In addition to that my primary doctor thinks something may be wrong with my heart and he wants the specialist to evaluate me. It seems like never ending string of tests. But I guess this is now new medicine works.