advert in telegraph today. health screening for stroke prevention. £139 for four tests, help prevent stroke, blood clots aneurysms. .
does any body have any information about this
|
|
Yes - Your GP will do it for nothing if you ask nicely !
|
|
amazing .might try that , not seen a doctor for some years
|
|
Out of curiosity, what are the tests? The only one that might justify a charge is an ECG, although even that is probably available for free at your GP if you harp on about SADS enough.
|
|
I had BP, cholesterol, ECG, blood sugar, LFT, - all ok and free, the only one I had to hint at was the ECG...(had what I assumed were muscular chest pains - I was right)
|
Possibly similar to this lot: www.lifelinescreening.co.uk/
They do a 'Vascular, Heart Rhythm, Osteoporosis with Heart Disease Risk Assessment' for £199 which includes 'stroke risk screening' (one of 8 tests):
"This screening uses ultrasound to look inside your carotid arteries for buildup of fatty plaque. Excess plaque build in your carotid arteries can restrict the flow of blood to your brain and cause a stroke."
|
|
yes thats it. the advert didnt mention looking at the web site . advert say 4 screens for £139. going to study it now
|
10 minutes ,£139.
still think of the money you spend on looking after the car, and it seems silly not to check yourself out
|
|
ive noticed those lung cancer adverts just lately,I dont remember anything like them in the past..could it have anything to do with the nuclear leak in japan?
|
Waste of money.
As is an ECG if you have no symptoms (often a waste of time even if you do have symptoms - 90% of patients with angina have normal ECGs assuming they've never had a heart attack).
Similar schemes were the full body CT scans - great for finding all sorts of useless little anomalies that give you plenty to worry about but mean nothing.
Even better is the XRay dose for a full body CT is about the same as 1000 chest xrays
Wiki suggests: "it can be estimated that the radiation exposure from a full body scan is the same as standing 2.4 km away from the World War II atomic bomb blasts in Japan"
Before you do any test in medicine, the doctor and patient should be thinking "What will I do with the result?"
|
Look ... if ya wanna be fit n’ strong (like moi), save ya mone£ and do this 9 minute cardio workout ~
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir0jp-MU42o&feature=pyv&ad=7237559407&kw=fitness
Warning! don’t attempt this if age over 18.
|
"As is an ECG if you have no symptoms (often a waste of time even if you do have symptoms - 90% of patients with angina have normal ECGs assuming they've never had a heart attack)."
Many people have Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and do not know it, yet live with it quite happily. However, AF increases the risk of Stroke as blood is not pumped out of the Atria as efficiently leading to increased risk of clots. In this case, an ECG would be beneficial.
|
An irregular pulse is easily diagnosed by checking your pulse.
To accurately diagnose an irregular pulse as AF will require an ECG - many people have intermittent skipped beats (ectopics) that can mimic AF but do not have the same risk of stroke as true AF.
A common variant of AF (known as paroxysmal AF) exists where the pulse flips between normal and irregular - a 24 hour ECG is worthwhile sometimes if this is suspected, but a regular ECG is useless unless taken when the pulse is in the irregular phase.
|
>> Many people have Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and do not know it, yet live with it
>> quite happily. However, AF increases the risk of Stroke as blood is not pumped out
>> of the Atria as efficiently leading to increased risk of clots. In this case, an
>> ECG would be beneficial.
I have had fibrillation for many years.
Horrid feeling when it kicks in.
Happily, kept under control by Amiodorone.
Worse side-effect of this drug is possibly making one's skin sensitive to sunshine (severity depends on the individual)!
I could only stay out in the sun for 20 minutes or so before going red, so trips to the pool were limited in time.
Factor 60 helped a bit, but I guess excess of sunshine won't be a problem in the U.K.!
Last edited by: Roger on Mon 17 Oct 11 at 18:56
|
Amiodarone: does what it says on the tin for heart irregularities.
Does indeed sensitise the skin to sunlight.
Also needs monitoring for changes to thyroid function as it contains iodine.
Also very rarely can cause lung problems so don't ignore an annoying cough that won't go away or new shortness of breath.
Also can form microcrystals in your eyes making you prone to being dazzled at night by oncoming headlights - watch out for that (driving connection...).
And I think when the thyroid is being checked it's worth a check of the liver function.
I hate the stuff but it does work well!
Last edited by: Lygonos on Mon 17 Oct 11 at 19:00
|
You've got me worried.
I've had AF for years, I now realise. It's only recently been diagnosed. I'm on 25mg Atenolol.
|
|
Re heart functioning, isn't an exercise ECG useful to see the performance of valves etc? Such things as leakage, timing etc might be silent on the standard supine test. IIRC.
|
Exercise ECG (continually monitoring an ECG while you increasingly exercise on a treadmill) is a test that can support a presumptive diagnosis of angina.
"Doc, when I'm on the flat I'm ok but going up that steep hill I feel tight across the chest and need to stop" for example.
A 'positive' exercise ECG suggests angina due to blocked coronary arteries, a 'negative' test makes this less likely.
Like all medical tests it is not 100% accurate, however, but the 'gold standard' test for blocked coronary arteries is an angiogram - since this requires a fat dose of XRays, costs a fair bit of cash, and has about a 1-in-500 chance of causing a stroke or heart attack, it's usually reserved for the most convincing cases or where it is likely that opening up the arteries will be of benefit.
For valve function, the usual test is an Echocardiogram - ultrasound is used to visualise the structure of the heart and valves, and the flow of blood can be estimated to see if any of the valves leak, or if a 'hole' in the heart is present.
|
|
Ah - I'd forgotten the echocardiogram, even though I've recently had one. Angiogram 10 years ago. All clear, as well as the recent carotid doppler and the CT scan!. A minor scare in July, but the NHS were very thorough. NFA, I'm pleased to say. Very useful to have someone like Lygonos putting things into perspective!
Last edited by: NortonES2 on Mon 17 Oct 11 at 22:11
|
bathtub Tom - the risk associated with AF depends upon other factors such as age, blood pressure, valve problems, etc.
The risk of stroke is then usually reduced with either aspirin (if it is fairly low) or warfarin (if it is fairly high).
Atenolol and other drugs are used to control the rate of the heartbeat rather than the irregular rhythm, to improve symptoms. Sometimes shocking the heart can 'cure' the AF but unless you're a young (under 65ish) chap otherwise in good health it often fails, or quickly reverts back to AF - if you have a pulse that is sometimes irregular and sometimes normal (paroxysmal AF) shocking is pointless.
Some drugs can be useful for keeping AF at bay but they require expert (cardiologist) advice usually.
Last edited by: Lygonos on Mon 17 Oct 11 at 21:20
|
I was diagnosed after dropping into A & E 'the next time it happens', as advised by my GP.
I'd taken a Wilbur Smith with me, but didn't get to the end of the first page before I was whipped off and put on monitors - I suppose a sixty year old turning up like I does generate a rapid response. In overnight, seen by a consultant and used as a perfect example of AF to a group of students before being sent on my way.
Yes I'm on 75mg aspirin.
SWMBO was recently diagnosed as having raised blood pressure, so bought a monitor from LIDL. It's been used by all friends and family almost like a party game. She was particularly peeved when I recorded 100 over 60.
|
>>.......bought a monitor from LIDL...
>>
I bought a reasonably priced monitor that uses the familiar cuff and had it checked for accuracy against one of the dial type monitors at my local surgery.
Home monitors should avoid or lessen white coat syndrome.
SWMBO suffers pain when the cuff is inflated. I bought a high tech Omron wrist monitor ( similar to this for half price) to avoid this pain problem.
www.amazon.co.uk/Omron-R7-Wrist-Pressure-Monitor/dp/B00294Q0WC/ref=sr_1_30?ie=UTF8&qid=1318892328&sr=8-30
In spite of initial suspicion from our docs it has proved to be very accurate. It is much smaller in a hard plastic box so good for travel.
It is very clever in that you have to position your monitored wrist in a very specific position against your chest for it to work. I have not used the link to PC facility.
|
Can I just offer a big thanks to Lygonos for the professional input to this thread.
|
|
Absolutely - beauty of this place is the diversity of expertise !
|
>> Can I just offer a big thanks to Lygonos for the professional input to this
>> thread.
+1 here!
|
+2!
When fast AF kicks in, I'm told it can feel quite nasty. Not as nasty though as a case of SVT (supra ventricular tachycardia) that we attended. In A&E they administered adenosine, a drug that briefly blocks the atrial node - effectively stopping the heart. The atrial node then kicks in, hopefully at a sinus rhythm. Patients report a feeling of imminent doom when this happens.
|
Lygonos, you mentioned earlier that ectopics can mimic AF. Is this right? I thought AF had no obvious P wave on the ECG as it's hidden within the fibrillation. A rhythm strip with ectopics would look like a sinus rhythm with the exception of the ectopic, whether it be irregular, bigeminy, trigeminy etc.
I am prepared to stand corrected of course. I'm only learning about arrythmias so have probably got it wrong!
|
>> you mentioned earlier that ectopics can mimic AF
I was referring to checking the pulse rather than an ECG.
Classically AF is described as "irregularly irregular" meaning the pulses are entirely random.
Most other abnormal rhythms are "regularly irregular" - ie. a normal rhythm with extra or missed beats every so often.
I've felt a few pulses thinking it was AF only to find that there were actually so many extra/skipped beats (ectopics) on a normal background rhythm.
An ECG differentiates (usually) as you say - AF should not have any 'p-waves' before each big spike.
Bottom line is:- if your pulse doesn't feel like the second hand of a watch ticking go and get it checked.
|
Ive found GPs somewhat useless at curing relatively simple ills, one has to presume on cost grounds because as my german doctor cousin told me, if ive been suffering in pain for over two years with something that should have been resolved within 6 months by any competant GP, then they clearly arent interested in the outcome - so trying for freebies seems a bit of a joke.
They are fantastically motivated to sell me drugs though...
|
|
IMO health screenings at around £200 are for the "Worried Well". That said, remember the saying, "Death is Nature's way of telling you to slow down a bit". Top tip from BBC Breakfast this morning; if you haven't seen your GP for some time you may get sent a letter from your local health authority/PCT asking if you are still attending. If you don't reply you may be taken off his/her list to save money and then be flummoxed when you turn up needing treatment!
|
IMO health screenings at around £200 are for the "Worried Well".
I agree Meldrew
Some people seem to think that if only they have enough screenings and checks they will live forever. 'Fraid it ain't so.
In fact since a lot of tests suffer from false positives you can end up with unnecessary worry and even drugs and surgery.
Best spend the £200 on a weekend break
|
>>Best spend the £200 on a weekend break
Oh you'll never get a Spa weekend eating seaweed and being 'colonically irrigated' twice daily for £200...
Otherwise +1 ;-)
|
Stu
Glad you know it's a problem that should be better within 6 months.
How do you plan to fix it?
I'd love to know how I can cure bad backs, which by definition are usually due to some degenerative anatomical changes, or poor lifestyle techniques, and are thus outside the sphere of 'curative' treatment.
Fortunately the vast majority of back problems are self-limiting so it doesn't matter if you see a GP/physio/osteopath/pharmacist/mentalist/phrenologist.
Not sure which GPs sell you drugs - happens to be against NHS rules to do that, or offer private treatment to your own patients that you could provide for free under NHS rules.
Maybe you should move to anywhere except England where prescriptions are free...
|
Nothing to do with my back, nor did I say it was.
|
You didn't specify - I just presumed it was related to your last 'medical' thread from 1 week ago:-
www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?t=8188
Believe it or don't, despite being around here and HJ since about 2007, I've not read every single thread you or anyone else has posted in that time.
EDIT:-
"From what my physio told me, there is permanant damage in both my lower back and neck which wont get better and all I can hope for is to slow the rate of wear and keep mobile.
Problem is my back doesnt seem to agree and work is fast becoming almost impossible, im already having trouble with stairs and my right arm is going numb"
Ummm, regarding the highlighted bit - I presume you've had an MRI scan, or at least seen an ortho/neuro surgeon....
Last edited by: Lygonos on Tue 18 Oct 11 at 21:35
|
Ive never posted about it.
All I know is that I took alot of pills ( which invariably made me ill in other ways ), which cost me a fair amount of money over an 18 month period across 3 different GPs. The 4th looked at my history and questioned why id not been tested for anything in anyway, to which I had no answer. Symptoms being the same I took the test and I was subsequently told id been treated for something I didnt have.
My cousin couldnt fathom why they didnt test first to confirm and said she could only assume they were more interested in prescribing than identifying. She said after 18 months of pain, any good GP should have realisedmuch sooner that they were on the wrong track or at the very least, confirmed their diagnosis with a simple test rather than plough on with yet more pills.
Im now about to try with a new GP at a new surgery, so hopefully he will take a fresh view.
|
50% of doctors are below average.
Fact.
|
|
On average, people have fewer than two legs.
|
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is King.
|
Comforting for everyone then :-)
On the plus side, the first GP I saw was let go, im told by someone who works there because he was universally disliked and ineffective. He dimissed my initial symptoms on his 3 minute conveyor belt of doom as I used to call it.
|
That is a sad fact Lygonos.Best to find out as much as you can yourself whatever is wrong with you.
I did with my illness and did scare myself .The surgeon who operated on me suggested first a keyhole operation.I dont' know if i changed his mind I'm not clever enough.But reading about my situtation a full open surgery was best for my survival.I asked the surgeon to do this.He did and I'm still here.Top surgeon and team who got me through the fun.
|
The standard of GP training is quite a lot higher than even 5 or 6 years ago where you had to be pretty ropey not to pass the 'registrar' year (3 years of hospital medicine followed by 1 year in general practice).
A higher level of examination "MRCGP - membership of the Royal College of general practice" was encouraged but not required.
Today (at least in Scotland) the criteria for entry into a GP career are tighter and a higher standard of ability is required - all new GPs must achieve membership level (nice fat earner for the College of course making a minimum of 2 grand per trainee...).
Although many GPs without the MRCGP qualification will be very good doctors, if you see one who does have that qualification as well as their standard MB,ChB or MB,BS degree they are unlikely to be in the bottom 25% of GP ability.
That's about as far as you can discriminate before actually speaking to the GP him/herself.
Some GP practices will also advise about special interests each partner has, eg. cardiology, women's health, etc. This will usually be found on their website or practice leaflet.
|
|
The posts concerning FoR's current doctor have been removed at his request, following his discovery he could be identified from the details he gave..
|
health screening - R.P.
