Biologically male procedures only. EDIT: If the two people who downvoted this question could explain their reasoning, I would be super interested. No judgements. This is a safe space!
Similar boat. Getting my snoring looked into. Got a sleep study done and now I’m having an ent do a scoping to see what’s actually vibrating and what can be done.
I tried Cpap and just could not tolerate it. I just got the Inspire surgery last month, which I think is the only other viable option in existence right now.
Mandibular advancement splint is another option.
This is a major one!
Sleeping is a third of your day. There’s a lot of health issues that result from bad sleep/snoring. and the worse is that you’ll never even know it.
My wife had a sleep specialist provide helpful strategies after her pregnancy and her back pain stopped.
Do you have any persistent pain or discomfort when doing things? Get that checked out.
Another +1 for colonoscopy.
Also if there’s a family history of anything nasty, see if there’s a test for it my maybe? (E.g. heart attacks, get blood work done for cholesterol).
Get a full physical including blood work.
Fun fact: for people over 45, colonoscopy screening for cancer is always free. If your insurance tries to make you pay for it, report them to your state insurance commissioner or the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight. ACA made a lot of preventative medicine & screenings free.
This is great, except in my case, where I have regional insurance that no one takes where I live. Everyone is out of network.
in my experience the first one was free. the followup a few months later wasn’t.
Yeah, it’s the screening that’s free. If that turns something up, then it transitions to “care.”
I’ve had the same experience with “wellness” check-ups: if I mention some complaint to the doc during the visit, it suddenly becomes “visit with complaint” and costs me $120.
This is the perfect opportunity to recreationally infect yourself with rare short term diseases. Try breaking your arm or nose you have a story. Self harm has never been so cheap.
Seriously though get checked for prostate cancer. Seriously, especially if you’re over 25 it’s very possible and catching it early will be a massive difference.
Same for everyone reading this. I doubt it’s that expensive so please look into it and get checked if affordable where you are.
Checking for prostate cancer is super easy now and doesn’t even require a finger in your bum. It’s a simple blood test that is far more accurate than the traditional manual method. I get one done every time I have a physical since they just add it on to the other stuff they check my blood for.
PSA sucks, it has both low sensitivity and low specificity.
-doesn’t even require a finger in your bum
Then what the heck am I paying these deductibles for?? >:(
I would talk to your doctor about it for your case specifically rather than advocating broadly for prostate cancer screenings.
Huh, I’m always happy to proven wrong. thank you for bringing this up.
Is this still relevant however with blood testing becoming more prevelant? The main reasons listed are due to harms caused by probing both physical and psychological along with false positives which out-weigh the positives of a 0.128% life saving outcome. It’s been 6, nearly 7 years now and prostate testing is both more accurate and non-invasive
Either way, this body is currently in the final research plan stage of updating the recommendation.
https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/draft-update-summary/prostate-cancer-screening-adults
I’d agree we should stand by the current assessment though until it changes. Thank you for the correctionThere are primarily 2 stool tests available today, one has significant false positives, the other doesn’t.
I forget the names, or I’d send you a link. It’s been about a year since I looked it up. I know my insurance uses the more accurate one, fortunately.
I have no clue, it’s just something I’ve read about a little. It’s definitely not my area of expertise, so take this with a grain of salt.
From what I understand, prostate cancer is usually very slow, and it’s possible to have a little spot of it for years that doesn’t affect you. For some people, the right answer to finding a prostate tumor is to just monitor it, but obviously, people freak out when they have cancer, and want treatment. Cancer treatments are all no joke, so it seems that you could sacrifice a lot to treat something that would have just chilled there not hurting you.
I have no clue about the blood tests. If it’s like a “yes or no” for prostate cancer, it might have that same disadvantage. If it tells the Dr something more like type of prostate cancer or growth, it’s a different story.
Not sure if your link is the same as I’ve read, but yes, the thing with prostate cancer is that treatment doesn’t seem to change the outcome.
This is most likely because it usually doesn’t develop until mid-50’s or later, and grows so slowly that it doesn’t have time to kill you.
I think the concern would be it occurring in younger ages, or it growing faster than typical.
So test and monitor is likely a good thing, treatment shouldn’t be a given, unless there are clear signs.
I was actually told by my doctor that unless you have a history of colon or prostate cancers in the family, advisory boards are pushing testing to past 40.
Yeah, as an early 30s AMAB having to go in for annual checkups for insurance, two different doctors told me there really isn’t shit to do for someone my age
Idk. When I worked oncology all our prostate patients were very young men way before 40.
But thats anecdotal. I don’t have any numbers. But whats the worst thing that can happen when you get a prostate check? That they don’t find anything?
I mean the downsides are basically cost, another stick/blood draw, potential for false positive and further anxiety/testing. No weigh-in on whether or not any individual should at any specific time, but even less-invasive screenings are not zero risk.
Excerpt from the US Preventative Task Force about prostate cancer screening:
“An elevated PSA level may be caused by prostate cancer but can also be caused by other conditions, including an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia) and inflammation of the prostate (prostatitis). Some men without prostate cancer may therefore have positive screening results (ie, “false-positive” results). Men with a positive PSA test result may undergo a transrectal ultrasound-guided core-needle biopsy of the prostate to diagnose prostate cancer.”
Do you snore? Get a sleep study and a CPAP - thats pricy! Need a colonoscopy? Gel shots in your knees? Any family histories that would warrant testing for cancer markers?
+1 for cpap. You might not like it at first but seriously try out different options. There’s different mask types. My wife’s blood pressure dropped to normal very quickly once she started using it. Mood and energy levels improved by a lot. Sleep is super important
Just had Inspire surgery. How do you think I hit my maxes lol! What I do think I have also is arthritis.
If you’re beginning to struggle with joints, get on the PT, MRI route while it’s free.
I was curious so I looked up the inspire website… this has got to be the best accidentally hilarious medical video I have ever seen:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BOnZjPD6n5Q
Who directed this monstrosity!?
I only made it to the 0:28 mark. That may have been the worst “acting” I have ever seen.
I’m curious, how did you find the surgery? Did it work well?
I’m still in the “ramp up” period, so I’m not getting the full effect yet. I am supposed to get accustomed to having my tongue muscle electrically stimulated to force me to stick my tongue out, to greater and greater intensities. It’s a very odd sensation at first. And it’s been rough going, not gonna lie. But I think with some timing adjustments it will do its thing. I have only heard good things from everyone else who has done it, so I’m honestly not concerned at this point. Also, I am a cyborg now, and I have my own remote control, so that’s freakin’ sweet!
Do you charge it with a magnetic charger like a Fitbit watch?
Nay. The battery is good for something like 15 years.
Tape worm weight loss, or if you are already at a healthy weight start roids for a couple months
Can I keep abusing stimulants while I do those?
…the stimulants should be helping with that though already.
Oh they are. I’m down 15 pounds since the end of last year.
Ah you’re doing alright dude! Keep at it, you’ll lose that other 25 no problem! Losing it too fast can be unhealthy too and all, and idk if science agrees but I find if I lose weight at a moderate pace in a healthy way it doesn’t come back as easy.
😂
Go to all the specialists! And if therapy is covered, indulge in that, too.
Therapy is covered, thank you for reminding me
I say blow your free healthcare on something frivolous and fun.
See if they’ll swap your left kidney with your right one.
Frivolous? Yes. Fun? 😬😬😬
The surgeon deserves a little fun too
A surgeon can have a little fun as a treat.
Physical therapy if you have any physical issues at all, massage therapy if you have any chronic pain, occupational therapy if you have specific life skills or mobility needs.
Any preventative screening or vaccines. There are various generic cancer screenings, etc. Get a referral to a dermatologist to do a once over your skin and document any spots of concern.
If you’re on any expensive meds, now’d be a good time to get them refilled. …and ‘my backpack got stolen!’ them and get them refilled again if that’s covered.
If you’ve got anything you think needs to be addressed with any urgency at all, skip the normal process and go to the ER to complain about your symptoms, especially if you’ve got ANY pain in your abdomen or tenderness in your lower back (which could mean kidney stones).
Infact, even if you don’t have pain, go in and tell them you feel nauseous after eating anything greasy or fatty, and you’ll get a free ultrasound of your gallbladder to see if there’s any stones in there. …don’t actually accept surgery to remove it unless there are stones that look like they’re for sure going to be problematic, cuz you WILL have symptoms once it’s gone (eating will make you feel like shit… your body should adjust eventually, but that’s not a guarantee, and it can take anywhere from a few months to years).
So, if they offer a scan or any diagnostic, do it. If they offer surgery, have a long think about whether it’s actually worth doing.
The ER idea is brilliant, especially because I just moved here and don’t have a PCP yet. Even better, I can hit up urgent care every day!
Yeah your biggest obstacle right now is going to be “our next available appointment is in 4 months”, so ER is the way passed that. It’s not super ethical, but neither is the way our healthcare system operates, so do what you gotta do.
When it comes to the American insurance industry, I think I am fresh out of “ethics.”
Not only refill your meds, but there are places where you can get 90 day prescriptions filled, so you can go into the new year with several months of pills already ready.
Get a Dietician and physical trainer. Use this opportunity to get yourself into healthy shape and never look back. I did something years ago and had no clue just how bad I was actually feeling before the improvement. Both physically and mentally. We are not designed to sit at desks all day.
Do your feet crack sometimes? Consider testing for athletes foot.
Blood, STD and Cancer screenings, as many as they’ll give you. Hell, depending how old you are, maybe a colonoscopy.
Sleep study. MRI, ECG, EKG. Allergy test. Dermatology/mole screening.
IQ test, find out your best skills and then learn how to use them to your advantage.
DNA testing, if you really want to know some things you may be perceptive to…though personally i don’t know if I would want to know if Huntingtons is in my future.
Is anything cracking or sore more than it should be? Time to go get that treated.
oh. go get a therapist–not physical; mental. they’re insanely expensive, but you can spend the next three months shopping around and by the new year you’ll have found someone you like!
Mole map
Start a fist fight with a random stranger!
(not me please)
That…can have other consequences besides medical.
Down vote because this is an American specific thing in a global community. It excludes the rest of the world.
David, you’re an idiot.
Maybe you missed the “no judgement. This is a safe space” in the op?
As you judge him for being American? I stand by my original statement, you’re an idiot.
While the prices arent insane, I still spend nearly double my insurance each month due to “eigen bijdrage”. I think it’s 400 per 3 months, though I’m not sure.
So I understand wanting to catalogue all treatments he could do whilst not needing to pay for’m.
The situation is mostly America specific, the question isn’t.
The rest of the world has health care too. The situation is america specific, but anyone can chime in to say what health care is probably worth getting.
Upvote for your honesty, mate!
