Health Screening in the years before Retirement

Morning all

I saw on a Retirement related thread a suggestion that if practical it is a very good idea to get a comprehensive check done before Retirement to have as full a picture as possible of your current state of health.

I thought this was good advice and certainly something I will consider at the appropriate time.

Not looking for health advice here of course but essentially I'm wondering if anyone has undertaken such screening in the last year or two and overall how happy were you with the level of detail provided relative to the cost?

I'm with VHI and their top tier 'Executive Screening' costs €490 and isn't covered under my current plan, therefore I would like to see what is the most comprehensive plan out there relative to the cost, within reason of course.

I feel this info might be useful for anyone planning for retirement and focusing just on the figures.

Their isn't much difference between the top level screens and the one below and I know our company plan covers that one might be worth looking into it

This all depends on what you are screening for. Most cancers are picked up through CAT scans. I had cancer 24 years ago and since then I have regular scans. This showed up a lung lesion on a more recent scan. It was removed and stage 1 cancer was discovered. It was not related to the original cancer. Now I am scanned twice a year and a nodule has shown up in my thyroid. A ultrasound will be used on this and a biopsy. I had PET scan last November it did not show up. The point I am trying to make is not all check ups are equal and a bill of health might not be for more than a couple of years. By all means blood tests for cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes are a good start.

If you feel OK and have no apparent health issues, then once you get a regular blood test and see that the basics are fine re; infections, anaemia, cholesterol, diabetes, PSA (male) etc etc. you probably need no further tests.

Most cancers don't show up in basic blood tests. I think most GPs would say if the above are all true then go ahead and retire happily without wasting any more money.

Good luck in retirement PatMu.

I thought that this was a good idea when a colleague died a few years ago. I was going to do a test package through the Blackrock clinic but my doctor said she’d do the tests at a better price so I went that route. It turned up something significant although I thought I was in rude health. It was a surprise. I’d recommend getting as thorough an NCT as you can afford.

I got them through work over the years. I paid for them. I found my annual check up with the doctor was as good, as he had my results for donkeys years and could see trends. For some readings the trends and rates of change are important and this wont be picked up in a one off test and they wont have the historic data. Good to get the annual check-up with the doctor with a good blood check.

I had cancer and it was picked up by physical symptoms, a lump, however I was followed up for years with chest Xrays and bloods. Thankfully haven't had any issues since.

I also use some withings devices, blood pressure monitor, smart scale and watch. This tracks some metrics over many years. I found this useful as well to keep an eye on general health, weight etc....

I checked the VHI Executive Screening.

Blood tests are very similar to what my doctor. done.
Other than that some basic tests and an ECG.

I would expect the doctor would organise the ECG as its a simple test and they probably have the equipment,

The individual consultation will focus on Diet and Exercise and probably stress / headspace.

The 3 things that get most of the population are:1

Cancer of some sort
Blood circulation related issues, strokes, clots, heart attacks etc.
Cognitive issues such as Alzheimer's

You are probably hoping the tests will pick up one of these 3 if it is likely to be an issue.

A good diet, plenty of exercise and keeping moving, a social life for your headspace, and not to much alcohol

Statins have reduced much of the risk with circularity issues.

When I read back on this it is fairly depressing, my doctor told me at 50, if you make it to 60, you are home and dry.
When I reached 60, different story now.

Interesting thread and of course different tests for females. I would also recommend getting a Dexa scan before menopause to see where you stand re osteoporosis and preventative options that are available. I had not realised I had it until it was too late early intervention can change things or at least allow for room to consider things.

Has anybody considered doing genetic testing? I have a familial risk of Alzheimers disease and often considered doing genome testing but then chickened out. Not from a prospective of finding long lost siblings but from a health perspective I though knowing if I had the gene would leave me in a better position to do what I do not quite know so decided against it.

Just a reminder of the Posting Guideline relating to medical discussions. Please adhere to it.

21 Please don't discuss medical issues or weight loss
We do not discuss medical issues other than to provide links to support groups and medical forums. We do not allow recommendations for doctors, dentists or medical practitioners generally. We do not allow discussion of weight loss issues either, as they always develop into either advertising or medical topics such as anorexia.

There is a list of websites on medical issues here:

Key Post - List of useful health websites​

Discussion of health issues is not allowed on Askaboutmoney. So I have compiled a list of sites where you can get medical information. NHS.uk Net Doctor MedLine Plus MedHunt Mayo Clinic Bupa health info Also VHI hon: health on the net is a kind of "kite mark" for health websites
www.askaboutmoney.com

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