OK,other thread brought this to mind,what we have done recently was ....put pneumonia and shingles vaccines for next dr visit.PNA vacc doesnt work on all,but works on a lot of types of pneumonia they say. They would know,eh?

Dental,always had good teeth,until I broke one,went to Dentist.

Figured I better get these issues tuned up while the gettin is good.
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Root Canal-1050 with cap

Deep cleaning - 750,630 paid with cash

Polishing,unsure,not done yet

3 small cavities,first Ive ever had,cost unknown
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Now I met a guy this weekend. He drove to Mex border,walked over,5 bucks to a cabbie and took him to TJ dentist.

His total,1000 bucks.

Deep cleaning - 75 dollars

2 root canals and a permanent bridge and the total out the door 1000 bucks.They look like row of regular teeth,amazing what Dentists can do!

Good bang for bucks and his dental work looks every bit as Good as mine done by a Loma Linda trained dentist.

Next time I go thru the dental machine again Mex is on my list.Im a cash pay,our dental insurance isnt very good.

while on the subject of health... don't overlook the dreaded colonoscopy as you approach 50... the laxative based prep is a lot more gentle than the magnesium citrate induced purge (BTDT for both)...make sure you have access to a separate toilet if you and the significant other schedule for the same day....offers a lot of peace of mind... and for you guys, be sure to have your PSA checked regularly....for you that have been outdoors types, be sure to get a full body check by your dermatologist yearly...I've had 3 basal cell and one squamous cell surgically removed, and a bunch of stuff frozen with nitrogen...I'm on the 6 month plan

Wife just had to have that done, though for others reasons that age. Water shutoff to the neighborhood the night before and we found out when she tried to flush. Preps saved the day, plumbed a 7 gallon aquatainer of prep water into thee toilet tank so she could turn on the valve and flush like normal.

Just got from insurance company Anthem Blue Cross today....

What should a man in his 50's do for preventative care?

Blood pressure check - every 2 years

Cholesterol check - every 5 years

Colonoscopy - every 10 years

Flu shot - every year.

FWIW,thought I'd toss it out here

Well,did my next step,got 2 of 3 cavities done,only one to go in one month from now and DONE with dental,very pleased with results,....169 dollars,10% off for cash to fill a tooth here.

Our company got new owners as of this Tuesday last,I THINK we got health insurance (still awaiting new paperwork things from them),if so I will let them pay for shingles vaccine. Should know in a few weeks anyhow,if not I will then just pay for it.

I'm at the age where I need to start watching a few things. Biggest thing I've done is quit drinking. We restaurant people are known to really knock back the booze from time to time! Basically I just decided there's no "diet" or eating plan known to man that allows 1,500 calories from alcohol per day! I'm 43 now, gotta drop everything that's purely empty calories.

That's all well and good, but then they also say "annual exam" which entails that blood pressure check and usually a cholesterol check.

I like that the PSA and prostate exam isn't there. Evidence for and against it has kind of cancelled each other out, so unless there's a strong family history, a patient concern, or actual problems w/ sex or urinating, I tend not to do them.

As for the females:
-Paps starting at 21, every 2 years. After age 30 you can skip to every 3 if they've been normal. You can pretty much stop w/ paps once you hit menopause and have 1-2 post-menopausal normal paps. Having an abnormal pap entails it's own set of rules, as does pregnancy. Pelvic exams, not including the pap, are still recommended annually by most GYN's.

-Mammograms starting at 40, unless there's a family history of breast cancer, then you start 10 years before THEY were diagnosed. From what I understand, they typically aren't as bad as most women fear.

-same w/ colonoscopies. 10 years, starting at 50, unless there's a problem then it's usually a 5 year follow up. Ditto my "not as bad" comments. The scope is fine, it's the 2 days before that really suck.

-If you haven't had a second DTaP vaccine yet, recommend you get one when you're next due for a tetanus, or if you're having a new infant in your life. Pertussis has really exploded again in the last few years, and the thought is that the childhood imm's haven't kept the immunity levels up in adults.

Obviously these are guidelines, and subject to change by your physician. They also don't cover kids (if there's enough interest, I can see if my wife can discuss those).

Ive read the newer pertussis isnt as effective as the older one,FWIW,just something i read.

On this dental thing,on xray my cavities showed as tiny,when she got in they were actually large (a lot of decay),surprising Dentist.She said had I let it go might have earned me root canals on those. Live and learn,my knowledge on dental is close to zip.

So if you are like me and last check up was 37 years ago,let me be another voice in your head saying to get a check up,I had no idea I needed work.

BIL also did this,and needed a LOT of work,we both,being into the 'get your ducks in line' mentality lately,felt we should get all tuned up as the World is a little dicey on several fronts. We figured we might not have assets or whatever perhaps to do it later when it wasnt an option.

Cut it out, Izzy! Some of us are dental phobic.

" Some of us are dental phobic"
Count me in that catagory. 50 or more years ago, I needed braces. My Orthodontist talked with my Dentist (Ortho was a friend of my Dad and lived in the next state) re. which teeth to pull. Dentist got it wrong and cut the tooth buds out of my jaws; left and right, upper and lower. I still remember walking out of the Dentist's office biting gause between my jaws and sobbing from the pain. Still get hypertensive and tachycardic sitting in a Dentists office. Enough horror stories.