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This week's prompt is about regular Medical checkups. Well, the truth is that medical check-up is not regular with me. I mean, I've gone to the hospital a few times to be examined by doctors but it's not a regular thing. I'm in the league of those who only visit the hospital when sickness knocks on the door. But I don't endorse that type of lifestyle.
The Importance Of Regular Medical Checkup
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Health is wealth, they say. That means our health is important because if we are sick then everything in our life is affected, our professions, our businesses, our domestic responsibilities, etc.
I have seen a lot of people pay a stiff price for not prioritizing their health. May she forgive me, but I'll use my late mom as an example. You know, she was something of a hard-worker, always attending to these or that task. She barely found time to rest. It continued to the time she went for a medical surgery. The surgery went well. But 4 years after the surgery she was diagnosed with cancer. Someone said the stress may have contributed to that. Maybe true, maybe not. But I believe if my mom had taken her health more seriously it wouldn't have happened that way.
I once heard a story of a man that was visited by his daughter in-law who was a nurse. The daughter in-law was disturbed by how her father-in-law looked. She told him he must go for immediate medical check-up. The father-in-law joked about it but finally agreed. At the hospital they found out that he was minutes away from having a heart attack due to a blocked artery. He underwent surgery and that's how his life was saved.
By the foregoing I hope to show how important regular medical check-up is.
The Main Reason Why I Don't Go For Regular Medical Check-ups
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Well, what can I say? Money is just the problem. Medical Check-ups these days is almost as costly as renting a house. And for someone who's still struggling with some financial issues I think I will keep that aside for now. Mind you, I'm not doing it on purpose, but because of financial constraints. God willing, I hope to start having regular check-ups when my financial situation betters.
Some Medical Check-up Experiences I've Had
I visited the hospital late 2011. The reason was because of some psychological and depression issues I had at that time. I was diagnosed by the doctors and prescriptions were given. I was advised to come back every month for check-up.
When I got home I took the drugs and my medical condition grew better. I went for the checkups as I was told. That's when I found out from the doctors that if you skip the drug for once you would have to take it the rest of your life. Alas I had missed taking the drugs once or twice.
I later found a personal doctor to oversee my health issue, so I stopped visiting the hospital. It's been fourteen years now and I'm still taking the drugs.
Some Negative Experiences I've Had Because Of Not Going For Regular Medical Check-ups
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I have paid a heavy price for neglecting my health. It happened last year I started feeling feverish. I had a headache too. So I did the usual thing: I purchased antimalarial drugs and took. I thought it would stop there. But the sickness intensified. I couldn't eat and I felt very weak. A nurse was called and she gave drug prescriptions. The nurse suggested we go for a test. The test confirmed it was both Malaria and typhoid. I took another round of injections all to no avail.
I was visited by one of my uncles who's a medical doctor. He examined me and prescribed drugs, including injections. It was only after taking the drugs that I began recovering. It took me weeks to fully recover.
Assuming I was going for regular medical check-up, the sickness might have been detected at the early stage and treated. The sickness was so bad that I thought I was going to die.
My Plans For The Future
Regular Medical Check-ups is not a choice, it's a necessity. I plan to undergo regular check-ups when my financial situation becomes better. I plan to do it at the best of hospitals, if possible outside the country. I also plan to make every member of my family do the same. But for now, I will just keep doing my best about my health.
Conclusion
I'm of the opinion that medical check-ups should be something everyone does regularly. This is because it will make it possible for medical conditions to be detected in their early stages and tackled. There are some sicknesses that it they cross the early stage, they just enter the fatal stage. I am not doing regular check-up now not because I'm not aware of it's importance but because of financial handicaps. Anyone who possess the financial means should please do it.