Health Screenings

It depends on your personal risk factors if this is worth it to you. Most likely it is not. Are you a smoker or overweight? If yes.. You already know what you need to do to decrease your risk. The testing would only scare you straight. With the thyroid ultrasound they are mostly screening for potentially cancerous nodules and noncancerous growths. It won't tell you how your thyroid is functioning like a blood test would. Hypothetically, they find a nodule on your thyroid. They will send you for an official diagnostic (not screening) ultrasound and potentially a biopsy. I see a benefit in doing screening ultrasounds more for elderly most to look for cancers and other conditions in which age plays a factor. My advice, save your money given you are still a relatively young female I assume.

For that amount and your high familial risk, I'd strongly consider it. U/S are expensive...lots more than $130 themselves...so at $130 for the entire thing sounds pretty good! I know they do these comunity things to help out those with little to no insurance, so take advantage in this poor economic time! You are right, if you get sick from something you could have prevented, it'll cost lots more in the end than the annual screenings would have! Good luck!

http://www.remedies4.com/download/prevention-symptoms-tre...

decrease the likelihood.

Hi D. - if you want to spend the money then go for it. It is likely that insurance wouldnt pay for it anyway unless you were already presenting with a medical problem. It isnt through your doctor or your insurance so I cant imagine it ever being part of your permanent medical record. They would give you a HIPPAA form to sign if they were going to share that information with anyone.

my husband and I did a thing a few years ago where we had our bone density tested and body composition done through x-ray analysis. They actually found an area in my husband where his bone density was low, something that is actually pretty common in bike racers. It was low enough it could have caused a serious bone break if he took a bad fall.

If it's through your church maybe a generous soul would help you pay for part of it?

I know that $130 is tough to come up with. I will just give you a few things to consider. For a woman 40 and over-heart attacks become a major killer. Strokes and heart attack are closely related. The history is there for you. My husband had a heart attack and then quadruple bi-pass surgery and we had no insurance. I would have gladly paid $130 compared to what we paid. Heart attacks for women usually go unknown until it is too late. Check the signs of heart attacks for women and it will shock you. I would suggest that you get some more info about the tests that they are running. I hope that this helps you decide.

My only thought is that if your health is pretty good right now and you would like to qualify for health insurance at some point, I would wait to get tests like this until after you have the health insurance. In case the results do show a problem, you don't want anything on your medical record that is going to disqualify you or make your rates go way up.

One thing to keep in mind is that if you are diagnosed with anything and you then decide to get insurance you will not be able to get insured for the known condition. It will be considered a pre-existing condition and no one will cover it. If you are really concerned that there may be a problem or that you may be predisposed for such a problem you should take all of the preventative measures that you can right now. Work on getting health insurance and then consider doing the screening somewhere else where it is available.

You can check out www.quackwatch.org. I'm not saying your opportunity is not legitimate--I don't know--but Quackwatch has helped me find real research and determine what's for real and what's snake oil.
I have seen these ultrasound events advertised. I suppose it could be useful. BUT, it's not like it's medical fortune telling. If money is tight, ask yourself honestly what kind of preventive advice they could give you and if it's anything you don't already know. I can tell you for free that you should maintain a healthy weight, eat a diet low in saturated fat and refined sugars and high in fiber, drink lots of water, and exercise regularly and your risks of both sudden and chronic health problems will be greatly reduced, and you will offset your genetic risk factors.
If you will feel more motivated to take good care of yourself after spending $130 and getting info from an untrasound tech, then maybe it's worth it. If you feel motivated to eat right and exercise anyway, spend your $130 on jogging shoes and healthy snacks to eat with the kids. ;)
There may be a low-cost health clinic in your area that could do a traditional cholesterol/trigyceride/blood sugar test for a low cost and that would give you similar info about your risks. Sometimes you can even get a basic blood draw and analysis for free or less than $20 at a health fair if you keep your eyes open. You can check your blood pressure for free at a pharmacy.
Best wishes!

Hi D.,
As other people mentioned, you need to consider your risk factors. I have a strong family history of heart disease with both parents having bypasses in their mid 60s. However, both of my parents are overweight and don't exercise much. Make sure you request a copy of your lab work from your insurance physical if they did not send you one. I do think the carotid artery scan can prove valuable in seeing how much plaque build-up you have. I unfortunately tend to run high on the bad cholesterol and high on triglycerides - thanks Dad!

Heart disease is a big killer among women and so you are wise to address it. Eating lots of salmon or supplementing with high quality Omegas is important as well. I used to buy the cheapest supplements until I learned what was in them (binders and fillers) as well as what was not in them (not what the label says). Happy to give you more info on the kind I take as well as a juice that cleared my Mom's blocked artery last year. Making sure your adequately hydrated with good quality water is also key. So much disease is really chronic dehydration. Exercise and no smoking is also important. I'd also recommend visiting the American Heart Association website and contacting the Tri-County Health Department for tips as well potential free or low cost screenings.

Happy to share more info if you need it.
Take care,
S.

Your church can put you in touch with the healthcare company's representative. He/she should be able to tell you exactly what kind of result to expect from each test, and also compare those tests to something that an insured person would receive in a doctor's office. Then you can have an idea whether you'd be getting a comparable analysis.

The health company representative will probably be happy to speak with you. It's a person who's in sales, w/lots of medical knowledge, so they should be friendly and helpful.

Regarding preventive care, you're probably well aware of the benefits of eating right & exercise, etc. Keep your eyes open for a job in the future which offers health insurance. My friend was in that position, and was able to get a job at our church which allows her to drop her child off at school, work, then pick her child up, with health insurance, so it's do-able. Difficult, I know, but doable. God bless you!