Local doctor urges patients not to skip annual checkups
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WNKY) — A new survey from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center found that one in seven people does not have a primary care doctor and one in three has not had a checkup in the past year. A South Central Kentucky physician says those missed visits can mean missed chances to catch health problems early.
A warning from one patient’s experience
Grant Bunting knows how quickly a chronic condition can become dangerous.
Bunting struggled to control his type 2 diabetes, even after weight-loss surgery and taking up running. A spike in his blood sugar eventually put him in a coma for 11 days, and he later had to learn to walk again.
“My test scores were ridiculous,” Bunting said.
After the medical emergency, his view of his health changed.
“I should have died,” he said.
Bunting later worked with a primary care team to manage his condition. He now maintains a normal blood sugar and weight and is preparing for another run.
Primary care is about prevention, not just illness
Dr. William Thornbury, a primary care physician with T.J. Regional Health, said routine care gives doctors a chance to identify problems before they become more serious.
“Most importantly, our work today is what do we do with preventive medicine?” Thornbury said. “How can we stay healthy instead of having a sick care system? How can we have a healthy system? And so we help people try to prevent that care or get our diagnoses early enough to where we can intervene.”
Those early warning signs can show up in blood sugar, triglycerides and other health markers before a patient feels anything is wrong.
Thornbury compared it to maintaining a vehicle before it breaks down.
“I’ll wait for the truck to break. Or do I try to get it in before it breaks?” Thornbury said. “Since we have this beautiful health system and it can do so many things, and a lot of times for a very, very modest cost, can we make a few lifestyle changes if we can just inform you?”
What doctors are looking for
Annual visits can also be used to review immunizations, follow-up care and cancer screenings. Thornbury said those recommendations depend on a patient’s age and health history.
He pointed to tetanus, pneumonia, shingles, RSV and flu vaccines as examples of preventive care that may be recommended for different patients.
Feeling healthy is not a reason to wait
Thornbury said younger adults should not assume primary care can wait until they develop symptoms.
“When you’re young and healthy, we want to keep you young and healthy,” he said. “You have this one beautiful engine, this one beautiful car that we were given. We want to try to take advantage of that so we can enjoy the entire trip.”
Primary care can also help patients work through goals involving exercise, nutrition and other lifestyle changes, even when they are not managing a chronic disease.
Why people put off checkups
Thornbury said some patients delay appointments because of cost, lack of time or fear that a doctor may find something wrong.
“A lot of times you just are afraid that they’re going to find something, a little bit worried, or I really don’t need it,” he said. “Or maybe my copay could be invested in something else.”
His message to people who have been putting off a visit is straightforward: establish a relationship with a primary care physician and make time for routine care.
“Find a primary care physician. Make time to find one that they can work with you,” Thornbury said. “Take time once a year or twice a year to go and see them. Try to keep up with the things that we can mitigate early.”
