How to prepare for your health screening – A handy guide

Anyone who understands the importance of staying fit and independent as they age knows how crucial an annual full body check-up can be. These tests help you to ensure that your body is in peak form and there are no impending issues that are waiting to blow up into serious ailments. Even dreaded diseases like cancer can be identified early on via a cancer screening test, so that the treatment can start immediately with positive outcomes. However, if you have just booked your first appointment for your annual health screening package, you may be confused about how to prepare for it.

Here are some tips:

• Go to bed at a reasonable time the previous night so that you get adequate sleep. Lack of sleep can elevate your blood pressure and pulse rate and disturb your body temperature too. All this can lead to inaccurate results.
• Eat light the previous night if you are heading to the lab early morning. Else, ensure at least eight hours between your last meal and the tests. Some tests (e.g.: thyroid panel) require fasting and the lab technician will inform you about this beforehand. Even otherwise, a full stomach can mess with your blood pressure and sugar readings. Avoiding salty foods and very fatty foods for a couple of days before your full body check-up appointment is also a good idea.
• Alcohol or alcoholic beverages are best avoided for at least 24 hours before your appointment. Avoid caffeinated drinks the morning of your exam too. Drink plenty of water though, so you are not dehydrated when you head to the lab.
• Wear loose, comfy clothing that will let you move around freely. This is especially helpful in case of heart health check-up where a treadmill test may be a part of the package. Clothing that can be removed easily makes it simple for you to undergo X-rays or scans. For example, lung cancer screening requires you to change into a robe given by the lab. Likewise, make sure your clothing gives easy access to your upper arm for blood pressure measurement.
• If you have any existing conditions, inform the lab technicians beforehand and bring the latest reports along as well.
• If you take any medications on a regular basis, check beforehand if you should avoid them on the day of the appointment. This may vary on a case-to-case basis. For example, if you are on thyroid medication, you may have to avoid it for the test day. If you are on beta-blockers, you may need to stop them for three days before the appointment. Check with your physician beforehand on what you must do. In some cases, you can just take the medication after the blood and urine samples have been given to the lab. Inform the lab in advance if this needs to be done so they can schedule the various tests accordingly.
• Specific tests require special care to be taken beforehand. For example, for an ultrasound, you will need to drink lots of water before the scan to make it easier to get a clear, accurate report. For a colonoscopy, you may need to take laxatives the previous night. If your health screening package has such tests included, make sure to call the lab ahead and check what you are required to do and when, before you appear for the test.
• Don’t go for the test immediately after heavy, intense physical activity or from a workout. This can elevate your heart rate and bring down potassium levels drastically.
• Women must note the following:
  • For mammograms, avoid powders, creams, perfumes or any application under arms or over your breast area – this can reduce the efficiency of the test.
  • Avoid testing within the week right after your menstrual period. If your health screening package includes pap smear and/or urine/stool tests, taking the test during this time can skew the results because of the presence of blood.
  • If there is a chance you may be pregnant, do inform the lab technician well in advance. X-rays are not recommended for pregnant women.

An easy way to make the annual check-up more convenient is to schedule it early in the morning so that you arrive after a good night’s sleep and your fasting gets done overnight while you sleep.

If you are getting your full body check-up done at NURA, you can simply call us before your appointment and our friendly technicians will tell you everything you need to know about preparing for your tests. At NURA, you get the advantage of qualified, experienced technicians, Japanese Fujifilm world-class technology as well as the medical expertise of Dr Kutty’s healthcare. These work together to give you the most reliable, accurate results. All you need to do is call and book your appointment today.