Having reached my half century in December, I was quite pleased to consider that I had hopefully twenty more years before reaching my biblical three score and ten years, at which time I loose much interest in surviving longer!
Well I received two letters inviting me for a check-up by a practice nurse at my GP's. The first was quite polite, and the second was urgent to the point of being peremptory. Both must have cost a £1 to print and post. That much is a waste in itself, but more to the point so is a pre-emptory check-up.
As anyone with half a lifetime's experience will tell you, you can formulate the most detailed of plans for the future, and life stands a very fine chance of completely overturning such well laid schemes!
I have a plan that is more general. I plan to enjoy life till Nature decides it is time. I do not plan to live to great old age, and if it happens then I will stoically bear the cross, but I would rather go after a relatively short final illness earlier even than the average ...
Thus I have zero intention of giving up smoking, beer, wodka, wine, or fine two day Polish Parties!
I know Doctors mean well, but what on Earth gives them the right to think that they know better than me what is good for me. Surely enjoyment of life that hurts nobody else on a daily basis is worth a King's Ransom compared to surviving into double incontinence and ten years of increasingly horrible senile dementia.
My point is that Doctors would have us continue to increase the average lifespan without any apparent consideration for the quality of life for an increasingly long period in the latter part of it. I dislike the notion that somehow they should seek to advise me on what is correct. I dislike even more so that they should invite me to see them unbidden. I last attended a doctor for something other than an accidental injury over a decade ago, and at that only twice in my life.
If I were to pass away tonight, then I would be happy in the sense that I have achieved everything I could possible hope to within the skill set I have been lucky enough to inherit. I don't ask for any other apart from the normal daily pleasures, and I am not so greedy to want those indefinitely!
I have declined the chance of a second appointment for the check-up having been so busy at work as to be unable to make the first appointment, though I did let the Surgery know in timely fashion.
Do others agree with me that Doctors are far too willing to mind the business of others in a way that would not acceptable to most people today from Priests for example?
ATB from George
Posted on: 22 March 2012 by Exiled Highlander
George,
Interesting post as usual but apart from your initial comments about the wasted printing and postage, the rest of it is simply about your own unique view of life and health choices and nothing to do with NHS waste - of which, as with every industry, I'm sure there is a great deal!
If you choose to drink and smoke yourself to death then that's your choice and similarly if you choose not to avail yourself of the services of the NHS that's your prerogative as well.
I don't smoke and I have recently given up drinking as I realized I was using it as a crutch to combat the stress I have in my chosen line of work.
Like you I do not want to have a long, lingering exit from this planet but I still plan to to be fit enough well into my 70's to get myself up mountains. Unlike you I will avail myself of the NHS (aided by my company paid BUPA scheme) to maximise my chances of getting there.
Cheers
Jim
Posted on: 22 March 2012 by George Fredrik
Dear Jim,
I do plan to ride the 360 milles round trip from Oslo to the Hardangger Plateau this year on my cycle, though that is hardly being an Alpenist! Four days of cyclist hill climbing! There should be some good photos!
My grandparents did the trip on cycles in 1946 when they were somewhat less than fifty!
My view is based somewhat on the fact that with 7 billion humans eating away unsustainably at the planet's resources, it is better to ride life as a meteor rides the night sky than be painfully slow about the exit point!
I happen to consider that there is an equivalence between what one might possibly put into the well-being and knowledge of human-kind, and what one should reasonably expect back. No doubt if my name had been Isaak Newton, Michelangelo, or JS Bach I might take a different view, but I was built to enjoy the now in rather mundane ways!
ATB from George
Posted on: 22 March 2012 by naim_nymph
George,
with your misconceived attitude to your own health, it’s very unlikely you’ll ever get to peacefully ascend to the heavens in a holy cloud of cigarette smoke…
Far more likely you’ll contract cancer or liver damage due to smoking or drinking and ‘eventually’ become involved in extremely expensive (to the tax payer) and invasive medical action (upon your parts) in medical treatment.
The NHS was partly set to check up to look after the healthy, to look for health issues that may easily be prevented by the early detection of a problem.
If you choose to ignore health check you may be causing far more problems for yourself and NHS expense at a later time.
Wishing you all the best of health
Debs
Posted on: 22 March 2012 by George Fredrik
Dear Debs,
No way would I agree to any assistance from the NHS for self-inflicted illness!
Though it was not self inflicted, I have already outright refused treatment for Bone Cancer/Leukemia [it was not well diagnosed], and as it went it proved to be a six week joint infection on the right hip. I was 15 and the Doctors were staggered at my reaction though respected it.
I was always a wilfull sod you see!
I knew from my teens that a shortish illness from Cancer was far better than getting old. One of the most merciful deaths is Liver Cancer, because it is really so short. My grandmother got this, and commented that it was good news as it would be quicker than than the brain tumour she also had. In the three months left to her she sold her house and put everything in order for an orderly retreat!
But she was a human of huge dignity! Her's is my example to be honest. She never entered hospital during her last illness. An example to me at least!
ATB from George
Posted on: 22 March 2012 by Dungassin
I shall just say what I used to tell patients who asked "but what would you do doctor?" in relation to treatment offered in the Pain Clinic (on the occasions where I offered a choice). The answer?
"It's not my body, and only you know what you are suffering. Hence only you can make the decision as to how to choose/progress with treatment". In a nutshell, I wouldn't presume to tell you what to do. GPs do have targets set by central government, so don't blame them for trying to obey them.
Posted on: 23 March 2012 by Bruce Woodhouse
The 'NHS Health Checks Scheme' to which you have fallen victim is a political tool, designed by the governement without any decent evidence to suggest it may actually be worthwhile on a population basis. The evidence of previous schemes is that they tend to screen those at the lowest risk (who are more likely to attend) than those at higher risk (who do not). Obviously some specific individuals will gain but wether this is value for money as a national scheme is highly debatable. It does however give the politicians something to crow about. NHS schemes set up on the basis of political whim rather than scientific evidence are fairly normal, the currrent reforms being a fine example.
If it was up to the profession we would target health and lifestyle screening far more specifically at the social/ethnic etc groups most likely to gain. The current scheme rewards GP's for recalling and offerring these checks, it is part of our income. In current times it is not an income stream that most practices can afford to ignore. Money has been taken away from other areas to fund it.
When patients moan about the scheme we blame the government. With those (actually in the majority) who say they think it is a great idea we claim the credit.
At a patient level you have several options. Firstly, you don't have to attend, and secondly you could go and decide if any of the advice and guidance on offer is of interest (or indeed wether any of the tests you have are abnormal). What you choose to do with that information is your choice, but you could argue that at least you can make your choices in life and health from a position of greater knowledge after attending. I would point out that whilst you may know you are overweight/should not smoke/are unfit you may have no awareness of your blood pressure or cholesterol level. High blood pressure is usually symptomless, as is a high cholesterol, yet both expose the individual to excess risk of stroke and other circulation disease. Knowing these two simple things may allow more informed discussion about future risk and interventions to reduce it.
On a broad note, the well informed and generally well-educated and articulate members of this Forum may feel they know a great deal about healthy lifestyles and choices but I can assure you that the general level of mis-information and ignorance about health matters is very high. This means that a health professional giving simple advice on what may seem 'obvious' is often extremely effective.
Bruce
Posted on: 23 March 2012 by naim_nymph
Dear George,
Actually, you may be doing the right thing (albeit for the wrong reasons) in avoiding NHS check-ups…
By the time we get to the age of 70 + this Tory Government’s greedy capitalist plan will have had the NHS totally privatised.
The thing is, in these days of austerity there are far too many very poor medical business executives who will be very needy to profiteering from peoples highly lucrative illnesses.
And we really shouldn’t disappoint them by taking our terminally diseased bodies home with us to die painfully in our own beds with all of ones life savings stuffed in the mattress.
Debs
In the NHS of the future:
“Sorry to tell you, Mr Johnson but you have cancer… but it’s curable and I can book you in strait away for urgent treatment for only $50,000...?
Oops! Do pardon me, I am sorry that’s actually £50,000”…
“What’s that you say?
You don’t have any means to pay?
No problem at all, don’t worry about a thing, I’ll just have the security guard kindly escort you from the clinic.
When you get home just take two paracetamol.
Have a nice day!” ((smilely))
Posted on: 23 March 2012 by Mick P
Chaps
A lot of this is just common sense.
I started work at 15 in 1964 and finished in 2010. During those 46 years I had less than 40 days off sick. I am the sort of person who just does not do sick.
My jobs were stressfull and like most of my peers, a good glass or two of wine with dinner plus a large tumbler of whisky late at night helped to keep everything in its place. I never visited my Doctor for over 20 years because I didn't need to.
Last year I developed a heart condition which nearly put me six foot under but thanks to Asprin and beta blockers, I should be good for another twenty years. This is conditional on a much reduced level of booze.
Therefore a small whisky is a rare treat and the wine is drunk from a small glass. I am now almost tee total. I also have two consecutive days free of booze every week.
Basically I know Doctors are miserable sods ( wouldn't you be miserable if you spent your working day peering down throats and looking up the rectums of whinging patients) but they do know what they are talking about and although it is boring, you are well advised to follow their advice.
The good news is that we are all living healthier and longer so the move is going in the right direction.
My own view is that 3 score years plus fifteen is the ideal age to meet the great maker and as long as I am healthy and compus mentus up until that age, I shall consider that I have done OK.
So George, be a good boy and do what the boring old Doc tells you to do.
Regards
Mick
Posted on: 23 March 2012 by count.d
George, this idea that you'll do, eat, smoke what you like (enjoy?) life until 70 and then painlessly die of a heart attack when it's your time is a bit idealistic. What could happen is your system slowly deteriorates, leading to a very long and distressful ending. Diarrhea, 20+ bowel movements a day, bleeding, headaches, vomiting and cramps are not very funny after the first year of a slow death.
Look after yourself. You are obviously one of the people that the NHS does need to write to.
Posted on: 23 March 2012 by roo
Source: 2012 budget report
NHS costs - £101 billion
Spirits, Wine, Beer & Cider tax makes the government £10 billion
Smoking tax makes the government £9.5 billion
Smoking costs the NHS an estimated (in 2005/6) £5.5 billion a year so while govenment could save some NHS expenditure every year smokers actually fund other treatments and at worst pay for their own treatment via tax. If you also factor in reduced pension and nursing home payouts I'm surprised the government isn't encouraging more people to shorten their lifespan by smoking and boozing.
Posted on: 23 March 2012 by naim_nymph
Originally Posted by Derry:
Originally Posted by George Fredrik:
I doubt that what can be bought at Boots will help much with most cancers or other painful deaths...
By the time George, I and most others of our generation gets to 70 years old, cancer medication and treatment from the Totally Privatised NHS will be far too expensive and unaffordable for us anyway.
The Tory Govt plc need and plan for us to die younger so they can make massive savings on their state pension funding which will be needed for the huge bumper bonuses for the nationalised bankers.
Quote from David Ca-Moron: “There will be pain!”
Clare