FULL health check?

**Little.Chuck** · 07-04-2010 01:09 PM

Does anyone here know how much it would cost to get a full health checkup here in the uk in a private clinic such as harley street?
I mean FULL health check, I want to be checked for everything its possible to check for. Blood tests, x rays, whatever is neccasery.
Is this even possible?

thank you in advance!

**ItsASecret** · 07-04-2010 01:40 PM

Ask around at the clinics? If you have insurance nothing will be an issue.

As for the "everything possible"...its not possible. If anyone in the world is plucked and given an MRI for example a doctor could likely find many spots that could potentially be anything. That does not mean everyone is about to die, it is just how the body and medicine works. A blood panel will give your general chemistry like sodium, potassium, HDL, LDL, calcium, glucose etc etc etc. Nothing major. Docs will usually stick to the common stuff if a person wants a full work up because basically there is nothing to really look for. And if there is something it will show up in the initial basic tests and more tests will go from there if needed. X-rays are a long wait so they are only given again if they are necessary, MRI and CT scans are the same deal.

Not sure what you would be looking for to make it a 'everything possible' considering there are genetic components to an absolutely extensive list of ailments. If you are a generally healthy person with nothing wrong then a doctor may just give you a quick physical.

**Little.Chuck** · 07-04-2010 03:03 PM

I asked the question as I am not a doctor and wondered if this would be possible. Im not looking for anything specific, I dont have health insurance thats why I wanted to know a price, I wouldnt trust my doctor to do the checkup properly. I can only imagine from your answer that you work in the medical industry.

**ItsASecret** · 07-04-2010 04:01 PM

I asked the question as I am not a doctor and wondered if this would be possible. Im not looking for anything specific, I dont have health insurance thats why I wanted to know a price, I wouldnt trust my doctor to do the checkup properly. I can only imagine from your answer that you work in the medical industry.

I do not actually, I am a student who takes a buttload of medical courses though. I have a genetic condition myself so I know what it is like to go into the hospital countless times

. I know how the waits are, I know some of the long lists of tests that a doctor could potentially do, or not do for that matter. I was just saying if you do not have anything specific in mind then the doctor's general "full workup" is a basic plethora of blood panels to get a general sense of how your body is doing.

But without health insurance you would have to simply ask around. I know some blood tests can be expensive and some cheap depending on the type of test (since they all require a different lab technique to process). You could go into a clinic and just ask the receptionist some questions, I am sure many people do that anyway because they are curious of pricing just as you are.

Just a question though, why would you not trust your doctor to do the checkup properly? They do that stuff on a daily basis.

**Little.Chuck** · 07-04-2010 04:26 PM

I dont have anything particularly wrong, I just generally feel unwell. I always feel tired and have no energy, I get a headache almost everyday and they are not mild either. I feel sick quite often, although very rarely vomit. I just would like to get a 'MOT' i suppose. My doctor doesnt seem to think im sane. I went the other day for suspected food poisoning/propranolol issues and she didnt check my pulse or temperature or anything else for that matter, she just prescribed me less than 3 days worth of codeine. I would just like to get to the bottom of the symptoms, I know its nothing serious as I have had a full blood count. Would just like the peice of mind I would get from a full body check up. I know it is going to cost me around £600 for what I want but I ould feel so much happier.

**ItsASecret** · 07-04-2010 04:47 PM

Well if that is what you want all you have to do is technically ask. Yes it will cost a lot without insurance but if it puts your mind at ease then maybe your stress levels will diminish. Sometimes stress can be the biggest problem to a person as it can contribute to a variety of medical issues (mild or not). If you want you can simply try a healthy diet if you are not already, even drinking more water to make sure you are hydrated can help with avoiding the lack of energy and nausea. You can take some OTC meds if you are feeling uneasy though, things like Gravol will help with the sick feeling-make sure you check with the pharmacist with anything you buy though since you are on the beta-blocker propanolol.

**Little.Chuck** · 07-05-2010 07:16 AM

I would drink much more water if I had a brita filter, I used to drink alot of robinsons dilutable squash but I dont like the taste of tap water, and im not sure your supposed to drink it anyway?

My doctor gave me codeine and when i checked online myself for the interaction between that and propranolol, the interaction came up as moderate, surely she should not of given me it. The fullhealth check with bupa can cost anything up to £1000 depending on what you need. You pay about £300 for a mammogram. Stress is probably a major factor yes, i have a generalized anxiety disorder. That obviously doesnt help

**WildChild** · 07-05-2010 07:27 AM

So why don't you have a brita filter?
Ever see a naturopath? You may find that very helpful.

**ItsASecret** · 07-05-2010 04:50 PM

My doctor gave me codeine and when i checked online myself for the interaction between that and propranolol, the interaction came up as moderate, surely she should not of given me it.

Everything on the molecular level has an interaction, what they are looking for is serious interactions that can cause immediate problems and death. This is not the case with those two medications. Propanolol and codeine are so incredibly popular in medicine that they would not even have them filled at the pharmacy if there was an indication of a serious prescription interaction (pharmacists have a record of all the medications that you are taking if you fill them all out at the same location). Also as a side note, the internet is not a great source for medical information aside from legit research sites and University sites. A lot of the medical sites promote fear of medicine instead of a true understanding of the complexity of it.

A Naturopath would be a good idea if you simply do not want to go through a lot of tests. It is a lot of talking, not sure how they go with MRIs or other scans or blood work for that matter. And I am not sure about the cost but I there is guaranteed to be some offices in the city that have a certified doctor of natural medicine.