Tests

Tests, tests, tests. Currently I am not working, waiting to schedule a program to cure a knee problem that I have from trucking. I have taken this time to get some of the tests done medically that some of us put off (seems especially truck drivers that never get home on time). Anyway I thought that this list was good information for those of us creeping up on middle age....tee hee!
From the Womens Health Center.

Women's Health Center

Screenings, Tests, and Immunization Schedule

Screening, test, or immunization	Frequency/comments
Blood pressure, height, weight	Periodically from age 18.
Obesity screening	Periodically from age 18. Adults whose body mass index is 30 or above should be offered intensive counseling and behavioral interventions.
Cholesterol testing (total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol)	Every five years from age 45. Screening should start at age 20 if risk factors for heart disease are present. National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines recommend testing everyone starting at age 20 and every five years thereafter.
Pap smear	Every three years until age 65. Many organizations recommend that Pap tests be performed annually until two or three consecutive tests are normal before lengthening the screening interval to three years. The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends screening until age 70. Pap tests may be discontinued in women who have had a total hysterectomy for benign (noncancerous) disease. There is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against the routine use of new screening technologies (e.g., liquid-based cytology) or HPV screening.
Tests for chlamydia and other sexually transmitted diseases	Discuss testing with your physician.
Mammography, clinical breast exam for breast cancer	Mammogram, with or without a clinical breast exam (CBE), every one to two years from age 40. Women ages 75 and older should discuss mammography with their physicians. There is insufficient evidence to recommend for or against a CBE or breast self-exam, although both may be prudent. The ACS recommends a CBE annually for women over age 40 and every three years for women ages 20–40; it also recommends monthly self-exams for women ages 20 and older.
Colorectal cancer screening	From age 50, using one of the following: Fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) every year or flexible sigmoidoscopy every five years, or both Dual-contrast barium enema every five years Colonoscopy every 10 years. Begin screening earlier in people who have a first-degree relative diagnosed with colorectal cancer before age 60.
Skin cancer screening	The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force makes no specific recommendation about skin cancer screening. The ACS recommends a skin check every three years for people ages 20–40, and annually after age 40.
Osteoporosis screening	Bone density testing starting at age 65. Women ages 60–64 with risk factors, especially low body weight (less than 154 pounds), should speak to their physicians about testing.
Alcohol misuse, tobacco use	Discussions and counseling as needed from age 18.
Vision testing	For women ages 40–64: eye exam every three to five years. For women ages 65 and older: eye exam every one to two years.
Tetanus-diphtheria vaccine	Every 10 years from age 18.
Pneumococcal vaccine	Once at age 65.
Influenza vaccine	Yearly from age 50.