Moms are you doing all these health maintenance things?

[Anonymous]

Interesting! Thanks for all the responses. Im the OP and I ask because I just left an intense job where I had 0 time to do all these things and I went very part time and finally have that freedom. We were considering having a third but I worry I’d lose the ability to finally care for myself but you all give me hope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Moms-

Are you going to the dentist every 6 months?
Seeing your PCP at least once a year?
Pap smears every 3-5 years ?
Mammograms every year (if 40 +)
Colonoscopies starting at 45
Exercising at least 75 (intensive) - 150 mins (less intensive) a week ?

All these are health maintenance things we should be doing.

If you are doing all of these things, what job do you do? How many kids do you have?

Why not ask the dads too?

Because moms tend to prioritize everyone else's needs over themselves. Sure some moms may not and some dads may do this, but OP wanted to hear from moms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Moms-

Are you going to the dentist every 6 months? Yes
Seeing your PCP at least once a year? Yes
Pap smears every 3-5 years ? Yes
Mammograms every year (if 40 +) Yes
Colonoscopies starting at 45 Did first one at 47
Exercising at least 75 (intensive) - 150 mins (less intensive) a week ? Yes

All these are health maintenance things we should be doing.

If you are doing all of these things, what job do you do? How many kids do you have?

2 kids
Work full time out of the home with 1.5 hrs a day comute

Not sure why job or number of kids matter most of these things just take under an hour once a year.
Exercise takes planning, but once it is part of your routine it's easy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Moms-

Are you going to the dentist every 6 months?
Seeing your PCP at least once a year?
Pap smears every 3-5 years ?
Mammograms every year (if 40 +)
Colonoscopies starting at 45
Exercising at least 75 (intensive) - 150 mins (less intensive) a week ?

All these are health maintenance things we should be doing.

If you are doing all of these things, what job do you do? How many kids do you have?

You should do what your medical providers advise you to do, not some checklist from a random person on the Internet.

[Anonymous]

I do some and not others. These are just blanket US recommendations. For instance colonoscopy is not something recommended without symptoms in every country. Many say stool test and then colonoscopy only if symptoms or positive test or high risk. Same for mammograms which are often over 50, every two or three years…but I have them more plus ultrasounds and did younger bc of specific concerns.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes except for the primary care provider. Mine keep leaving the practice then I procrastinate on finding someone new.

I've now lost 3 good PCPs because they left the practice. Two were in network, and left the practice. Then I finally paid for one out-of-network, and she was amazing but then about a year later INOVA bought that practice and she left, and then she was briefly with another practice but then she moved to another state. Then I got another in-network doctor who was good (although I didn't like her much, tbh), but then I could never see her -- she was booked 6 months out the last time I tried to schedule a physical and I could only see the NP (who was terrible). I've finally decided to pay for concierge, and that truly is a lot better, but maybe not as great as you would hope for what I'm paying for it. She's been really proactive about helping me to manage some things that might be something other in-network pcp doctors wouldn't help with at all (weight management and hrt), so I'm sticking with her. But absent those things and given my budget, I'd probably just go back to the in-network provider will-they-leave-the-practice-soon shuffle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Moms-

Are you going to the dentist every 6 months?
Seeing your PCP at least once a year?
Pap smears every 3-5 years ?
Mammograms every year (if 40 +)
Colonoscopies starting at 45
Exercising at least 75 (intensive) - 150 mins (less intensive) a week ?

All these are health maintenance things we should be doing.

If you are doing all of these things, what job do you do? How many kids do you have?

Yes to all of this.
How does it matter if you have a job or the number of kids?

[Anonymous]

Are you going to the dentist every 6 months? 1/ year is enough for me

Seeing your PCP at least once a year? No. Need to do a check up this year. Used to, but after pcp moved can’t seem to find someone I like.

Pap smears every 3-5 years ?
Did it may be 5 years or so ago. Guess would need to do it at my next check up.

Mammograms every year (if 40 +)
No. Never had one.

Colonoscopies starting at 45
No. Never had one.

Exercising at least 75 (intensive) - 150 mins (less intensive) a week ? Yes. This is the only thing I do regularly out of the list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Moms-

Are you going to the dentist every 6 months? I go 3x a year because I have lots of plaque
Seeing your PCP at least once a year? Not really but I got to OBGYN once a year and she does blood work.
Pap smears every 3-5 years ? How ever often they tell me
Mammograms every year (if 40 +) Yes
Colonoscopies starting at 45 yes and endoscopy, my brother died of colon cancer
Exercising at least 75 (intensive) - 150 mins (less intensive) a week ? Yes... sometime I join a gym, work out at work, run, etc... it's varied over the years. I often ran when the kids had practice.

All these are health maintenance things we should be doing.

If you are doing all of these things, what job do you do? How many kids do you have?

You missed eye doctor
Orthopedic for plantar, broken ankle, hamstring pull, injured shoulder... not all at one but over the years.
PT every now and then
Therapy on and off
etc.

I have 2 kids, work full time, my work gives 4 hours of sick leave every 2 weeks.

I generally worked 7-3:30, 2 kids in travel sports, H did morning routine.

[Anonymous]

Yes I do all of these, plus yearly eye exam and yearly skin cancer check. I have two kids in elementary and work full time. I’m not sure why that would make a difference though - I use my leave for appointments, and work out while kids are sleeping or at sports practices.

Shocked at some of these answers - I feel like I owe it to my kids to stay in good health!

[Anonymous]

Yes to all except colonoscopy. My PCP has on recommended the cola guard, which I have done (I’m 50).

[Anonymous]

I’m wondering about all these people saying “I have leave for appointments”—I can take whatever leave I want but I still have the same work. So if I take 2 hours off for a medical appointment, that just means 2 hours less sleep sometime that week.
And the kids do have so many more appointments hecause they are injury prone and illness prone — someone breaks something and that’s like a million follow up appointments. And braces! God the appointments for braces!

The fact that most doctors offices don’t answer calls during lunch is also challenging. I do need to be better about taking advantage of online scheduling since the only free time I have is usually 9-12.

FWIW, I don’t think it’s a mom thing because my husband is way worse that I am. I at least intend to get a colonoscopy— I don’t think he ever will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes to all except colonoscopy. My PCP has on recommended the cola guard, which I have done (I’m 50).

I’m a teacher and have a tween.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Moms-

Are you going to the dentist every 6 months?
Seeing your PCP at least once a year?
Pap smears every 3-5 years ?
Mammograms every year (if 40 +)
Colonoscopies starting at 45
Exercising at least 75 (intensive) - 150 mins (less intensive) a week ?

All these are health maintenance things we should be doing.

If you are doing all of these things, what job do you do? How many kids do you have?

I have 2 kids and work full-time as a high level manager in govt. I do all of the above. I also do a skin check yearly. I make appointments and use sick leave from work. Every single member of my immediate family of origin has had cancer. I am not f-ing around with this stuff and it's nuts that anyone would.

I do know lots of people who don't go to the dentist, which is just gross to me. And then ultimately they have to deal with nasty stuff and are unhappy. Go to the dentist people.

[Anonymous]

Yes except I get paps every two years and sometimes I only see the dentist once a year