dreaded medical exam: July 22 2024

have you ever been in a medical exam?

i just took my annual medical exam this monday and it was memorable in all the wrong ways.
before that story, fit check!

here in japan, the medical clinic will send documents and tools days before the exam schedule.
you will be asked to fill out questionnaires, including info on ones medical history and of immediate family members.
it also has questions regarding how much alcohol and cigarettes you take, how fast you eat your meals, how fast you walk, how regular you exercise among others.
the kit also contains tools used to get two stool and one urine sample.
they also instructed us not to take in food and liquids by 9pm the previous day.

our schedule was at 10 am, we had to leave early for the clinic was a bit far from our home.
let me walk you through the day.

upon arrival, they checked the documents and the samples then provide some clothes to change into.
blood pressure and heart rate is taken, then followed by taking three vials of blood.
i am not squeamish with needles and blood, i look away at the initial prick but would rather observe the blood taking procedure.
my blood ran slow this time, probably because of the lack of liquid intake starting the previous night.
height and weight will be taken next, followed by an eye and ear exam.
for the eye exam, with your glasses on, you will be asked to look into this apparatus and tell whether the "E" is facing left, right, up, or down in varying sizes; this was my first time with glasses on.
for the ear exam, they will ask you to wear a headphone and press the button once you hear a beeping sound.
this is then followed by waist measurement taking and some apparatus to take tests for the heart.
they had some cold cuffs attached to the ankles and to the wrists, and some cold suction cups attached to specific locations surrounding the heart.
we were then guided to the xray room to take chest xrays.
and then the dreaded barium swallow test.
this is test is what i dread for they will ask you to take in some medicine which causes some fizzing inside your stomach and then ask you to drink this barium solution while they take xrays of your digestive system.
are supposed to keep yourself from burping while turning over on different positions on this machine which examines your digestive tract.
once over, they will give you laxatives so you can excrete the barium solution on the same day; that solution will harden in your guts if not excreted on the same day.
the day ends with you facing a doctor who will check your breathing through the ever reliable stethoscope.
this is also the time were you can share if you have any medical concerns.

for the past three years, it has been a tradition to eat and have coffee in a nearby building while waiting for the effects of the laxative to kick in.
this time, we had some deep fried chicken for lunch and had a venti hot coffee from that shop with a siren for a logo.
usually, the effects of the laxative would kick in within minutes so me and my housemate would take turns using the toilet of that building usually for at least three times.
this time was different, mine did not come out fully.
i was now worried.

we went back home, did some errands to the bank and to the city hall.
but the barium failed to come out.
i drank the second set of laxatives provided, i had to take this out tonight.
i ate quite a dinner and drank lots of water.

my stomach was grumbling that night but i was sure that the barium solution was still inside.
at 4am, i awoke.
went to do the thing and it was a success!
this is why i hate that barium test, i was dreading for a day like this and it finally happened to me.

next comes the exam results which will be delivered in two weeks.
hope everything will be fine.

this is how my medical exam went here in japan.
how is your medical exam at your place?
what are the things you dread in the process?

as always, AMPING KANUNAY!