Busy Girls Need Checkups, Too: Health Over Deadlines and Schedules

Working girls keep tabs of their tasks by scheduling them. It doesn’t matter whether they write it on their journal, plot it on Google Calendar, or just keep a mental note. Every busy Modern Filipina has a list of to-do list: meetings, deadlines, feed the cat or dog, go on a date, meet-up with friends, etc.

But how many of us include visit the doctor on that to-do list?

I only see the doctor once a year (unless I’m sick), and that’s during our company’s annual physical examination. Other than that, I don’t bother scheduling an appointment with any doctor, even though I have a health card that covers consultations. I haven’t even met with an OB-GYN! My reason?

I’m busy.

I know I’m not the only one trying to justify my lack of enthusiasm for the doctor with my schedule. I have friends who forego routine checkups just to meet deadlines, attend meetings, and survive the roadshow we call life.

But I realized: how are we going to survive physically if we keep skipping out on checkups that could save our lives?

The Earlier the Better

Some illnesses are difficult to diagnose because there aren’t any symptoms. Conditions like high cholesterol and high blood pressure are worth the worry since it’s easy to have them and not know it. Unfortunately, they are part of the long list of infamous silent killers that slowly affect your body for months or years while you live in peace, thinking you’re not sick.

Some of these diseases are:

• Diabetes
• Celiac disease
• Colon cancer
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Fatty liver disease
• Coronary artery disease

Regular visits to your doctor can prevent these diseases from hampering your routine. Early detection spares you from costly medical bills and painful symptoms that come with these diseases.

Shots, Shots, Shots!

I’m not talking about the ones you down at parties. It’s all about the needles that save lives, honey.

Apart from busy schedules, some women aren’t too keen to visit their doctor because they’re not big fans of needles. We should, however, prioritize vaccinations to reduce our risk for infections. In addition to coming in for an annual visit, you should also get vaccinated to prevent the following diseases:

• Influenza
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
• Measles, mumps, rubella
• Varicella (chickenpox)
• Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis

Instant Access to Health is Possible, Girl

Our hectic schedules are no longer an excuse for us to not visit our doctor. To address the medical need of busy individuals, several medical institutions have established health hubs at convenient locations, like  the mall.

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I recently attended the grand opening of a one-stop ambulatory clinic in Festival Mall, Alabang. During the press talk for MetroSanitas Festival Clinic, Metro Sanitas Corporation’s CEO Anna Lacambra said that their motivation for establishing clinics inside malls is to make healthcare accessible to anyone at any time. The clinic, equipped with the latest technologies in the field of medicine, brings forward a comprehensive range of outpatient health services designed to solve many health concerns.

One of the best parts? They offer women’s healthcare prevention programs and medical services, such as:

• Mammography
• Papsmear
• OB ultrasound
• Breast ultrasound
• Prenatal care and pregnancy monitoring

A medical hub in the middle of the mall means that you can’t escape the call of better health. If you have time after work or during the weekend, you can drop by these ambulatory clinics to see how you’re doing.

The Bottom Line

We can work all we want to finish our tasks, but when our bodies give up on us, we wouldn’t be able to do our job or enjoy the fruits of our labor. Instead of always brushing off our doctor’s reminder to visit regularly because we’re busy, we should prioritize our health and drop by.

So what are you waiting for? Put that go visit the doctor task on your schedule now.