Think of your yearly wellness exam like the all-important tuneup for your car. If you take this preventive precaution, your car is less likely to break down. Similarly, making sure to schedule your annual physical is the best way to ensure that you stay on top of your health.
You might wonder what happens, exactly, during this appointment. Everyone’s physical involves some of the same components, like recording your weight and height, having your reflexes checked, and taking your blood pressure. However, other check-ins and conversations happen that are dependent upon your age, gender, and other particulars, and in certain instances, your check-up may include testing and a conversation about your heart health.
At Nu Wave Medical Center, Dr. Gurprit Sekhon and her caring team carefully walk you through the steps of your physical and make sure to check in with you about whether any unusual symptoms have popped up since your physical the year before. Dr. Sekhon is invested in ensuring you get the most advanced, compassionately delivered care possible, no matter why you visit us.
If you’re at low risk for heart disease, you likely won’t need heart testing during your wellness check. But if there are any indications that your heart is at risk, such as carrying extra pounds, having unhealthy cholesterol levels, or having a family history of heart disease, Dr. Sekhon will want to make it a point to monitor your heart health more closely.
An important noninvasive test that reveals much about your heart health is the electrocardiogram, or EKG, which tracks your heart’s electrical activity. We have an EKG machine right here in the Nu Wave office, so it’s easy for Dr. Sekhon to administer the screening if she determines that you need one.
During your EKG, Dr. Sekhon attaches electrodes to your chest, arms, and legs. They send data about your heart’s performance through wires to a computer. It produces a chart that conveys information about your heart’s electrical activity.
As we noted, if you have any heart disease risk factors, she may advise an EKG for you, as well as if you have any heart disease symptoms, such as shortness of breath or chest pain. If you’re over 65 years of age, she’s also likely to encourage you to get an EKG.
This is a pivotal opportunity for you to learn more about heart health and your personal risk factors for heart disease. Armed with this knowledge, you and Dr. Sekhon can then strategize about prevention.
We would say it’s very important.
The EKG has numerous diagnostic capabilities, including:
Despite an EKG’s impressive diagnostic capabilities, you still might feel hesitant about getting one, but don’t worry. An EKG is noninvasive, brief, and painless. You just wear electrodes placed on your chest, arms, and legs while the test is conducted.
The results of your EKG guide the next steps that Dr. Sekhon recommends you take, whether that’s making certain lifestyle changes like losing weight or exercising more, or scheduling a consultation with a heart specialist.
Even though your annual physical features some of the same conversations and evaluations that everyone else gets, Dr. Sekhon prioritizes customized care because every patient’s needs are unique.
We encourage you to keep up with making your annual physical appointments. They’re the ideal time to check in with Dr. Sekhon about how you’re feeling, if you have concerns about specific conditions you live with or are at risk for, like heart problems, and the state of your overall health.
This once-a-year check-in helps you develop a close and trusting relationship with Dr. Sekhon, and she can get to know you better. Your physical is the foundation of your care here at Nu Wave Medical Center.
Call our Panama City Beach office at 850-493-6948 to schedule your next physical, or book one online.
