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First physical in years - what to screen for?

John KatsoudasJohn Katsoudas
in General Training Discussions
I haven't had a physical in years, so I figured it was time I start acting my age (49) and start getting regular physicals.  I feel perfectly healthy and would like to keep it that way for a long, long time so it's probably a good idea to start keeping an eye on some things in my family history.  Aside from that stuff, I'm wondering what endurance sports-specific things I need to be discussing with my doctor and being screened for?  Two main areas immediately come to mind:

1) Heart screening.  The recent death at Boulder 70.3 brought to the forefront again in my mind the risk of sudden cardiac events, particularly during the swim.  I have no idea why these seem to occur in the swim, but frankly, the thought of that is terrifying.  I have no idea if these people had pre-existing conditions or if there was some undiagnosed ticking time bomb that they could/should have been aware of.  Is it reasonable to ask for an EKG simply based on the fact that I'm an endurance athlete?

2) Blood work.  Aside from the usual stuff, what additional things should I be monitoring?  There was THIS thread a few months ago that had some great information.  If I understand correctly, the term "gold standard" wasn't the technically correct term for the additional screening.  Is there some term, specifically, that I should be requesting or should I just print out that thread with the additional items and discuss with my doctor?

Any other items that I should be discussing with my doctor or being screened for?

Thanks for the input.

-John

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