是时候结束延迟的医疗保健了

朱莉·埃斯特利克

As everyone hunkered down throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many routines went by the wayside. 这包括取消年度体检, 可以选择的, 甚至是重要的健康检查和治疗, 所有这些都是为了避免感染病毒. Now that a growing portion of Colorado’s population is vaccinated and strict infection protocols are in place, 如果你还没有安排这些约会，现在是时候了, 当地医疗保健提供者说.

在哈里斯民意调查最近的一项调查中, 52 percent of Americans said they delayed or canceled health-care services since the pandemic started. 在本地, many doctor’s offices and non-emergency medical facilities needed to restrict in-person care for a time, with patients communicating with providers by video or over the phone for routine visits or to determine if in-person treatment was needed. At times it was a difficult way to provide comprehensive care, 博士说. Mark Simmons, internal medicine and pediatric care physician for UCHealth Northern Colorado.

“With telehealth visits we couldn’t do the usual care like take the patient’s blood pressure, 或者听听他们的心肺, 所以我们听不到心脏杂音,西蒙斯说. The yearly check-up for school-aged kids is when a doctor picks up on any growth problems and can discuss mental health issues, 在大流行的压力下，所有年龄段的人都日益关注. Simmons said he preferred not to do physicals over video for fear of missing problems.

Now that restrictions have lifted and more people are vaccinated, he advises families not to wait any longer to see their care team. The risks of delaying care for known issues like hypertension or diabetes—or problems that have yet to be caught on a Pap test or mammogram—are a big concern. Even routine blood draws can tell a lot about what is going on in the body without a patient experiencing symptoms. “With regular screening we can pick up problems earlier when they are easier to treat, 而且并发症的可能性也更小. 例如, a whole host of serious medical issues can occur for those with untreated diabetes and high blood pressure,他解释道.

新的筛查指南

我们有些人推迟的一项推荐检查是结肠镜检查. Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in both men and women, but the colonoscopy exam is the one test we have that can actually stop cancer, 西蒙斯指出. That’s because the doctor can remove any polyps found during the procedure to prevent colorectal cancer from developing.

New guidelines mean more people will be asked to schedule their first colonoscopy before their 50th birthday. The American Cancer Society recently updated the colorectal cancer screening recommendation to age 45. 在过去, 45 was the age recommended for Blacks because of their higher risk as a group, and before age 50 for those with a family history of colon cancer. 建议其他人在50岁时进行首次结肠镜检查.

“There are 18,000 colon cancers diagnosed each year for men and women under the age of 50 in the U.S.所以我很高兴看到新的指导方针，”西蒙斯说. “我告诉人们，他们只需要做好准备, then it’s a nice nap because you’re asleep during the colonoscopy itself. 这绝对是值得的.”

补充免疫接种

因为COVID-19大流行持续了一年多, 许多人已经落后于他们的拍摄计划. Infants and children need their immunizations to keep them safe from diseases like measles, 百日咳, 和脊髓灰质炎. 如果你有5岁及以下的小孩, it’s especially important to follow the timeline for their primary series of vaccines, 西蒙斯的压力. Most childcare providers require kids to be vaccinated before enrollment, 以及学校(允许有一些例外).

For adults who put off other vaccines when they were getting their COVID-19 shots, the latest recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is that you don’t have to wait. Some people delayed their first shingles vaccine or waited longer than the recommended 2 to 6 months between their first and second dose during the pandemic, 例如. 如果你一直在等待, 建议服用第二剂Shingrix, 带状疱疹疫苗, 尽量在第一次测试后的6个月进行. 你仍然受到保护, 根据疾控中心, so go ahead and schedule it no matter where you are in your COVID-19 vaccination plan. 

Also, mammograms can still be done even if your lymph nodes may be enlarged after a COVID-19 shot. Just tell the technician doing the mammogram that you've recently received a COVID-19 vaccine and they will take that into consideration.

注意你的牙齿

Trips to the dentist were also often put on hold over the last year. 洗牙, 虽然, is about more than shining up your pearly whites—the condition of your teeth and oral issues are examined and can change dramatically in a year, 博士说. Justyna Aspiazu of the 网上博彩澳门银河’s 家庭牙科诊所.

“Cavities can become bigger and lead to a root canal or an extraction. 舌头上的小损伤, 哪些可以被移除, 可能变成恶性的, grow, 并将癌症扩散到身体的其他部位,Aspiazu警告说. 

根据美国牙科协会的一项调查, dentists around the country reported a greater than 60 percent increase in stress-related conditions in the teeth such as clenching and grinding which leads to headaches, 肌肉疲劳, 牙齿断裂.

因为所有这些原因, now is a good time to visit your dentist and get a current picture of your dental health, Aspiazu说. The 家庭牙科诊所 is seeing patients for routine care as well as emergencies with strict cleaning protocols in place. 拨打970-416-5331查看您是否有资格获得服务.

As we return to more normal daily lives, it pays to make time for our health. Writer and philosopher Simone de Beauvoir said it best: “Don’t gamble on the future, 现在就行动, 及时.”