Annual Med Check...And A Rant

I finally got around to getting my annual checkup done, something which should've been carried out in June! Thinking that 8:30am would be very early was the first mistake I did. A long queue had already formed. The examination package is quite comprehensive but not all-inclusive. Other than the blood works, ultrasound, X-ray, a treadmill stress test and other basic tests, there was no cancer marker check, no bone density nor hearing test. Certainly no testicular ultrasound as what this famous blogger went through!


Having said that, I can't be complaining since the RM1,000 package is fully borne by my employer. The reason I'm mentioning this is so that in the event you're looking for a clinic to perform an extensive array of tests, you can consider where Kenny went.


Since there are only a couple of weeks to the end of the year, there were many colleagues there to "redeem" their benefits and thus what was potentially a 3-hour visit turned into a 6-hour stay. I had my iPod Touch with me and was able to while my time away watching movies and surfing the web via the free wi-fi access. The waiting did many no good since we had to fast from midnight. I was starved. The matter was made worse since the Astro channel was locked on to the cooking channel! In the end I could wait no more and surrendered my lunch voucher at the cafeteria while waiting for the treadmill (I know, no running after food!). I opted for the tasty garlic and mushroom pasta.


The results of the test? The doc gave me a clean bill of health. No presence of H Pylori (this dang bacteria sounds like Helicopter Pirelli!), the good cholesterol is high and the bad is low, no infection of the kidney, prostate looks good. I'm tracking the cholesterol readings though - it's gone up even though it's still in the healthy zone. I attribute that to working late the past few months and not eating as well as last year. That has to change. My BMI is still good at 18, and I haven't yet shrunk - my height still the same. The X-ray showed a little non-permanent scarring of my lung (right lung upper quadrant) which the doc said could've been due to a lung infection. That's strange because I didn't know I had that. Despite that I was told not to worry as it wasn't something to be concerned about. With the good results in my hand, I treated myself to an ice-cream cone on my way back to the office.


Now comes the rant. Not about the med check but about an experience at the recently concluded PC Fair. A salesgirl approached me as I was checking out the Shure earbuds at the EpiCenter booth. She asked me if there was anything I was looking for. Nothing wrong. So I asked if the price stated on the item was any cheaper than sold at their store. Her answer floored me. Ready? OK, here you go. She replied, "Would it make a difference if it was cheaper outside?". Somehow I was able to remain standing and replied (in a rather incredulous tone) "Of course! That's what fairs are for. Why else would I brave the crowds for if not for a better price?". And I walked off. She may just be a part-timer for the store just for the event but EpiCenter had lost a customer.