Checking the Engine: Telling the Truth to Your Doctor and Other Tips

Doctors used to be in charge of care, so they took however much time they thought was necessary with a patient.Shutterstock

When January rolls around, it’s time for me to put away Christmas decorations, make—and all too often, break—some New Year’s resolutions, send off birthday greetings to a few friends and relatives, pause to remember the woman, now deceased but still beloved, who became my wife in January of 1978, and brace up for at least another two months of cold weather.

It’s also time for my annual physical.

My Friend Sam

My physician—I’ll call him Sam—practices medicine in Asheville, North Carolina. Though I moved to Front Royal, Virginia, over three years ago, I still make an annual trek to Asheville for my physical because of my respect for Sam’s abilities.