Oh for the days of short annual checkups that ended with my doctor telling me: “You’re healthy as a horse.” Not sure exactly what that meant, but since there were no referrals or follow-up appointments, I could assume that all was well.

No longer. My checkup on Thursday lasted more than an hour, partly because my doctor is thorough, but also because there seem to be more things to check these days. And as usual lately, there is follow up—“Let’s do an X-ray to see if your hip pain is arthritis, bursitis or something else”, she said.

She also suggested a blood test for vitamin B-12, not included in my pre-appointment blood tests just ten days ago. That blood test had left me with a huge black-and-blue bruise. So this time I asked the technician to be extra careful. She offered to use a “butterfly needle”—thinner and less likely to produce a bruise, she promised.

Ten minutes later, I took a peek. Alas, there was another big bruise. And to add to the fun, this time my bandage was soaked with blood.

It’s good that annual checkups happen only once a year.