Although I tried to be tongue in cheek in my last posting, there is a serious issue here. First, if you are reasonably young and/or fit, the chance of these tests picking up a problem is miniscule. The ECG may identify ischaemic problems but this is normally seen well into a flying career and not at the start. High blood pressure on a random reading is far more likely to be due to anxiety under 40 than a sign of disease, so far from reducing stress we are just piling it on.
There is a growing misconception, fuelled by commercial organisations with vested interests, that more and more screening can only be good for you. I see several patients a year on my intensive care who have been given false positive results and go down a slippery slope. Rugbyear's haemoglobin is just a case in point.
A proper examination by a doctor, testing the urine for diabetes and examining the back of the eyes may be of value. Isolated tests are not. Having invested massive amounts of money into a dream of a flying career it is no wonder we all get nervous when we go for a medical (I am no exception) but it is disingenuous to promote pre check checks.
Hopefully the medical department at Gatwick and indeed all AMEs have some empathy and on the rare occasion when a problem is identified they will be supportive and sympathetic - certainly my colleagues who advise the CAA take this approach.