"Doctors are _______ to Fat Patients"

frosty73 · November 2012

I thought this was an interesting article on jezebel:
http://jezebel.com/5959682/doctors-are-****ty-to-fat-patients

I'm sure we all have plenty to say about it?

pastryari · November 2012

Yes, damn those doctors for telling people to get healthy. :huh:

beccannes · November 2012

Wow! I think if my health was at risk I would want my MD to tell me the truth and not sugar coat things. The truth may hurt sometimes although I would view it as constructive criticism. I think what would be wrong is if a MD sugar coated things and someone passed away w/ something that could have been preventable. Although that is only my opinion!

zyxst · November 2012

Really? Losing weight /= healthy.

Since I was 10, the first thing every doctor ever said to me is: You need to lose some weight. Never mattered what I came in to see them about. They never gave me and info or help on how to do this. Most of them seem to believe being fat is the root of every health problem I've had.

pastryari · November 2012

Basing off your ticker, which has a highest weight of 300lbs, yes that IS unhealthy. Losing weight would YES = healthy. Did you ever ask your doctor for any info?! Sorry to say, but at 300lbs, being fat was probrably a major factor in health problems.
I don't get why you disagree that to lose weight would be healthier. You are here to lose weight..........

frosty73 · November 2012

I think the author has a point. However, I have a real problem with her checklist of questions to ask a doctor:
"Do you think people can be healthy while being fat?" She thinks the answer is yes. She thinks the "establishment" is out to discredit and prove that fat people are unhealthy. I think the answer is, if you are fat your health is being slowly damaged from the inside --whether you like it or not. I admit, though, I'm not a doctor and I haven't actually read any scientific literature about it.

As far as losing weight, my Mom lost a whole lot of weight over the course of 6 months, and I congratulated her on looking so slim and fit. She then told me that she'd lost the weight because of IBS, and she was miserable. Probably everyone knows someone with cancer who has lost a lot of weight. So, losing weight does not always equal good health!

Erienneb · November 2012

I rarely go to the dr....and my general care physician is my grandfather soooo I dunno if I can answer this properly. He did tell me in all seriousness to lose 90 pounds and has always been honest and up front about other health issues I may have had, but he was never mean to me about it. He's somewhat estranged from my dad btw because he walked on when my dad and his brothers were young so there's weird levels of awkward and I avoid the dr when I can. I was in the ER twice (once for an ankle injury once for an infected spider bite that abcessed on my arm) and even though I was heavy at the time, all the drs and nurses I saw were totally fine to me.

moosegt35 · November 2012

It could be the root of every health problem you have ever had. I am not trying to be mean, just honest.

tdbad1 · November 2012

I have dealt with this all my life too.
I think the point is, they say it in a way that makes you feel like you're invisible cause you're fat. Like poof,if the weight disappeared over night it would solve all your problems. they just don't take you seriously. My dr, just puts his head down, scribbles something on his pad, waves at me and says "oh thats just your diabtese"...oh really?? explain to me how a 24 hr itch in my ear cannal is due to diabetes? he didn't even look in there. ( this is just one example.)
When i go to a dr, i have a short list of what i need to have checked out. I don't try to waste his time. But he was wasting mine by not even looking at me.
the other part is...sometimes, and im not looking to allow for excuses, but sometimes gaining weight is the symptom, not the disease. If we got some real attention, maybe we could, "just loose weight and you'll get better"

JustJennie1 · November 2012

It most certainly can be and probably IS the root of every health problem you've ever had. I have a friend who was obese and has just lost 250lbs and guess what? Every single health problem that he was having while he was obese have miraculously disappeared. Coincident? Hell no. Type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, difficulty breathing just to name a few would be significantly reduced if not eliminated if one were to lose weight and become healthy.

It's your own fault for not asking the doctor how to go about losing the weight. I would rather have a doctor who was honest and told me I was fat, that I was killing myself by being over weight and that I needed to lose some pounds rather than a doctor who ignored the issue and pretended everything was fine.

JustJennie1 · November 2012

The doctor is there to listen to you. Who cares if you're "wasting his time" or not. Why do you think you made an appointment? While doctors do tend to toss things out and not explain what they're talking about it's up to you as the patient to ask the questions and demand answers. If those answers don't seem right or don't make sense press him for the reasons WHY XYZ is happening and if you're still not satisfied go get a second opinion. Too many times I sat back and let the doctor do and say whatever it was they said without questioning because they're the "all knowing doctor" when the truth is they're NOT all knowing and it never served me to walk out of an examination confused and not knowing what the heck he's talking about. If I don't like the answer they give me or they're just not taking the time to listen to me then I get a second opinion or I'll call them back up and ask them to please explain better what just transpired.

There is absolutely no reason why you should leave an appointment clueless and confused because you didn't question the doctor, ask the questions and yes, "waste his time".

sho3girl · November 2012

Doctors go staight to the obvious

weight
smoking

and in my case that I didn;t see a shrink when my Mum died.

VelociMama · November 2012

My cardiologist telling me I was obese was one of the biggest triggers for me to change FOR GOOD. Did I hate him for it at the time? YES. Do I love him for it now? YES.

Obesity is a major contributing factor in long-term disease and a major risk factor for many forms of cancer as well. Those are facts. You might have "perfect" bloodwork now, but if you remain obese into your 40's and 50's, more than likely, you will be suffering some health problems from it, some of which are irreversible. Denying this is just lying to yourself.

LoraF83 · November 2012

And for those who say "but I am healthy" - you are healthy NOW. That's not to say you will be in the future. Being overweight is like a ticking time bomb....or like being a smoker. My dad smokes a pack a day, and has my whole life. He's healthy now, but I have no illusions that I'll be sitting by his bedside while he dies of cancer or suffers from some other problem. And no one would hesitate to tell him that smoking is unhealthy. So why can't we say that being overweight is unhealthy?

My doctor never said one word to me about my weight. I'm kinda pissed about that actually. I wish he had - maybe I would have figured this out sooner instead of spending so much time fat and unhappy and jeopardizing my health.

NocturnalGirl · November 2012

Losing weight is healthy in the case of overweight and obese patients, it can eliminate many health problems that are caused by weight issues. While being fat is not the only cause for health problems, they are guiding people to at least cover one aspect, thus reducing the number of issues that may occur.

VelociMama · November 2012

JINX again!

Totally agree with this. Too many people make the mistake of thinking they're healthy now and assuming it will remain that way despite their poor habits. It's a shame too since a lot of diseases can be prevented by no longer being obese/overweight and quitting smoking early. It's also a quality of life issue. 60 year old pack a day smokers rarely have the energy to get up and do something fun with their grandkids. Same goes for older obese people. It gets harder to manage with age, not easier.

libbymcbain · November 2012

I read this thing in one of Jillian Michaels books once. She said she went on some TV show, a sort of panel debate thing. One side was health and fitness experts, the other were "weight rights" people. She was on the fitness side, and her fellow fitness side panellists were very antagonistic to the "weight rights" people. One of them had a close relative that had died of an obesity related disease and the other one had some other emotional issue of their own with obesity. Bottom line was, they started lecturing and ordering round the weight rights people, not listening to them and not treating them with basic human respect and dignity, basically being really angry and acting on their own emotional reposnes and fears rather than connecting with the other people and responding to them.

She realised that the "weight rights" people were really not just saying "respect us however we are" but also "look, it is hard being 300lbs, hard enough as it is without being treated like we are sub-human when you know nothing about me and what my life is, without having your anger and fear taken out on me like I am some kind of punch bag". And she realised that any kind of automatic response like that is prejudice and that that always leads somewhere wrong.

So she just spoke to the weights rights people like normal people, because they were normal people. She stayed in touch after the programme with one of them and she helped her lose weight, when the other person realised that was what she wanted and asked for help. So a bit of understanding, respect and empathy, as well as just plain old kindness and niceness was what got a result in the end.

And I think a LOT of doctors could do with learning that, and a lot of other people too. A human connection and a bit of respect is going to lead somewhere better or quicker than fighting about what weight is right or wrong.

EatClenTrenHard · November 2012

Overweight > diabetes t2. > renal failure > CVD > neuropathy > amputations, in any order.

daisiemae123 · November 2012

Is being overweight sometimes the problem, yes. Is it always, no. I don't think a doctor should sugar coat it, or pretend a weight issue doesn't exist, but they also need to realize someone can have problems due to something other than weight. I spent a year in pain because the doctor I was seeing told me my back pain was due to my weight (and I wasn't all that overweight at the time) didn't look into anything else, just assumed that if I lost weight the problem would disappear. Switched insurance and had to switch doctors. This doctor listened to me, examined me, sent me for x-rays and turns out I had compressed vertebrae from an accident. Spent a year in pain because a doctor wouldn't look past the fat for something else.

HaleyAlli · November 2012

Okay... I realize I'm probably being naive right now, but I'm just wondering, how does a vegan get fat? If you're a true vegan? Do you eat like, 15 pounds of carrots a day? I really don't get it, I'm sorry...

Anyway, this woman just sounds like a whiny *kitten* to me that doesn't want to be told she has a DISEASE called OBESITY.

LauraJo08 · November 2012

As someone who is matriculating to medical school next year and who has gone through periods of my life where I was 20 pounds overweight, I agree with both sides of the argument.

For doctors, it is extremely difficult in our "slap a bandaid" on it medical community. Health care costs are skyrocketing each year, and it is because we don't focus enough on preventative medicine, ie nutrition, exercise, healthy weight management, anti-smoking, vaccination, etc. Even after only shadowing other doctors, I have already become frustrated with patients coming in with multiple complaints looking for a miracle pill that will save them when SURPISE, there is a miracle pill: weight loss and healthy living. When patients do nothing about it, doctor's feel helpless and frustrated.

On the otherhand, I know that as a child and adolescent, my doctor gave neither me or my parents any tangible information about how to life a healthy lifestyle. I think that the best thing for both parties is for patients to be informated and proactive about their situation, doing research and then asking the doctor for specific professional advice without the sugar coat (literally and figuratively).

r0se125 · November 2012

When i got pregnant with my daughter i was pretty over weight. I was really sick and was worried about loosing weight and hurting my daughter. My doctors response was "you have enough fat on you to feed the baby, everything will be fine" It hurt at the time, no one WANTS to hear that they need to loose weight but really it can help with alot of other health issues. and honestly it was the kick in the *kitten* i needed everyone always tip toed around my weight gain and never confronted me about it. My parents and my husband kept telling me how beautiful i was and blah blah. but looking back now. its like really? why didnt anyone say anything at all? I am glad my doctor was so open and up front and made me realize that i needed to do something before i really had a problem. So after my daughter I really started working on my weight and am now down 63lbs since i got pregnant with her. so while yes some doctors can be a little rude and mean sometimes i think its what we need.

kooltray87 · November 2012

Did I already know I was overweight? Yes, but it only took one embarrassing moment at the doctor for me to get motivated to change. Weight might not be the cause of ALL health issues but it in itself IS a health issue.

firstsip · November 2012

I'm going to go a bit off topic here to go... wait, your grandfather is your doctor? o_o Yeah, that sure seems awkward...

ptbodacious · November 2012

One of my favorite doctors was about 5 feet tall and maybe weighed 90 pounds. When I started repeating what previous doctors has said - that all my problems were caused by being overweight - she came unglued and informed me, in no uncertain terms, that she was sick to death of doctors who blamed patients' problems on their weight instead of trying to figure out what might actually be wrong! From there we went down several different paths one at a time until reaching a final diagnosis. As it turned out, my problem was genetic and had nothing to do with being overweight, so she treated that. When things improved substantially, I asked her about my weight again and she agreed that I needed to lose some weight, but emphasized that the original problem was not weight-based. Broke my heart to move away and have to change doctors, but I'll never forget what she said and did for me. There are doctors out there who are willing to do their jobs and not just blame the fat card - you just have to keep looking.

ladyplaz · November 2012

My answeer would be RUDE! Every overwieght person or person who has to battle their weight knows what it is like to go see the doctor. They see the weight first and JUDGE! Just like every skinny person out there. We all judge people on how they look. Yes, doctors are there to help us with our health. They are there to give us counsel on how the weight is effecting us internally and externally. But, now that the healthy weight bars are set, I want to know how people obtain those and stay there. Because, before the four kids and a host of other health issues, I was always 5 to 10 pounds from being at the standard. Every time I had to see my doctor I got chewed out for those 5 to 10 pounds. So, now that I am working my way back to those 5 to 10 pounds, I see it as a victory. I will NEVER be the 136 they say, don't want to be. I just want fair and decent healthcare without being judged by my weight first and my health second.

firstsip · November 2012

This comment is on point.

"I'm perfectly healthy being overweight" until, ten years later at the same weight, your bones have weakened, your cholesterol has changed, your blood pressure's increased, and your organs have dealt with visceral fat.

I wish more people could objectively look at not only others, but themselves.

EatClenTrenHard · November 2012

yeah thats when my waist was 42''

now its 35.5'' and my weight is down to 190. Since september..

Weightlifting stats stayed the same, cardio IMPROVED alot.
blood pressure is normal now, with resting pulse of 55.

I just saved taxpayers over 1mil $ in future healthcare costs.

annmariedap · November 2012

My doctor is pretty frank with me when it comes to my weight and he has never made me feel uncomfortable just because of my weight. I remember him telling me one time "Your not working hard enough on the eliptical at the gym because I see you read book". I didn't get offended I thought is was pretty fun. He has done all the standard tests to check if my weight has anything to do with a medical reason to no avail - I am basicly a healthy fat girl who needs to lose weight.

zumbagada · November 2012

This!!! I once went to a doctor for an MRI after rolling a car off a cliff, and severely smashing the nerves in my right hip, and losing the ability to walk properly for three months. And the worthless POS had the nerve to not even look at my chart and tell me that my hip hurt because I was overweight, and maybe I should excercise - never mind the fact that I was exercising fifteen hours a week at the time, but couldn't do anything high impact or walk down the stairs properly.

Pixi_Rex · November 2012

I can't take you seriously... your name is dumb and because you are an asswad.

"Doctors are _______ to Fat Patients"

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