Morbidly Obese mother files complaint

fbmandy55

The doctor shouldn't have lied and said something was policy when it isn't but the doctor always has a right to make his recommendation and its up to the lady if she wants to go with what he recommended or to make a bad choice. Obviously she was making bad choices already to get to 353 but its her body.

Not everyone who is fat made "bad choices" to get there. Thanks for playing.

Let me guess, you have a thyroid disorder that makes you fat and makes it impossible to lose weight? :noway:

This really hits close to home. If you are curious why, you can read my blog, http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/UsedToBeHusky.

The fact of the matter is, that not everyone is obese or morbidly obese because they made choices to be. This is the reason why fat tolerance, if nothing else, is an important social issue. Just because you can see that someone is obese, but you can't see why they are obese, does not mean that individual should be despised or treated without respsect. Honestly, regardless of anything, no one deserves to be treated with disrespect, and that is why the terms "fat acceptance" and "fat discrimination" have become buzz words in modern media. If you can look at a person, see their flaws, and then use those flaws as a reason to hate them, then you are discriminating against that individual, irregardless of your rationale behind it.

My mom has had major problems with her thryoid. I too have a condition which makes it hard to lose and makes it easier to gain. But that shouldn't be a copout. That doesn't justify being morbidly obese when most of the time, those people can lose weight, they just have to work harder and do things differently than a 'normal' person. I know medical issues happen but bad eating/exercise habits make up the majority.

I don't recommend or condone making fun of people for any reason but I don't think that people should be required to accept what *most* of the time, is a personal choice that DOES effect others. I don't hate fat people. I am one, my family is full of them but I don't agree with people who complain about their weight but do NOTHING to change it or don't take responsibility for it.

Umeboshi

The doctor shouldn't have lied and said something was policy when it isn't but the doctor always has a right to make his recommendation and its up to the lady if she wants to go with what he recommended or to make a bad choice. Obviously she was making bad choices already to get to 353 but its her body.

Not everyone who is fat made "bad choices" to get there. Thanks for playing.

Let me guess, you have a thyroid disorder that makes you fat and makes it impossible to lose weight? :noway:

This really hits close to home. If you are curious why, you can read my blog, http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/UsedToBeHusky.

The fact of the matter is, that not everyone is obese or morbidly obese because they made choices to be. This is the reason why fat tolerance, if nothing else, is an important social issue. Just because you can see that someone is obese, but you can't see why they are obese, does not mean that individual should be despised or treated without respsect. Honestly, regardless of anything, no one deserves to be treated with disrespect, and that is why the terms "fat acceptance" and "fat discrimination" have become buzz words in modern media. If you can look at a person, see their flaws, and then use those flaws as a reason to hate them, then you are discriminating against that individual, irregardless of your rationale behind it.

The problem I have is that we call it "fat acceptance" instead of "people acceptance". We continue to care out niches for those who are marginalized in society instead of focusing on loving and accepting all people. I will not condone obesity as an acceptable way of life for anyone, other than those who cannot medically lose weight any more than I will condone smoking, permiscuous sex or any other poor lifestyle choice. That, however, does not mean I do not accept obese people as my bretheren whom I love, nor does it mean I look upon them with scorn. We have become so sensitive in our society such that we can no longer be frank and honest with someone for fear of being called a bigot, discriminator or hater.

I'm sure you'd be happier if they changed the NAACP to the National Association for the Advancement of People, too.
Also, promiscuous sex is a poor lifestyle choice now? What?

jsiricos

Whatever happened to her sister, has no bearing on her.
And what happens this time, is NOT like last time, she is 4 years older, heading into the part where Gestational Diabetes shows up, No pregnancy is the same, even if its the same person. The body changes each time.

There are medical details that the Dr knows, that maybe this patient, would wish would never come out, that will.

Right now, we only have the tip of the iceberg, the "he said, she said" part.


Personally, if I Dr told me that, I'd get my *kitten* into gear and lose some weight, for my safety and the safety of my chld

bmqbonnie

A doctor can't just refuse care to a patient. That seems pretty counter intuitive. "Oh, you have health problems. I don't want to be liable if something goes wrong and you or your child die. Just go somewhere else." Um, no.

I don't see how this is any different from life flighting a patient from a small hospital to a bigger one in an emergency, or sending a cancer patient to the city for chemo treatment. It doesn't make any sense to equip a hospital in a little podunk town the same as one in a major city. They know in advance that this is a high risk situation so they are telling her she might as well go straight to the better equipped hospital to begin with so that she doesn't have to worry about being transported in the middle of labor if something does happen. I don't see the issue there.

fbmandy55

I estimate that my older sister weighs anywhere between 425-525 pounds. She refuses to lose weight because she doesn't have any health problems.

I think education should be the priority with this issue. How many of us here had no idea the cotnent of the foods we ate before we logged them?

I ate what I was raised on and I had no idea what I was consuming. My paren't idea of a healthy meal is steak, potatoes fried in a half a jar of EVOO and topped with a bag of cheese and a side of veggies covered in abother full bag of cheese. They honestly just don't know what they are consuming.

_Witsy_

The doctor shouldn't have lied and said something was policy when it isn't but the doctor always has a right to make his recommendation and its up to the lady if she wants to go with what he recommended or to make a bad choice. Obviously she was making bad choices already to get to 353 but its her body.

Not everyone who is fat made "bad choices" to get there. Thanks for playing.

Let me guess, you have a thyroid disorder that makes you fat and makes it impossible to lose weight? :noway:

This really hits close to home. If you are curious why, you can read my blog, http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/UsedToBeHusky.

The fact of the matter is, that not everyone is obese or morbidly obese because they made choices to be. This is the reason why fat tolerance, if nothing else, is an important social issue. Just because you can see that someone is obese, but you can't see why they are obese, does not mean that individual should be despised or treated without respsect. Honestly, regardless of anything, no one deserves to be treated with disrespect, and that is why the terms "fat acceptance" and "fat discrimination" have become buzz words in modern media. If you can look at a person, see their flaws, and then use those flaws as a reason to hate them, then you are discriminating against that individual, irregardless of your rationale behind it.

The problem I have is that we call it "fat acceptance" instead of "people acceptance". We continue to care out niches for those who are marginalized in society instead of focusing on loving and accepting all people. I will not condone obesity as an acceptable way of life for anyone, other than those who cannot medically lose weight any more than I will condone smoking, permiscuous sex or any other poor lifestyle choice. That, however, does not mean I do not accept obese people as my bretheren whom I love, nor does it mean I look upon them with scorn. We have become so sensitive in our society such that we can no longer be frank and honest with someone for fear of being called a bigot, discriminator or hater.

I'm sure you'd be happier if they changed the NAACP to the National Association for the Advancement of People, too.
Also, promiscuous sex is a poor lifestyle choice now? What?

*facepalm*

Do you have any real thoughts or facts to add to this discussion or is this just a sounding board for you to be mad at the world for your current state of existance? I'm just curious.

Umeboshi

You say obesity isn't a disease and isn't caused by bad choices, yet then you want to say that it's a body type or mostly caused by thyroid disease? Please.

It's not immoral to be inactive and eat too much, but then it also isn't immoral to smoke. Doesn't change the fact that it's bad for you.

Yes there are people out there that are overweight due to a thyroid problem or PCOS. They are a very small percentage of the overweight and obese and still doesn't automatically make you MORBIDLY obese. And there are many people on this very board that have overcome obstacles like thyroid or PCOS and still got down to at least a healthier weight. Maybe they won't ever look like a supermodel, but there is a huge difference between being a little fluffy and being 353 pounds. Plus the woman said herself she supposedly has no health issues other than obesity, so I doubt that she has any disease contributing to her obesity.

Numbers may be fine but the fact remains that should someone at that weight need a C section, they will need more drugs, more care and effort made into the surgery, and probably a bigger freaking operating table.

If you're happy with being morbidly obese, great, but if you don't fit into a plane seat you just don't fit into a plane seat. Suing the airline is not going to fix that.

I question why you're on this site if being obese is so dandy with you?

Thinking of fat people as lesser human beings is not okay, but neither is expecting special accommodations to magically appear when you are at an extreme size and then suing when you don't get it.

Are you having trouble with logic today? A significant number (someone quoted 16%) of people ARE fat because of a medical condition. Fat is a type of body. The fact that an illness can cause that doesn't change that.

Being inactive and eating "too much" isn't the cause of every fat person's fatness. Nice stereotyping, though.

Plane seats should be made to fit people of a variety of different sizes. Fat shouldn't be treated as "other", and fat people shouldn't be shamed into attempting to be thin for the sake of fitting into a plane seat.

Just because I personally am choosing to lose weight, doesn't mean fat is any less acceptable to me.

"Special Accommodations" .. there you go, marginalizing and categorizing fat as "other" again. All people should be accommodated. Not just thin.

cubbies77

I will never understand the amount of fat hate I see on this site. We're all here losing weight after dealing with our own struggles with food and lack of exercise (and some are still dealing with those issues), so show a little empathy.

k8blujay2

Didn't read past the first page... yet.

But I agree with those that said, that she should be grateful that he suggested a different hospital to accomidate her needs. She is typically considered high risk. However, I do agree that he shouldn't have lied about it being hospital policy... BUT that is something you complain to the medical board to, not sue over...

K_Serz

Is it also discrimination to charge someone who is FAT...(yeah, i said FAT....dont care what your weigh is), f your body's circumference takes up 2 airplane seats. You need to pay for 2 freaking seats because your *kitten* cheeks are in fact occupying 2 chairs.

Hospital policy: Maybe its not hospital policy to bring the entire operating room or whatever else is needed to accommodate her enormous frame or whatever other machines which may be necessary in the event something goes wrong. I am willing to bet that its not the first time the doctor or hospital had to deal with this situation. They are the experts.

Its not hard to see why that woman is probably overweight. Most people I see who have weight problems have emotional issues and it appears that everyone is out to get this woman and discriminate against her. I bet the hospital changed their policy right after she became a patient there just so they could mess with her!

_Witsy_

*facepalm*

Do you have any real thoughts or facts to add to this discussion or is this just a sounding board for you to be mad at the world for your current state of existance? I'm just curious.

Nope.

Ok so no real thoughts or facts. Gotchya.

barbi1281

The doctor shouldn't have lied and said something was policy when it isn't but the doctor always has a right to make his recommendation and its up to the lady if she wants to go with what he recommended or to make a bad choice. Obviously she was making bad choices already to get to 353 but its her body.

Not everyone who is fat made "bad choices" to get there. Thanks for playing.

Let me guess, you have a thyroid disorder that makes you fat and makes it impossible to lose weight? :noway:

Nope, but plenty of people do.

Roughly 16% averaged across the US population.

16% Diagnosed... Yet current estimates are that approximately 50% of thyroid problems are currently misdiagnosed or undiagnosed due to doctors mistaking them for depression and/or labs using outdated NIH guidelines (new guidelines are that a healthy value is .3 to 2.5 not .5 to 4.5). I was misdiagnosed for YEARS because of the lab screw-up and an a prior doctor who didn't know the new guidelines. Taking that into account, it is very hard for some people to lose weight... I've only lost weight because I had weight loss surgery and I take in 500-700 calories a day - my weight maintenance will be 1200 due to my thyroid (and I'm on meds for my thyroid).

That said, when I was obese, I had doctors discriminate based on my weight and it was a horrible feeling - especially when I tried and couldn't fix it (WW, Phentermine, low cal, low carb, exercise, you name it I did it and I still gained!). It's not ok to shame ANYONE because of their weight - you don't know why they're fat and you don't know how they feel inside regardless of what they project on the outside. If this doctor felt like she couldn't do her job because of the woman's weight - she should have been upfront during the initial appointments... I can't imagine getting familiar with an OB and thinking everything was well and then BAM something like this happens - especially right before the birth! Beyond that, it's outright offensive that the doctor lied to her... If I were the woman, I'd feel doubly insulted - one that the doctor shamed me b/c of my weight, but even more so that the doctor thought I were so dumb that she could lie to me and I wouldn't find out. I can't say that I'd sue, but I'd definitely make such a big stink about it that the doctor would've wish she'd have not even crossed that bridge and she definitely would think twice before she treated someone else that way.

_Witsy_

Funny cuz everyone else is actually discussing the situation..including myself. So I think I'll stay, thanks.

UsedToBeHusky

Morbid obesity is by definition unhealthy. MO is a disease process so for those of us who are obese, we are unhealthy. Fatt acceptance should not even be a term in our lexicon because we should never accept any disease process and try to disguise it as some sort of personal choice or civil right. I do not believe obese people should be discriminated against; however, there are well documented problems caused during pregnancy by obesity. Frankly, I find anyone who gets pregnant, is obese and tries to justify her obesity to be selfish just like a smoker who gets pregnant. Having once weight 400 pounds and being "healthy" I can tell you I was fooling myself. I have lost nearly 150 pounds and despite having near stellar lab values and vital signs, running several miles per week and eating healtheir, I am still obese and therefore not completely healthy. Obesity is an epidemic in our society because we want what we want when we want it and we refuse to accept the harsh reality that our bodies are designed to ingest and burn a certain number of calories per day. If you try to justify this woman's actions you are part of the problem.

The thing is that you cant just quit being fat like you can quit smoking.

You are correct that for a small percentage of obese people who possess a metabolism disorder, they cannot just stop being fat. However, the overwhelming majority of obese people, me included, became fat from making bad choices.

I think you missed the point. You can choose not to smoke, and from that day forward, you are a non-smoker. If you choose to stop over-eating, you will still be fat.

Umeboshi

Funny cuz everyone else is actually discussing the situation..including myself. So I think I'll stay, thanks.

I missed the part where I wasn't directly discussing the issues.

Umeboshi

Morbid obesity is by definition unhealthy. MO is a disease process so for those of us who are obese, we are unhealthy. Fatt acceptance should not even be a term in our lexicon because we should never accept any disease process and try to disguise it as some sort of personal choice or civil right. I do not believe obese people should be discriminated against; however, there are well documented problems caused during pregnancy by obesity. Frankly, I find anyone who gets pregnant, is obese and tries to justify her obesity to be selfish just like a smoker who gets pregnant. Having once weight 400 pounds and being "healthy" I can tell you I was fooling myself. I have lost nearly 150 pounds and despite having near stellar lab values and vital signs, running several miles per week and eating healtheir, I am still obese and therefore not completely healthy. Obesity is an epidemic in our society because we want what we want when we want it and we refuse to accept the harsh reality that our bodies are designed to ingest and burn a certain number of calories per day. If you try to justify this woman's actions you are part of the problem.

The thing is that you cant just quit being fat like you can quit smoking.

You are correct that for a small percentage of obese people who possess a metabolism disorder, they cannot just stop being fat. However, the overwhelming majority of obese people, me included, became fat from making bad choices.

I think you missed the point. You can choose not to smoke, and from that day forward, you are a non-smoker. If you choose to stop over-eating, you will still be fat.

Not to mention that calling overeating a "bad" choice is a bit judgey, considering bodybuilders also purposefully overeat, sometimes bulking to the detriment of their health.... but they are never shamed or judged for their body type or eating choices.

perfectingpatti

A doctor can't just refuse care to a patient. That seems pretty counter intuitive. "Oh, you have health problems. I don't want to be liable if something goes wrong and you or your child die. Just go somewhere else." Um, no.

Are you serious? Of course a doctor can refuse to treat a patient (emergency rooms aside). For example, my OB/GYN makes it perfectly clear that if his patients don't get their annual mammograms and pap smears, he will drop them.

BioMechHeretic

You say obesity isn't a disease and isn't caused by bad choices, yet then you want to say that it's a body type or mostly caused by thyroid disease? Please.

It's not immoral to be inactive and eat too much, but then it also isn't immoral to smoke. Doesn't change the fact that it's bad for you.

Yes there are people out there that are overweight due to a thyroid problem or PCOS. They are a very small percentage of the overweight and obese and still doesn't automatically make you MORBIDLY obese. And there are many people on this very board that have overcome obstacles like thyroid or PCOS and still got down to at least a healthier weight. Maybe they won't ever look like a supermodel, but there is a huge difference between being a little fluffy and being 353 pounds. Plus the woman said herself she supposedly has no health issues other than obesity, so I doubt that she has any disease contributing to her obesity.

Numbers may be fine but the fact remains that should someone at that weight need a C section, they will need more drugs, more care and effort made into the surgery, and probably a bigger freaking operating table.

If you're happy with being morbidly obese, great, but if you don't fit into a plane seat you just don't fit into a plane seat. Suing the airline is not going to fix that.

I question why you're on this site if being obese is so dandy with you?

Thinking of fat people as lesser human beings is not okay, but neither is expecting special accommodations to magically appear when you are at an extreme size and then suing when you don't get it.

Are you having trouble with logic today? A significant number (someone quoted 16%) of people ARE fat because of a medical condition. Fat is a type of body. The fact that an illness can cause that doesn't change that.

Being inactive and eating "too much" isn't the cause of every fat person's fatness. Nice stereotyping, though.

Plane seats should be made to fit people of a variety of different sizes. Fat shouldn't be treated as "other", and fat people shouldn't be shamed into attempting to be thin for the sake of fitting into a plane seat.

Just because I personally am choosing to lose weight, doesn't mean fat is any less acceptable to me.

"Special Accommodations" .. there you go, marginalizing and categorizing fat as "other" again. All people should be accommodated. Not just thin.

So lets say that plane seats are suddenly all the size of first class seats instead of coach. That cuts down the amount of passengers by 20%. Also cutting down the luggage and booking fees and ticket sales by 20%. WHich means airline prices will go up about 25% for everyone.

Are obese people going to pay the extra $100 every time I need to fly somewhere for business? I didn't think so.

Let them pay for 2 seats, because that's what they're taking up. You could apply this model to countless other industries all over the world.

Manda86

*facepalm*

Do you have any real thoughts or facts to add to this discussion or is this just a sounding board for you to be mad at the world for your current state of existance? I'm just curious.

Nope.

Ok so no real thoughts or facts. Gotchya.

Move along.

Geeky_Girl

If the doctor didn't feel comfortable delivering, he should have said so and referred the woman to the other hospital or another doctor. I think he was 'in the right', but I don't think he should have stated it was hospital policy if it wasn't. I'm sure the woman is embarrassed about the situation. And, at 350-ish lbs, there's bound to be some sort of health problems or potential complications.

Just my opinion.