Morbidly Obese mother files complaint

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Replies

  • perfectingpatti
    perfectingpatti Posts: 1,037 Member
    Yes, I'm sure it was reasonable for him to expect her to lose more than 5lbs a WEEK? Doctors aren't magical infallible creatures.

    Depends. Someone who is morbidly obese and put on a doctor monitored weight loss regimen to lose weight for a surgery may very well be reasonable.

    Agreed. Doctors are not infallible creatures. They are human. If you don't like what your doctor tells you, go find another one.
  • BigDougie1211
    BigDougie1211 Posts: 3,531 Member
    If a doctor or hospital was not equipped to treat me the last thing I would do is complain. I would find a hospital that could give me and my baby the best care. Her weight has created a complication. Doctors take an oath to do no harm. What more can you ask for than a doctor that is honest enough to assess your situation and say 'I am not qualified. But here are people that are.'?

    Her Doctor didn't do that though - he didn't have the stones to. He made up a story about hospital policy to hide behind.
    I'd certainly be angry if my Doc lied to me.
  • kaseysospacey
    kaseysospacey Posts: 499 Member
    I think its ok to be mad the dr lied. He should have been honest about the reason. That being said I have been in the same situatiin as her and I was glad to be getting better care.
  • clarkeje1
    clarkeje1 Posts: 1,640 Member
    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.
  • perfectingpatti
    perfectingpatti Posts: 1,037 Member
    I have a wonderful doctor now that is encouraging and kind. She is happy and congratulatory when there is a loss. That is what I look for. Positive doctors. You don't need someone negative when there is a long road to travel.

    I'm glad you found someone you are happy with. That's important.
  • jcmartin0313
    jcmartin0313 Posts: 574 Member
    Body shaming? Fat acceptance? These terms are indicative of everything that is wrong with our society today. There is zero rationale in accepting obesity period end of story. If you are obese you should love yourself enough to work toward resolving it. Will you succeed? I do not know. Should obese people be ostricized or discriminated against, of course not. There is a huge difference though between not discriminating or hating obesity and loving yourself obese. The middle ground should be that obesity is a disease, a deadly one. To be obese and refuse to work toward change is selfish period. You are depriving yourself and more importantly your loved ones of years of life. Losing weight is absurdly difficult. I was fortunate to have LapBand which put me on the road. I am not saying that failing to lose weight is failing, but failing to recognize obesity as a disease and making the mental and physical changes required is an absolute fail!
  • Umeboshi
    Umeboshi Posts: 1,637 Member
    Body shaming? Fat acceptance? These terms are indicative of everything that is wrong with our society today. There is zero rationale in accepting obesity period end of story. If you are obese you should love yourself enough to work toward resolving it. Will you succeed? I do not know. Should obese people be ostricized or discriminated against, of course not. There is a huge difference though between not discriminating or hating obesity and loving yourself obese. The middle ground should be that obesity is a disease, a deadly one. To be obese and refuse to work toward change is selfish period. You are depriving yourself and more importantly your loved ones of years of life. Losing weight is absurdly difficult. I was fortunate to have LapBand which put me on the road. I am not saying that failing to lose weight is failing, but failing to recognize obesity as a disease and making the mental and physical changes required is an absolute fail!

    Being fat isn't a disease.
  • SaraBrown12
    SaraBrown12 Posts: 277 Member
    A woman of 350+ lb cannot be healthy. Someone posted above that her stats were ok if you ignore the BMI. Fact is tho when delivering a baby potentially by c section BMI does matter. Having to cut through layers and layers of extra fat. Internal organs that you cannot see that also have fat around them. Any1 350LB saying they are healthy needs to remove head from *kitten*. Fine be over weight and be happy, But do not make out its healthy.

    The doc was doing what was best for baby. The mother can argue till her fat melts that she will be "fine" for normal delivery. Stats don't lie. Heavier women have more complications when giving birth. The doc was wrong to lie. I am pretty sure he was just trying to do what was best. Maybe in the wrong manner, but still, I hope the mother has a safe delivery wherever she is. But i also hope she gets laughed out of court when she tries to sue the doctor.
  • kaseysospacey
    kaseysospacey Posts: 499 Member
    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.
  • BioMechHeretic
    BioMechHeretic Posts: 128 Member
    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.

    OHNOEZ THE FATZ EPIDEMICZ

    Yes, an epidemic is exactly what it is. This is the first generation that likely won't live as long as the last. People can't fit into seats, can't fit on planes, can't quickly climb a single flight of stairs. Society is in a huge physical mess because nobody wants to accept responsibility for their own actions anymore.

    Everyone on here really making a difference realizes what a problem it is and is working to fix their own situation.

    You keep making light of it but the fact is obesity is a self inflicted disease that needs to be treated. This doctor did not feel comfortable dealing with a potential disaster. I don't blame him.
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    I think the doctor could have been honest. "We aren't equipped to safely deliver your baby here due to your weight, but _______ hospital is, and we will have your chart faxed to them in advance."

    Maybe she did? I didn't see anywhere in the article any comments from the doctor...
  • BioMechHeretic
    BioMechHeretic Posts: 128 Member
    Body shaming? Fat acceptance? These terms are indicative of everything that is wrong with our society today. There is zero rationale in accepting obesity period end of story. If you are obese you should love yourself enough to work toward resolving it. Will you succeed? I do not know. Should obese people be ostricized or discriminated against, of course not. There is a huge difference though between not discriminating or hating obesity and loving yourself obese. The middle ground should be that obesity is a disease, a deadly one. To be obese and refuse to work toward change is selfish period. You are depriving yourself and more importantly your loved ones of years of life. Losing weight is absurdly difficult. I was fortunate to have LapBand which put me on the road. I am not saying that failing to lose weight is failing, but failing to recognize obesity as a disease and making the mental and physical changes required is an absolute fail!

    DIngDIngDIng
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
    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:
  • Fatandfifty3
    Fatandfifty3 Posts: 419 Member
    drat.... brb....
  • branflake6
    branflake6 Posts: 115
    I think it was wrong and unprofessional for the doctor to lie about his reason for her to deliver elsewhere. If it was not hospital policy and he told her it is hospital policy that is wrong. He should have been honest and suggested she deliver elsewhere because she and the baby would get better care. I also think people need to stop filing lawsuits every time they get their feeling hurt. Not to mention if you are 353lb there is no way you can truly believe that you weight has no influence on their health. It would have to be uncomfortable. My highest weight ever was 178 and I was very uncomfortable. And if she is filing the lawsuit out of embarrassment that doesn't make sense either. Its not like she was told publicly to go to another hospital. No one had to know why she was going there.
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    If this was her OBGYN doctor, I would think that this would have been established way before the delivery.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    ninerbuff, this is what surprises me most of all about the whole thing. Why did this come up so far into her pregnancy? I'm pregnant now (due a couple of weeks after this lady), and I pre-registered with the hospital months ago. That was discussed at my first visit, even though I already had my son at the same hospital with the same OB. She still had to go over it with me to make sure we were both on the same page. I don't think she'd have been too thrilled if I walked into her office on Monday and mentioned how I'd planned on delivering at home or at another hospital where she doesn't have privileges.
  • jcmartin0313
    jcmartin0313 Posts: 574 Member
    Body shaming? Fat acceptance? These terms are indicative of everything that is wrong with our society today. There is zero rationale in accepting obesity period end of story. If you are obese you should love yourself enough to work toward resolving it. Will you succeed? I do not know. Should obese people be ostricized or discriminated against, of course not. There is a huge difference though between not discriminating or hating obesity and loving yourself obese. The middle ground should be that obesity is a disease, a deadly one. To be obese and refuse to work toward change is selfish period. You are depriving yourself and more importantly your loved ones of years of life. Losing weight is absurdly difficult. I was fortunate to have LapBand which put me on the road. I am not saying that failing to lose weight is failing, but failing to recognize obesity as a disease and making the mental and physical changes required is an absolute fail!

    Being fat isn't a disease.

    Not sure what you base this on, but the CDC defines obesity as a chronic disease.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
    Body shaming? Fat acceptance? These terms are indicative of everything that is wrong with our society today. There is zero rationale in accepting obesity period end of story. If you are obese you should love yourself enough to work toward resolving it. Will you succeed? I do not know. Should obese people be ostricized or discriminated against, of course not. There is a huge difference though between not discriminating or hating obesity and loving yourself obese. The middle ground should be that obesity is a disease, a deadly one. To be obese and refuse to work toward change is selfish period. You are depriving yourself and more importantly your loved ones of years of life. Losing weight is absurdly difficult. I was fortunate to have LapBand which put me on the road. I am not saying that failing to lose weight is failing, but failing to recognize obesity as a disease and making the mental and physical changes required is an absolute fail!


    Being fat isn't a disease.

    But in your last remark you sad not all people get fat by making bad choices... So which is it? A choice or a disease?
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    At my highest weight, 357, I was healthy. Granted, I was too heavy, but my numbers were just fine. My blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol, blood sugar, thyroid, triglycerides, etc were all within normal levels. No diabetes. No high blood pressure. None of the issues many obese people have. Doctors were usually pretty shocked.

    My point is, you can't assume she isn't healthy just because of her weight. If she's speaking in terms of bloodwork alone, she may be right. On paper, I was perfectly healthy (if you ignored my BMI). Still am. I've lost 54 pounds, and I'm sure my numbers are about the same or better. Am I a healthy weight? Heck no. Am I healthy, generally? Yes.

    I don't think it's right that he lied to her. He should have explained her options. He took the chicken way out of it, and that's wrong.

    I have to call BS on this. I have never had problems with my BP, I have never had problems with my cholesterol, diabetes or anything like that either. But just because those vital stats are ok does not mean you are healthy. At 260 pounds, all my stats were good too, but it made me sick to my stomach to walk for 20 minutes. It took me losing 50lbs to realize how unhealthy I actually was and how much potential I was lacking physically. Denial is a horrible thing.

    I have to call BS on you, dear. I currently weigh close to 300lbs. I am also pregnant. My blood pressure was taken yesterday and was 101/70. All of my stats are awesome. I can RUN up and down stairs no problem. I can EASILY walk more than 20 minutes. With no pain. And I do. All of the time. In the summer I walk around the small lake near our house 1-2 times per week and that is a 4 mile walk and I do it in a little over an hour. I have a close friend who just had a baby last year and she in in the healthy weight range. She had super high blood pressure and had to be put on bed rest for a month and induced three weeks early. Health is relative. It depends much more on genetics, how much you move your body, and what you put into it... than what you weigh. I am not saying that I am "healthy" because I know that carrying around the extra weight puts a strain on my body. Which is why I am here and working on it. But dont sit in your smug little corner and pick at those around you. I dont know why you even posted this? Does it make you feel superior? It shouldn't.

    I'm not picking on anyone, anyone who knows me would testify to that. Neither did I say that people at a healthy weight do not have medical problems. :huh: I do not agree with bodyshaming I just posted an article that is relevant to many people here and something I thought many people would be interested in. Then stated my opinion on the issue.

    You just stated yourself that carrying the extra weight puts a strain on your body....What do you think it does to a fetus that a body is supporting? it is the same reason I am here too. According to my BP, cholesterol and other factors, I have no problems but I am by no means healthy. I just admit and accept it and try to do something to change it.

    The body reverts resources to the infant first. Fat is stored resource. It is far more likely that an underweight woman will cause damage to a fetus than a morbidly obese woman with an abundance of resources available.
  • Umeboshi
    Umeboshi Posts: 1,637 Member
    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.

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