Morbidly Obese mother files complaint
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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?
A body type.0 -
This!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.0 -
If this was her OBGYN doctor, I would think that this would have been established way before the delivery.
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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.
From the info in her comments, she had a different doctor last time she delivered. Not sure if this was from a recent discussion with her doctor or if she is just feeling picked on.0 -
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.0 -
Weight discrimination absolutely exists in the medical community. It's quite common. Based on the story, I can't say that's what happened, though I'm inclined to belive soi as the doctor wasn't forthright in his/her explnation of why she should be treated elsewhere.
I'd never want to be treated by a doctor who didn't want ot treat me, but when it's the only hospital around, thats when it becomes difficult.
I wish her well.0 -
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.
How is eating at a calorie surplus a "bad' choice? Is it somehow immoral to eat at a calorie surplus?0 -
There are a lot of people on here quick to defend to overweight mother. Shes making a bad choice already fighting to go to a hospital that stated to her they were not equipped for her. I find it hard to believe she got fat by accident or some other medical reason. I do not dispute there will be reasons out there that people get over weight and stay over weight but I believe its all about choices. I chose to sit on my *kitten* and eat crap. Nothing medical, no excuses i was just lazy and greedy. That was my choice to live that way (all be it a bad 1) Same way as its all other posters choice to be on here to try and change bad habit's all be it to lose weight or gain.0
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Yes, the whole point of this is fat acceptance. As the article states, she went to the media so other overweight women wouldn't have to be treated the same as her.
This isn't an issue of fat acceptance, in my mind. The lady is high risk because of her weight and the doctor doesn't want to take on that liability.
I agree, but from what the patient is stating, she is being judged because her weight.
Which is acceptable in this instance...because no doctor wants her heart to stop while she's giving birth.
The same could potentially be said that someone who smokes is judged and therefore recommended or sent to a different doctor/lab/hospital/office whatever.
If you have unhealthy habits, the last person you shouldn't be surprised to point them out is a doctor. I don't see it much as being judged but more so of a doctor pointing out the obvious. If she's been seeing this doctor for a while, he would know her past history and take that into consideration before making any comment, yes?
I gotta be honest...I don't quite see where this thread is going except I still feel the woman in the article overreacted and is more focused on trying to get people to accept her being fat versus the best care of her and her baby...which is sad. Is that where we're going with this? lol0 -
I had a baby at 38 and was morbidly obese...my DOCTOR said I was healthy.... no blood work problems... no health problems... argue with that!!
Morbidly obese is not healthy. Your blood work could be fine. Your BP could be fine. You can be disease free. Your weight was not in a healthy range. Your doctor should never have said, "You're healthy" if you were morbidly obese.
Again... I understand and he understood that my I was not at my optimal weight... which is why I have lost over 100 lbs since my son...
Regarding what he should or should not have told me... the fact is he did... and he has the medical license to back it up.
The crazy thing is...you don't need to be a straight A student to be a doctor. They make poor judgements often enough. No one with a medical degree should classify a morbidly obese person healthy ESPECIALLY pregnant. I don't care what the blood work is (or is claimed to be.) Extra weight can be harmful to an unborn child. I'm sure any mother can see that. Call it what it is and push the pride aside.
As far as the article is concerned... Like everyone else said the doctor should have been completely honest with her. In her mind she probably believed she was healthy and didn't realize the risk. Does that mean lawsuit? Absolutely not.0 -
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.0 -
Actually....unless you have a specific health issue...people just don't mysteriously get fat...especially when you're talking being 100-200 lbs overweight.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.0 -
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.
Your lack of direct discussion regarding on the topic at hand paired with your abrupt comments that don't add educational or supported information for your stances really invalidates your posts and only makes you seem bitter. You may get further with the audience if you were willing to actual provide or share information and perspective.0 -
I can agree that an overweight person is not necessarily less healthy than a thin person. However, the more overweight you are, the more at risk you are for certain medical issues and/or conditions. It is not guaranteed that you will experience them, however, there IS a higher risk.
In the same way, if you are older than 35, your pregnancy is considered high-risk. You may very well be extremely healthy in terms of bloodwork and physical fitness, but it does not change the fact that you are at risk in certain ways. A responsible doctor will be making sure that the proper precautions are taken IN CASE something goes wrong. I'm sorry, but if a doctor told me that due to my age, I should deliver at a different hospital with more specialized care in case of complications, I would not accuse him or her of discriminating against me due to my age. I would not even check if it was hospital policy because if they are making decisions based on what they feel is the safest for me and my baby, then that is what I would want as well.
We know that over a certain age, we are immediately at higher-risk for certain conditions. If we are genetically lucky or if we do the hard work to take care of our bodies, we can reduce those risks greatly. But we do not start criticizing the world for age discrimination and call for more "age acceptance."
I also take issue with people who accuse others of "shaming." You can TRY to shame me for whatever you like, but I can choose for myself whether your opinion will make me feel ashamed or not. You can't shame me unless I give you that power.0 -
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.
And it doesn't generally contribute to someone being extremely morbidly obese.0 -
GREAT contribution to the discussion, Sara! Here's a gold star!There are a lot of people on here
That was unnecessary. Maybe Sara is trying to bring a bit of levity to a pretty heavy discussion. I'll admit that I chuckled at her comment and read it as something along the lines of "I love lamp."0 -
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.
How is eating at a calorie surplus a "bad' choice? Is it somehow immoral to eat at a calorie surplus?
Yes actually, it is called gluttony. Bibilical morality aside, it is selfish because those of us who are obese and continue to be so without making changes, impact others. The cost of healthcare is proportional to obesity related disease. The carbon footprint of nations whose population is obese is much higher. The cost of living is higher because consumption drives demand which drives pricing. Not to mention, we in the West consume, consume and consume while much of the world struggles to provide the bare minimum nurtition if that. You are woefully misinformed mam.0 -
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.0
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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.0 -
The fact of the matter is that people are going to be held more accountable for their health if they want insurance and quality care. This is the way the medical industry is going and should go. I've worked for a large community hospital for the last six years in the finance department while I pursue my nursing degrees. All the insurance changes are focusing on patient responsibilities....frankly it cost more money to insure a 350lbs woman than it does a 150lbs woman. FACT. The doctor obviously agreed to care for this patient, but he doesn't have to...he has a choice. He gave her the option of delivery at a better equipped hospital, not her hospital of choice...she should be grateful that he cares enough to state the hard truths. You cannot be healthy and without risk factors at 350lbs. She has put a strain on every organ in her body, and her fetus. She needs to STFU and deal with her own health risks and stop pointing the finger of blame on her doctor.
and for the record I do not refute the fact that there are plenty of reason someone could become obese, not all of them due to poor choices....I concede, but it is still a fact that the more overweight you are the more risk factors you have for serious health issues.0 -
Me too. I don't think there's any mother out there who wouldn't want to know what hospital they would be delivering their baby in so they could check the track record.If this was her OBGYN doctor, I would think that this would have been established way before the delivery.
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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.
A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0
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