Thanks, Doc!!

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Ceyanna
Ceyanna Posts: 6 Member
in Motivation and Support
Just had to share…

Last week, at my annual physical with my primary care physician, the following conversation (more or less) took place:

ME: “I’m surprised that my blood pressure has gone up despite the exercise and weight loss.”

DOC: (patronizing look) “Well, you do know what the statistics say…”

ME: “5-7% loss of body fat makes a big difference with health issues?”

DOC: “Well, yes, that is true, but what I’ve found with many patients—and these are the most dedicated people, hiring dieticians and trainers, the whole package—is they still gain back the weight and more within a year.”

ME: “I’ve been working on losing weight since a year ago last April. When I came in last time, I hadn’t lost a lot yet, but I am down quite a bit from last year.”

DOC: (checking my chart, looks surprised) “Oh! I see you’ve had a sustained loss of weight over the past two years. So, you are the exception to the rule.”

ME: “I was also glad to see my LDL was on the low end of average last year.”

DOC: (checks chart, looks surprised) “Yes. Well, let’s see how the bloodwork looks this time. Maybe we can cut down your dose of Crestor.”

ME: (to myself, “Ya THINK?? Maybe next time you could read my chart before coming in the room.”)

Fortunately, I was proud enough of my success so far to really be upset, but it took the wind out of my sails enough to omit details like doing a local fun run, my plans for losing the next 30, and other items. Meh. Well, there’s always next year…and frankly, there are always other doctors.

Replies

  • Syriene
    Syriene Posts: 238
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    Yup, sometimes you gotta keep them on their toes.
  • latenitelucy
    latenitelucy Posts: 1,314 Member
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    AND congrats on all of your successes!
  • howardheilweil
    howardheilweil Posts: 604 Member
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    Marcus Welby was a fictional character, unfortunately! This is par for the course.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Yup, sometimes you gotta keep them on their toes.

    This ^^ Doctors see a lot of patients every day and usually only glance at what the visit is for, rather than read the whole chart. Always best to remind them of anything pertinent.

    Congrats on your weight loss and health improvements. You might want to measure your BP at home and keep a log. A lot of people have high BP in a doctor's office while it might be normal on a regular basis. It's referred to as "white coat syndrome".

    If it is high at home it might help identfiy a cause (high sodium meals, work stress, etc.) that you can work on.
  • ANewMaria2014
    ANewMaria2014 Posts: 104 Member
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    Well you made a change in your lifestyle, now maybe you should change doctors...lol
  • Ceyanna
    Ceyanna Posts: 6 Member
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    Thanks for the kudos, y'all! :)

    @Bcattoes--I'm taking your advice to log BP from home and make sure this is where the doc wants me to be. I mean normal had been 120/80 and was just ooching up to 130/90 over the last 2 yrs. My pressure today with meds was 108/65 and had me dizzy and napping on the couch this afternoon. Not good for my cardio plans! :P
  • Docmahi
    Docmahi Posts: 1,603 Member
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    I lost 70 pounds over two years and my doctor didn't notice at my physical

    its definitely happened to me too when I walk into patients rooms - sometimes you have a ****load of patients and you can't remember everything, when you are seeing 50+ patients a day in clinic you can't read every chart before you go in - That being said good for you - glad you are keeping it off
  • StarChanger
    StarChanger Posts: 605 Member
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    Cut your doc a break. The average primary care doctor is FORCED (by need to pay overhead) to see between 25 - 40 patients a day, generally 4-5 days a week. That's at least 100 patients a week, 48 weeks a year. ~4800 patients and you have seen him once in that time. Docs are smart, not computers. They can't remember every detail about you from a year ago.

    That being said, I can tell you that despite how it came off to you, your doctor is VERY proud of you and you probably made his day. It is so seldom, anymore, that people actually TAKE the advice of their doctor OR take and keep off weight (hence the shock and disbelief). You have done very well! Congratulations!!!

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