Doctors - can they help?

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  • KittyMul
    KittyMul Posts: 74 Member
    Doctors can help but you do have to find the right one. I originally went to one doctor and while he was quite good, very thorough with tests and options, he was pretty unrealistic. When I explained to him that I found exercising difficult in forty plus degree heat (that's about 105F) he told me to stop making excuses, and said that 6kg (13lb) weight loss in a month was ok, but I could be doing better. Being 270lb and incredibly unfit at the time, I think I actually would have died if I'd tried jogging in the Summer! So I switched to another doctor at the same practice. He's less inclined to run tests, I have to specifically ask him if I want something tested, but he's very encouraging and helpful. As long as the general trend is down, he says, he's happy. If I have a query he doesn't always know the answer but he'll admit it and look it up for me, as opposed to the other doctor who would just dismiss my question.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,988 Member
    My previous doctor in VA thought I was in tremendous shape and the epitomy of health. When he inquired what I did for shoulders, I told him my routine which included seated overhead presses. He went on to tell me that overhead presses were bad for the lower back because they compressed the discs and that I should obstain from doing them. I replied that if I had an issue with discs, a weak low back, or vertebral column issue like scoliosis, that I could see his point, but informed him that done correctly they are safe. Of course he disagreed. When I asked him about squats, he said that they were a great exercise to do. But you can actually use much more weight in squats and that weight sits on your shoulders, so wouldn't contradict your previous statement? He just said he knows what he knows and that as a licensed professional, he's sure he has more knowledge about it than I do. I smiled and just said "thanks for your opinion". Never saw the guy again.
  • lmarshel
    lmarshel Posts: 674 Member
    Oh, Doctors can mess you up so bad! While in college, I was told I was "pre-diabetic" and needed to lose weight. I'm 5'5" and was 145 pounds at the time. The doctor at the university clinic told me I needed to be 105 pounds. I think at that weight I would cease to exist! They put me on a diet, and I followed it religiously. When I went back after a month and had not lost weight, the doctor accused me of not following the diet and lying about it! I started doing other unhealthy things to make the scale move, so I wouldn't get in trouble with the doctor again. I was pretty messed up for a while after that. :(

    About 15 years ago, I went in for an annual physical and wanted to talk to my doctor about my weight gain. I hadn't really changed my eating habits but was gaining weight and didn't feel well in general. The doctor completely dismissed me, telling me that "sick people don't gain weight...they lose it". She suggested I contact the nutritionist, but I was so mortified that I never went back.

    Now if I don't like the results or attention I get from a doctor, I will just find another one. I do a lot of research in relation to my health and don't just take the doctor's word as gospel. There are good and bad doctors, and you should have a partnership with your provider that works best for you and your lifestyle.
  • emadigan
    emadigan Posts: 89 Member
    Doctors run a business, just like everyone else. If your hairdresser told you she/he couldn't do anything with your hair and thought you lied when you said you wash it, would you stay with her/him? NO! Find the doctor that works for YOU. Shop around. Since you're going to be spending money there, you have the right to. I love that the doctors at the practice I go to ALWAYS close my folder and just sit and talk with me for a few minutes. They like to know about my life to get a full picture of my health. They've been very supportive of my weight loss. They've never even suggested anything but the good ol' fashioned way.
  • ShadowFangs
    ShadowFangs Posts: 10
    While i was pregnant i had many people say i was 'too fat' to have a proper ultrasound scan. After having ruby i still get some doctors saying that im too fat and dont seem to want to help. Now i have been put on a scheme at my local doctors called help2slim and i went for the first appointment on tuesday to see if they can help. My partner is annoyed about it all as he's the cook. They gave me portion pots and if you look at how much they allow you pasta and then look at how much rice it is rediculous. I think they cross over on so many things in opinion and research that they dont really know what to tell us. Theyre given a weight and a measurement and go on what they can see before weighing mostly.

    Anyway Ive been rambling...

    A Doctor can help... you just have to find a right one.
  • cownancy
    cownancy Posts: 291
    I pick my doctors very carefully. I first try to get referrals from friends who really loves their doctor. If I can't do it that way, then I go to the Castle-Connelly's Top Doctors resources and look up doctors close enough to me. I will travel outside of my neighborhood for a great doctor. Once I select one or more names, I research them on the internet and make an appointment to meet them. So far, I've been very satisfied with a huge percentage of doctors selected via the Top Doctors list. If you are not in the US, I bet there is something similar wherever you are located. With our Top Doctors list, doctors are selected by their peers, so it's not a BS rating. Also, once I find a doctor I like, I will use that doctor for a resource for others and I ask about the personality of the new doctor.

    Good luck. Great doctors are out there and even the best can have off days, they are only human and some of the best doctors can still be overworked and can be a bit short or inattentive once in a while, but NOT on a regular basis, for sure. I love my docs, they are really amazing and skilled.
  • change_happens
    change_happens Posts: 491
    I believe you! If that helps :) Seriously... you need a new doctor. Someone who is going to listen to you without ridicule. Someone who genuinely wants to have a relationship with you because you are an individual and not just another cookie cutter version of another patient.

    The plateau.... I have been at 166 for weeks! I have been working out for hours in a day to break through this plateau. The scale did drop a bit the other day, but guess what.... I am right back at 166. So... keep doing what you are doing by making healthier choices and exercising. And look into getting a new doc.

    I wish you all the best.
  • debswebby
    debswebby Posts: 326
    I'm in the UK so we get what we're given here. Its free though so can't complain (although I do frequently lol)
  • cjw6
    cjw6 Posts: 94 Member
    Not strictly true, you can change your GP either just by asking to register at a different surgery in your area, or by writing to the PCT and asking to switch. There are some horrible stories on here. I would agree with the poster who said that it must be very difficult to distinguish between the person who is making excuses not to exercise, or not to eat healthy stuff (don't have time, too expensive, kids won't eat it etc etc ). We know people do it - and I have been that person, not that I would have accepted it at the time.

    Regarding the ultrasound scans- I do some ultrasound scanning, and I have to say, it is much much harder to get good images with patients who are obese. There would come a point where it would be impossible. In pregnancy, one way round this is to do an internal scan, which gives better pictures. Its so important in pregnancy to get the measurements right etc that I can understand someone being given a warning that the scan would be of limited quality. Lots of our scans are qualified with 'the images were limited by patients body habitus' or similar.
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