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Does your doctor comment on your weight?

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Replies

  • cyndit1
    cyndit1 Posts: 170 Member
    One doctor once made very rude comments about my higher weight at the time (185-190 at 5’7”) which was very triggering because my chart clearly states I have past ED issues. My husband worships this doctor and I think she is a heartless b?$!h. I’m pretty small now and wonder if she’d ask about my lower weight with the same lack of sensitivity. Hmm
  • itladyee
    itladyee Posts: 3,655 Member
    Interesting question:

    I had a long time GP that has since retired and he would only ask…”are you exercising”. After he retired, my new doctor was very different. She said I needed to lose weight and asked if I needed to make monthly appointments to check in with her for me to stay focused. She actually suggested or maybe I should say she mentioned that many people in her office were doing keto. I took the hint, researched and did keto for about 3 months and lost 15lbs that I kept off until my job changed to a very sedentary one. She left the practice.

    My current doctor (have only seen her once) didn’t really address it, that I recall. My current plan should have me down about 40 to 50 pounds by the time I see her next so it will be interesting to see what she has to say.

    Offended – no – It’s not like I didn’t know.
  • ohmy999
    ohmy999 Posts: 1 Member
    My previous GP (now retired) didn't ever say much, possibly as he is excessively over weight himself and struggles with it, but was always open to talk if I wanted to.
    New GP (one telephone appointment in 2 years with blood test results, never met him) very hot on it - most likely because in the UK, big government push to tackle obesity - so now I've been offered help via app/on-line. Everything is Dr. Google.
    Be nice if physical restrictions (as with many, I have arthritis and a back problem, so exercise just plain hurts) were taken into account when GP tells you to exercise more but not prepared to offer guidance so you don't do further damage.
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,081 Member
    cyndit1 wrote: »
    One doctor once made very rude comments about my higher weight

    obviously you dont need to answer, but are you able to share what the doctor said that was very rude? I am just curious as to what these doctors are saying that offend people.

    For me they always seem to be pretty kind but to the point, like not beating around the bush.
  • papercut2k
    papercut2k Posts: 83 Member
    Yes, when the blood work shows borderline high cholesterol, pre-diabetes and such, my PCP would make mention of it in passing. My PCP has recently retired. The new one I seen specifically said I should try losing a pound a week. It wasn't said in offensive matter just one of those "low laying fruit" advice.

    Now the PCP my mother sees. I don't know what he says to her but there must be quite a lot of fat shaming. If she has put on some weight before the appointment she would deliberately change the appointment to a few weeks later to try to deal with the gain. She has a host of health problems. Impressing the doctor shouldn't be one of them.
  • Jeancats3
    Jeancats3 Posts: 10 Member
    My doctor doesn’t comment nor do the PA and NP. I wish they would. I had to get them to agree with me that a BP medicine was needed.
  • cyndit1
    cyndit1 Posts: 170 Member
    Merkavar wrote: »
    cyndit1 wrote: »
    One doctor once made very rude comments about my higher weight

    obviously you dont need to answer, but are you able to share what the doctor said that was very rude? I am just curious as to what these doctors are saying that offend people.

    For me they always seem to be pretty kind but to the point, like not beating around the bush.

    Maybe it was more of a tone or look than words. I mean they should say something if you have a higher than normal BMI. This particular doctor never said a word about weight to my overweight husband so I was not expecting her to make an issue of my weight and her perceived lack of exercise she thought I did. I am a distance runner and as I said also have had ED issues which are in my chart so I was surprised that she hadn’t appeared to have read my chart before even starting to have any conversation. I wasn’t there to discuss weight issues but like an ear infection or something random. I will not see that doctor again because I think she didn’t treat me respectfully or pay attention to me and why I was seeing her but paid attention to what she wanted to.

  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,899 Member
    papercut2k wrote: »
    Now the PCP my mother sees. I don't know what he says to her but there must be quite a lot of fat shaming. If she has put on some weight before the appointment she would deliberately change the appointment to a few weeks later to try to deal with the gain. She has a host of health problems. Impressing the doctor shouldn't be one of them.

    Some people are like this even without fat shaming. I know people who are. I used to be (I wasn't in denial about being overweight and overweight being unhealthy, but I was uncomfortable talking about it since I was so wrapped up in shame about it).
  • BuiltLikeAPeep
    BuiltLikeAPeep Posts: 94 Member
    Does anyone else have a problem with a doctor addressing weight and nothing else? I have been to several different doctors who, after explaining why I was there, would start out with "ok, but what are you doing to lose weight?" Like, what does that have to do with (insert non-weight related issue here)? I could understand if i was being seen for bad knees or hips, but not things like ear aches. For example, last year I went to the ER because I thought I was having a heart attack. I was released with an appointment for a covid test and a diagnosis of "obesity ". I turned to the back of my discharge papers and found out my blood pressure, glucose, hemoglobin, vitamin d, potassium, magnesium and creatnin were all low.
    I was just wondering if it happens a lot.
  • JBanx256
    JBanx256 Posts: 1,470 Member
    Big trigger warning...
    Btw, I turn 27 in november this year. I'm no longer miserable all the time and have a much rosier outlook on life now.

    I just wanted to say, wow that's a lot & thank you for sharing. I hate that you had such a horrible time & that you had to deal with on your own, without any support. Glad you made it through to the other side though!

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    I see a Rheumatologist every 6 months for gout management. I just went a couple of weeks ago and he commented that my blood pressure was up and my blood work was a little off and that I had put on about 10 Lbs since I last saw him and about 20 Lbs since the first time I saw him in the summer of 2020. He commented that I should get back to doing whatever I was doing when he first saw me because other than the gout all of my other health indicators were optimal and now they're steadily slipping.

    Doesn't bother me and I'm well aware that I put on 20 Lbs with COVID stuff. None of it had anything to do with why I see him, but he's still a Dr. and concerned with my overall health.
  • Moijo2022
    Moijo2022 Posts: 35 Member
    Always, it’s the next level … first they blame everything on smoking so you stop smoking then they blame everything on your being over weight then it’s ‘your over 40…’ months m sure the last one will be you’re 100 how are you not dead yet 🥴

    I’m not offended it’s just annoying 🙄
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,926 Member
    Moijo2022 wrote: »
    Always, it’s the next level … first they blame everything on smoking so you stop smoking then they blame everything on your being over weight then it’s ‘your over 40…’ months m sure the last one will be you’re 100 how are you not dead yet 🥴

    I’m not offended it’s just annoying 🙄


    that seems an odd thing to be annoyed about.

    Reality is that health risks do increase with smoking, obesity and age.

    So, makes sense to not smoke and keep weight at a healthy level - and of course since your doctor is about health, they should not be ignoring this.

    Of course you cant do anything about your age - but you can undertake health screening relevant to your age group - eg mammograms, FOBT, PSA etc from the recomended age - so of course your doctor should tell you this.

  • lois1231
    lois1231 Posts: 331 Member
    edited October 2022
    I get comments a lot from my gastro assistant and orthopedic doctors. They told me they wouldn’t do knee replacements until I lost weight. This was years up to 2001 so had the gastric Bypass lost enough to have both knees replaced. I had the right replaced in 2002 and the left in 2003. Then over the years I gained back several times to might highest weight ever of 310 pounds. You can eat around the surgery. I hate eating meat with gastric bypass because all it does is make throw up so I would eat easier foods that didn’t make me sick but got weight gain. That leads me up to 2019 my new orthopedic doctor wouldn’t convert my partial knee replacement to a total knee replacement until I went from 265 to 225 pounds. I did way better than he expected and got down to around 215 pounds. So he was going to do the surgery but first I had to get a heart check up. Then guess what bring on covid pandemic and lockdowns where I gained back weight over two years to 295 pounds and my orthopedic surgeon moved on. Now I am at around 270 after restarting here.

    Do I like doctors comments no. A lot of them were down right hostile not this orthopedic surgeon but the one I previously had was and my gastric guy is insulting. I have been losing inches but scale has been stuck. Not only that they set the scales to weigh you 5 or 10 pounds heavier. I told him that. His response well walking is good but you need to watch your diet. Well duh. I have lost thousands of pounds over the years and am watching my diet, tracking food and walking 10,000 steps or more most days. I can’t make the scale move. My cardiac doctor well if you lost weight your fast heart rate would go away. I don’t think so. I have been fat all my life and it only started about three years ago. My gastro assistant guy again well if you lost weight you wouldn’t have gerd or acid reflux. Uh I had less reflux before I had the gastric bypass, no history of ulcers and no Barrett’s. Now I have all three.

    Am I sensitive about weight yes when I have been bullied, shamed, bashed, cut down etc for it my whole life by even a couple family members one being my own father and brother. It doesn’t help having a skinny sister who I would get compared to and two skinny brothers. My oldest brother and I are the only two who struggle with weight.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,926 Member
    Not only that they set the scales to weigh you 5 or 10 pounds heavier.

    I doubt that.

    Certainly not the case wherever I have worked in Dr's surgeries.