Any one else tired of the doctor brushing you off?

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littleone68
littleone68 Posts: 67 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I started tracking myself a year ago in January and was hoping by now with the help of my doctor and nutritionist that I would have some success to report. NO such luck. After following both of them for 8 months I was never able to get below 150-152. I was having a lot of aches and pains, especially my back, feeling out of breath trying to tie my sneakers and just all around feeling exhausted. I gave up just after thanksgiving ( a few unexpected deaths in the family blotted my ambition) but did not admit total defeat. Although I wasn't working out and wasn't meticulous about my eating, I wasn't sitting on the couch eating Ho Ho's either. In the matter of a month I went from 150 to 173!!!!!!! I kept telling the nurse practitioner (fyi-the doc left last march and have been seeing the NP since) that if I didn't watch what I ate and exercised EVERY single day that I had no doubt I would balloon up. Well, unfortunately and not intentionally I proved it. After another full physical and blood work in the beginning of February I am still being told that there is nothing wrong with me. I said to the NP "how can you say that, I'm heavier than I was this time last year " (last year was 158, this year 173) and she just looked at me and said "oh not by that much" and "to continue counseling" and " at some point I'll just have to learn to deal with it ". My family has a history of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and other heart ailments and I have four cousins who have needed gastric by pass. I thought the whole point of medicine was to be pro-active and preventative. Instead I'm being told the issue is all in my head :grumble: :cry:

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  • littleone68
    littleone68 Posts: 67 Member
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    I started tracking myself a year ago in January and was hoping by now with the help of my doctor and nutritionist that I would have some success to report. NO such luck. After following both of them for 8 months I was never able to get below 150-152. I was having a lot of aches and pains, especially my back, feeling out of breath trying to tie my sneakers and just all around feeling exhausted. I gave up just after thanksgiving ( a few unexpected deaths in the family blotted my ambition) but did not admit total defeat. Although I wasn't working out and wasn't meticulous about my eating, I wasn't sitting on the couch eating Ho Ho's either. In the matter of a month I went from 150 to 173!!!!!!! I kept telling the nurse practitioner (fyi-the doc left last march and have been seeing the NP since) that if I didn't watch what I ate and exercised EVERY single day that I had no doubt I would balloon up. Well, unfortunately and not intentionally I proved it. After another full physical and blood work in the beginning of February I am still being told that there is nothing wrong with me. I said to the NP "how can you say that, I'm heavier than I was this time last year " (last year was 158, this year 173) and she just looked at me and said "oh not by that much" and "to continue counseling" and " at some point I'll just have to learn to deal with it ". My family has a history of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and other heart ailments and I have four cousins who have needed gastric by pass. I thought the whole point of medicine was to be pro-active and preventative. Instead I'm being told the issue is all in my head :grumble: :cry:
  • alapointe
    alapointe Posts: 369 Member
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    You need a new doctor. That does not sound right.
  • exercisegirl06
    exercisegirl06 Posts: 6
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    You may want to try to see a thyroid specialist. They need to do more than just blood work sometimes to determine if something is wrong.
  • debnu1
    debnu1 Posts: 1,568 Member
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    Did they check your thyroid level?? If so be sure to find out what it was, get copies of all your labs and go doctor shopping. If they don't listen to you you won't get anywhere. If your thyroid level is off it would explain a lot for weight gain... Compare your thyroid result to this website to see how you compare, a lot of MD's are not aware of the change, which in my opinion is extremely significant.

    Good luck
  • MOMOFTWO29
    MOMOFTWO29 Posts: 8,276 Member
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    please get a second opinion, that isn't right to be brushed off like that.
  • mgullette
    mgullette Posts: 401 Member
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    Yeah, have you ever noticed though that a lot of doctor's and nurses smoke and/or are overweight? They know it's bad for them, but many don't know how to deal with it either. Thing is, they're people too, and even though they went to school for longer than most of us, they still make mistakes. They are not infallible and therefore may overlook such issues. It would probably be helpful to see a different nutritionist and trainer rather than a GP because they are trained extensively in those areas. Also, she is kind of right about finding out what works for you. They can't tell you for sure if something will work, but you did say it yourself, you haven't been meticulous about logging and watching what you ate...it's too easy to slip up when you don't.

    Good luck to you!
  • utexashorns
    utexashorns Posts: 34
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    If what you are saying is true, have them check for antibodies for Hashimotos thyroditis. People who suffer from this autoimmune disease frequently show as in normal thyroid range, but in fact have Hashimotos. Furthermore, there is a link to fibromyalgia which causes aches, pains and lethargy. I would go to an endocrinologist and ask to be tested for Hashimotos!
  • nightangelstars
    nightangelstars Posts: 337 Member
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    Just to chime in my two cents here, I would agree with most everyone else and say that if you aren't comfortable with the way your doctor/NP is treating you or what you have to say, you should definitely look into getting another doctor. Doctors do make mistakes and often they lump you in with all the other patients with similar issues and assume that the same thing is going on with you, even if that may not necessarily be the case. It's all too easy for a doctor to simply brush off symptoms, especially weight gain since plenty of patients swear they watch what they eat and it's not their fault even when it is . . . they can't tell who's telling the whole truth and who isn't. YOU know, however, so keep searching and be insistent! :flowerforyou: Good luck and chin up!
  • ohthatbambi
    ohthatbambi Posts: 1,098 Member
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    I had a similar issue with a doctor and now I will not go back to her. She did eventually test my throid b/c I demanded she do so. She told me it was fine but would not give me the actual numbers. My advice...find a new doctor who listens to you!!
  • ivykivy
    ivykivy Posts: 2,970 Member
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    Agree with finding someone else or see another doctor in the group. Also ask for paper copies of all your lab work. Especially for the thyroid b/c the ranges for 'normal' have changed and GP who don't keep up with the latest findings will continue using old standards.
  • Phoenix_Rising
    Phoenix_Rising Posts: 11,417 Member
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    A second opinion never hurts, dear. :flowerforyou:
    Cannot be too careful with your health.
  • littleone68
    littleone68 Posts: 67 Member
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    Thanks everyone! I at least now feel as if I haven't been over-reacting. Just to clarify a couple things from my post: when I said I had gone through a period that I wasn't tracking anything it was only for a month and even so I was eating well, just not measuring every bite. Even at that 23 pounds in a month is a little much. I did have them run thyroid tests last year and this year and even pushed the new Doc to run a more specific thyroid..T3 and T4..they came back fine. They also checked my hormone levels to see if I could be nearing menopause or have some other hormonal deficiency. NADA. She has referred me to an endocrinologist, but the appointment isn't until July. And I am seriously thinking of calling for a second opinion, the only downside is I don't think I would get an appointment any earlier than the one I have with the endocrin doc. Has any one out there ever heard of some one struggling like this?? I am ABSOLUTELY honest when I say I am exercising 30 to 45 minute a day, making sure to change it up but it is mostly cardio, and eating correctly. I think if my boyfriend sees me weigh another piece of food he's gonna crack..LOL. Again thanks for the feed back, I was starting to think I was losing it.
  • littleone68
    littleone68 Posts: 67 Member
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    If what you are saying is true, have them check for antibodies for Hashimotos thyroditis. People who suffer from this autoimmune disease frequently show as in normal thyroid range, but in fact have Hashimotos. Furthermore, there is a link to fibromyalgia which causes aches, pains and lethargy. I would go to an endocrinologist and ask to be tested for Hashimotos!
    Thanks I'm going to look that up to get more info on it and present it to who ever I end up seeing first

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