Do you have an appalling experience of dealing with a weight-biased healthcare professional?

[Alex Brecher 10,484]

Do you have an appalling experience of dealing with a weight-biased healthcare professional?

Would you share it with a reporter working on a high-profile story about weight bias in healthcare?

I believe connecting weight bias in healthcare to the impact it has on real people will take us a long way toward putting an end to it. Our stories are POWERFUL!

If you'd be willing to share yours and help raise awareness please contact a dear friend of mine, Ted Kyle via email ted.kyle@conscienhealth.org

Please let him know I referred you!

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[Anna Nim 196]

Not exactly.. but..

My Orthopedic doctor has these damn paper shorts to put on that only go up to L/XL. They do not fit, at all. I have to wear a specific pair of pants for my visits to avoid that embarrassment. I have talked to BOTH doctors in the office & they claim they don't make em bigger. Told em to look at a different company. I am "only" a size 24. I myself may find them myself so they can order larger. I can't be the only one!

Years ago, my first knee doctor wrote on my chart, "..a 33 year old, obese female". Well, hell, I didn't know I was technically obese, I thought he was a jerk (he was, but not for that)-what a shock!

My OBGYN after my son was born, told my now ex, that he was "Going to sew her up better than she was before". I just had a BABY and was still on the table. I interrupted and told him that I was perfect before (and indeed the episotimy was a mistake). Never went back to him and left him with a bit of the bill. Jerk. He had also told me that he might tie me down when I half-joked that I might kick him. Physical threats during delivery. Jerk.

Years ago, while going to a county/charity doctor for a female exam for some skin eruptions (due to my weight and fluctuating hormones), the Dr. asked how old my son was, when I mentioned I was breastfeeding. He was 15 months at the time. This Dr. told me to stop breastfeeding.

Well..I was a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor for WIC at the time and I told this Dr. that the AMA recommends until at least age one and the WHO recommends at least until age two. Furthermore, he needs to be careful what he tells patients, as he is a Dr. and that people are going to listen to him and they may stop breastfeeding because of him. I said this, WHILE in stirrups!!! I was livid. Why? Well, I had NOT gone to see him for my breastfeeding at all! Plus, when I asked for antibiotics to clear up the folliculitis (not my first rodeo with that fun issue), he said it would "clear up on it's own". Yeah..in weeks & weeks and leave scars. What a waste of my time. Imagine if I had not been a strong woman and did what he said. Jerk..

I have little patience for that. I consider Dr's independent contractors that I have hired for a job and there are plenty other doctors to see..

[Read2016 658]

I think some bias we would be aware as the doctor does nothing to hide it... Other times the doctor maybe thinking it but not state it explicitly.. Several years back I was diagnosed with kidney stones that were not causing symptoms they were an incidental finding... Upon informing me of this my pcp gave my a lecture about how the stones were caused by my poor eating habits... Wasn't she surprised when the 24 hours urine test showed I had hypercalcemia of the kidney, nothing to do with eating habits... I went to see an allergist after having am allergy attack and all he could do was discuss my being obesity..

No doubt about it if your obese your getting bias treatment.

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them"

Einstein

Edited June 9, 2016 by nyteacher125

[leebick 448]

My left knee is a mess. When I was in high school, I was a dancer and gymnast until the day I missed landing on the balance beam and landed on the floor, dislocating my knee and tearing up a meniscus. In 1972, the "cure" was to trim it up and let it be. Since then, I've aged (40+ years) and gained about 160 pounds, neither of which has been good for my knee. I have crepitance and chondromalacia, as well as an uneven development of my quadriceps. Basically, there is lots of inflammation in the knee and my kneecap is pulled out of alignment, so the crap floating around in there gets stuck in the joint. It's incredibly painful when that happens, and effects my stability; basically, the knee joint "gives out" due to the junk and pain. Anyhow, I know this now only because I finally found a wonderful dance/sports orthopedist who was willing to put in the time to find out exactly what was happening. Before that, I had several different orthopedists tell me the only thing wrong with my knee is that I am fat, and if I'd lose weight everything would be fine. What jerks!! You can see the misalignment, hear the clicking, feel the grinding... but nothing's wrong, I'm just fat. Right.

[higher 966]

When I was in college I sought counseling at the campus's mental health clinic. I met with the head psychologist there, eager to discuss some of the issues I was having as a freshman - I was overwhelmed with the academics, an ill-prepared public school graduate in over my head at a rigorous highly ranked university. I was also dealing with great financial stress having to maintain a part time job to finance my education while juggling academics.

All totally legitimate issues worth of discussion but the psychologist told me at our first meeting that all my problems stemmed from my weight and I needed to lose weight before I could continue to see him.

It was very discouraging and frankly an awful experience that turned me off from counseling for way too long.

Luckily many years later I discovered that not all mental health professionals were so curt and callous.

[Sophie74656 1,572]

I had gone to a surgeon about a cyst and he asked me what kind of diabetes medication I was on. I told him I wasn't diabetic. He even had my bloodwork that showed my sugar at normal levels but he kept asking. He flat out said that he didn't believe that a person at my weight did not have diabetes.

[leebick 448]

I had gone to a surgeon about a cyst and he asked me what kind of diabetes medication I was on. I told him I wasn't diabetic. He even had my bloodwork that showed my sugar at normal levels but he kept asking. He flat out said that he didn't believe that a person at my weight did not have diabetes.

I had a similar experience with my BWL surgeon, of all people. First one looked at me and asked what meds i was on for high blood pressure and diabetes. I said none, I don't have either of these. He had the damn records right in front of him, all the documentation from my PCP, and he STILL issued the lab work and had the NP take my blood pressure.

This thread reminds me of the very first episode of "House" that I ever watched. A very overweight guy (around 500lbs) ended up in the hospital because of some breathing issue. The staff was 100% sure that the problem was his weight and try endlessly to test him for diabetes. He refuses, knows he's not diabetic but also knows without a doubt that something is very wrong. Long story short, he wasn't diabetic; he had lung cancer and it was too late to do anything... but nobody'd been looking for anything to be wrong other than something associated with his weight. Not that there's any prejudice against overweight people...

[Sophie74656 1,572]

I had gone to a surgeon about a cyst and he asked me what kind of diabetes medication I was on. I told him I wasn't diabetic. He even had my bloodwork that showed my sugar at normal levels but he kept asking. He flat out said that he didn't believe that a person at my weight did not have diabetes.

I had a similar experience with my BWL surgeon, of all people. First one looked at me and asked what meds i was on for high blood pressure and diabetes. I said none, I don't have either of these. He had the damn records right in front of him, all the documentation from my PCP, and he STILL issued the lab work and had the NP take my blood pressure.

This thread reminds me of the very first episode of "House" that I ever watched. A very overweight guy (around 500lbs) ended up in the hospital because of some breathing issue. The staff was 100% sure that the problem was his weight and try endlessly to test him for diabetes. He refuses, knows he's not diabetic but also knows without a doubt that something is very wrong. Long story short, he wasn't diabetic; he had lung cancer and it was too late to do anything... but nobody'd been looking for anything to be wrong other than something associated with his weight. Not that there's any prejudice against overweight people...

Yes I remember that episode. I felt sympathy for him. I remember he said that he was refusing any testing they were doing on him unlessit was for something not weight related

There is definately prejudice against overweight people. Just look in the media. It's no longer acceptable to say anything about people's race, gender, sexual orientation, but you can make fat jokes all day long

Edited June 14, 2016 by Sophie74656

[NYFFF 3]

I once expressed concern to my (former) rheumatologist that the arthritic swelling in my toes was making my shoes very tight and asked what might help. He looked me in the eye and said "this is a very serious problem". I nodded my head in agreement and then he continued "...because all you fat girls have is shoes and purses - if you lose the shoes, I can't imagine what you'll do".

I was about a 32 BMI at the time. I felt like I'd just been slapped.

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[Puppypaws57 137]

I was having terrible menstrual bleeding that wouldn't stop and I had clots. My PCP sent me to a gynecologist and the the nurse practioner said she couldn't even find my ovaries because I was too fat.

Sure enough, I had to get a hysterectomy later. I feel the hysterectomy could have been prevented if I had received proper care earlier. :-(

Edited June 17, 2016 by Puppypaws57