creweemmaeec11:vaspider:iwatchforher:bonus: After I had a doctor ruin my health, cost me years of my
creweemmaeec11:vaspider:iwatchforher:bonus: After I had a doctor ruin my health, cost me years of my life, and nearly kill me by missing the diagnosis of a tumor which was compressing my spinal cord, I learned this script:“I’m not here to talk about my weight; I’m here to talk about [problem]. I have a history of doctors focusing on my weight and ignoring problems like ‘a tumor in my spine,’ so I’m sure you’ll understand why I would prefer we did not ignore my stated complaint to focus on my weight instead.”“I would like to focus on the complaint that brought me in today, which is [complaint], not my weight.”“What tests or course of treatment would you recommend to a thin person presenting with my symptoms? Why are we not doing that? I would prefer to proceed with those tests and that course of treatment.”“Please write in my chart that I asked you for these tests and course of treatment that you would give a thin patient with my symptoms, and you declined.”“I’d like to request a copy of my visit notes from today,” [if the above don’t work and you don’t have MyChart, “what’s the correct email for my written request?”It may be difficult to insist on a patient advocate to be in the room with you, but in many states you are legally entitled to one. I bring one of my partners bc I have medical-triggered PTSD. They know how to advocate for me or support me if a doctor tries to steamroll me..If you are in a hospital situation and cannot get an official advocate in the room with you, ask for a chaplain. Chaplains are used to being in a room to comfort and help patients and in many circumstances, just having a witness in the room will change a doctor’s tune REALLY fast.Medical fatphobia is a big problem, and it really heavily affects but is not restricted to people that doctors perceive to be women (whether or not those people are women). Don’t let yourself be bullied! This kind of made me cry. I’ve been struggling with unexplained health problems for nearly 7 years, and the amount of times theyve blamed it on my weight is just, its pathetic. Despite the fact that the “unexplained sudden excessive weight gain” was one of my symptoms, and how I insisted that, while my eating wasn’t perfect, it didnt change and I still gained nearly 100 pounds in a year out of nowhere, they would just assume I’m lying about my diet, and say it’s my weight. Then, after going through a 2 year weight loss program, doing everything they told me, and not posing a POUND, they finally believed me and decided that my weight was out of my control. So they removed 75% of my stomach. Dont get me wrong, I’m thrilled they did, I’m a lot happier now that I’m 100 pounds lighter again but. It was one of the best things I ever did.You should see the looks on the doctors faces when I come back in 100 pounds lighter describing the same issues. And guess what they told me? “Its a side effect of the weight loss” Yes, really.Now I’m 3 years out of my surgery and starting to struggle to keep my weight down again, and I’m terrified of just ballooning out of nowhere like I did before, because it again seems completely out of my control, and I’m still having all these symptoms, yet at the same time, frankly wrestling not to develop an eating disorder because that seems preferable to my weight going up again. And despite the adenoma (small tumor) on my pituitary gland, and all the other symptoms, nothing shows up in the base tests, so clearly, theres nothing wrong with me.I don’t think people realize just how serious those who are overweight are treated medically sometimes. There are a lot of things your weight can affect medically, and the extra 100 pounds certainly made my symptoms worse.Please, do not let the doctors dismiss you over your weight. Keep fighting. -- source link