Compassionate care and obesity

[puncturedbicycle]

I just read the articles below and was struck by the compassionate and proactive tone as regards obesity and health care. I thought it made a refreshing change from the usual hand-wringing and thought I'd pass it on.

Many of us struggle to get insightful responses from our doctors, maybe due to excess weight, maybe because our gp doesn't know how to help us, maybe because they now seem to attribute anything that doesn't show up on a blood test to depression; I was cheered by the desire and effort to look past those kinds of things. It's good to know there are people like this working in health care.

I'd be very interested in any thoughts, reactions etc.

'Why Do Obese Patients Get Worse Care? Many Doctors Don’t See Past the Fat'

nytimes.com/2016/09/26/heal...

'What Obese Patients Should Say to Doctors'

nytimes.com/2016/09/26/heal...

'One Weight-Loss Approach Fits All? No, Not Even Close'

nytimes.com/2016/12/12/heal...

[Kitten1978]

Thank you for posting. I found the last article (nytimes.com/2016/12/12/heal... particularly interesting!

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Kitten1978]

Yes, me too. And it explains a lot of the moral panic around obesity. If you easily find the diet that works for you it then must be perplexing how others 'don't bother.'

I found the interviews quite moving, esp the one with the man who said he would never again be ashamed of his body. It is such an emotive subject if you take the time to dig just a little bit below the culture of ugly judgement cast either on others or on ourselves.

[hebden]

Thank you so much for posting. I found this really interesting and so true. Discrimination is rife in the medical professions. I fit the very same criteria as the lady with the arthritic knees and had exactly the same thing said to me twice (one for left knee and then for right knee) by 2 different consultants. I cried both times and got really depressed over their comments. I was I feel very fit at the time of my first accident as I used to cycle and walk everywhere until I injured my knee at work on the 10 flights of stairs to get to my office. Then because I couldn't walk well I damaged my right knee when I fell in the toilets when my left knee gave way. I am now in constant pain with severe osteoarthritis bone on bone knee joints and ruptured achilles (they won't even look at these) I get this same discrimination every time I go to a gp and the last rheumatologist I saw told me to have my jaw wired! I now have anxiety attacks when I have to see anyone medically. I have agreed to go to weight watchers referred by GP but have been to so many weight loss clinics in the past 40 years that I think I probably know more than they do about nutrition and healthy eating. I seriously think I have an underlying problem such as thyroid or adrenals that is causing my weight gain as I really eat healthily even though exercise is limited by mobility issues and now fibromyalgia which I believe started because of the stress and constant fat comments. I was starting to think there was no chance for us larger people but it seems there is hope. Thanks again. Hugs Joolz.x

[puncturedbicycle in reply to hebden]

I'm glad you got something out of it Joolz. x