Weight Bias

This post is thanks to a friend, Mike James, who like me is overweight.  Like me, he had bypass surgery--his was gastric, mine was intestinal.  Like me, he has trouble getting doctors to listen.

Mike wrote today asking for prayers for his doctor's visit.  I'm saying this so that you can pray that doctors listen to him and there are answers for his problem.  He related the issue of weight bias and included a video, which I'm going to link to at the end of this.

I had no idea that there was a name for the problem that I have had all my life.  Weight bias is real, and it occurs all the time.  It is especially prevalent in the doctor's office.

I saw my doctor (see earlier post) for the second time in January.  Once again, he began to chastise me immediately.  Whether or not my weight was involved in the problem, my weight was blamed for the problem.  I asked for allergy meds with decongestant.  I was given a lecture on how the decongestant could interfere with my high blood pressure and could lead to stroke or heart attack.  I reminded him that my blood pressure is well within normal limits.  He then looked at the blood pressure, seeming to feel that I was either uninformed about my own pressure (!) or lying (!!).  As the exam continued, he chastised me for the results of my blood work.  He insinuated that my kidneys are shutting down because of protein in my urine.  I reminded him that I was getting over the Norovirus, and I've had earlier experiences of the same thing when getting over an intestinal bug.  Not even a reply.  He chastised me and threatened to put me on medication because my A1C (I think that's what it's called) was 1 point higher than before.  I reminded him that he asked for it in the beginning of January--I do tend to eat unwisely from Thanksgiving to Christmas (as do many others).  No reply.  He then told me that he needed to start doing blood work every three months instead of every six.  I said that we could wait and see.  He took that as being argumentative and chastised me yet again.

Please, if you are overweight, don't stand for this foolishness.  Do as I did--look for another doctor and don't stop till you find one who will listen to you, not your weight.  Refuse to be bullied by your doctor.  If we allow this treatment to continue, then continue it will.  We have the right to be treated with kindness and care, just like everyone else.

And if you're a doctor, nurse--healthcare worker of any kind--please stop looking at our weight.  Look into our eyes--you'll see a person who is forced to rely on you for help.  Please don't let us down.

Health care bias in the medical field