Report: Doctors Refusing to Treat Overweight Patients

reply to post by gemineye


I am sorry that your daughter is suffering from what is obviously a terrible condition. Hopefully you will find an effective treatment for her.

Would you support her having a child? If so, would you think it unreasonable for the doctor to refuse to treat her due to her condition?

As you say, doctors should be able to refuse treatment to people who make unwise choices and end up harming themselves, but that would include people who run red lights and speed and drink to much and stumble and fall and break bones, and go skydiving (where does it end?) We all have and always will made unwise choices that have a negative impact on our health. My son-in-law drank too much and jumped off a cliff into the water while in Negril, Jamaica. He was injured but didn't go to a doctor. If he had gone to a doc, what would we have said if the doc said< "Sorry it was your stupid choice"? Only those who haven't made unwise choices that could have harmed their health should cast stones. Medicine recognizes obesity as an illness. Unless you have the qualifications to prove that it isn't...post by babybunnies

reply to post by dolphinfan


Thanks, dolphinfan. She is seeing yet another doctor tomorrow. My fingers are crossed but my hopes aren't high.

Would you support her having a child? If so, would you think it unreasonable for the doctor to refuse to treat her due to her condition?

That's a tough question. When she gets old enough to have children, if she is still in the same state of health that she is in right now, I wouldn't want her to have children, but not just because she's big. I know plenty of larger women who have had healthy babies with no problems at all. My concern would be that since the cause of her weight gain is unknown, the effects of pregnancy on her body would be unknown and there would be the risk of passing a condition with no known treatment on to her child. That's scares me. If she were to get pregnant though, I'd have to support her in every way that I could, but it isn't something I would encourage beforehand.

As for doctors, I don't think I would have too much of a problem with a regular ob/gyn refusing to treat her because if her health is the same then as it is now, she would need a specialist. If all specialists refused to treat her, I would be upset with that because everyone should be entitled to prenatal care and especially those who are considered high risk.

I just hope that her medical problem has been diagnosed and resolved by the time she is old enough to think about having children. I try to stay optimistic but it's getting hard. We've been dealing with this her whole life and the only thing that has helped so far is VERY rigorous exercise, but that only slowed the weight gain. It didn't stop it. Now though, she is starting to have other medical problems that prevent her from exercising like she use to. She has unexplained pain now and what was always a very mild case of scoliosis is starting to get worse, so the rigorous exercise program is out for now. I really hope the new doctor can help. It hurts me to see her going through this but I can't even imagine what it's like to BE her! It breaks my heart.

Originally posted by MysticPearl
The funny thing, is I have yet to hear an overweight person anywhere, take responsibility for their weight. There is always an excuse. Well what if it's your thyroid, what if you can't afford healthy food, what if you're stuck at a desk all day, what if you don't have time to exercise, and on and on and on. Not one fat person on here, had said something as simple as "I could eat healthier, I should eat healthier, I'll start fitting in 30 mins of exercise a day, and try to commit to a healthier lifestyle". Not one has taken any responsibility. How come you being obese is ALWAYS someone elses fault.

Fat people shouldn't have kids. If they can't take care of themselves, how can they care for another human being? I see fat parents, with fat kids, in the candy section of my local supermarket everyday. If the excuse is you can't afford healthy food, you shouldn't be allowed to have kids either. If you can't afford healthy enough food for yourself, to stay at a healthy weight, you can't afford it for another human being at the same time.

If you're fat, and can't find any time to exercise, you also shouldn't have kids. If you already can't find that time to workout, how the hell can you come up with the time to raise a child, and teach that child about a healthy lifestyle?

Fat people always point the finger, always have an excuse, never have time for exercise, and never have time to cook something healthy or can't afford it.Some here say they're active, eat healthy, and still gain a lot of weight. Well as a former corporate fitness specialist, I challenge any of you to follow through on one of my diet/exercise programs and see if you don't lose weight. I've been through this with hundreds of people. They're simply too lazy, or seemingly can't find 30 mins everyday, eventhough they never miss their favorite tv show. 9 times out of 10 it's pure laziness. Thyroid issues. I've helped people lose weight with that condition to. It's will power. If you want to lose weight, you can. If you're not, you're not doing enough. Any who says differently take me up on my challenge.

And when i comes to the article, we're not talking about being 15-20lbs overweight. We're talking about doctors who are afraid the table might COLLAPSE from the weight.

You must have missed my post. Since January 3, 2011 i have lost over 100lbs. I made changes. I went so far as to explain the process it took to get to where i could have the information to make that change

I think you failed to read the thread and instead wanted to bash fat people.

What you propose is worse than Mengele. Being fat excludes you from having kids? What about other problems like hubris, or ego?

Martin Luther King talked about measuring a man on the content of his character. i know you will try to justify the hate that i have quoted you as saying above. There is none. Just know that you have been called on it. And if you misrepresented your feelings in that post, perhaps next time you should think (maybe twice) before hitting reply.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


?
I never said anything negative about someone who's changed their lifestyle and lost a bunch of weight. In fact, I applaud you. You have set a great example, and more should follow. I've lost 60+ lbs myself, a few years back, and know how tough of a road it is. Great job!

Taking those steps shows great character. Not taking those steps shows the opposite. You can agree or disagree on my previous posts. Doesn't bother me either way. But know I waasn't saying anything negative about someone like yourself who made changes, and executed a plan. More should follow your lead.

reply to post by MysticPearl


and as a less fat man, i am still the same man i was. I have the same character, and the same will power. I eat about the same amount of food, and just use a clever trick (keto) to burn body fat. It is all too simple to not do.

But as i said, i am the same man. It is the content of my character. The only reason i am losing weight is because my son was very obese after spending a few months in a wheelchair with a broken leg and we needed to get him under control. I was happy as a fat person and could again be a happy fat person.

It is all about trade offs. Less belly = better "bed" time. That, alone, may keep me thinner. But who knows.

I just don't look down on fat people. We each walk our paths, and we are each at different points on our paths. Some may end up losing weight, some may not. Fat is WHAT someone is, not WHO they are.

Originally posted by doctornamtab
.........Yes our society glorifies the skinny while they push McDonalds and Coca-Cola on us. Yes there are poor people who are fat. But maybe if you're poor try making real food your priority. Real food that was grown, not processed. Food thats been exposed to water, dirt and sunshine, not machines, emusifiers, binding agents and food coloring. Do you realize they basically PAINT all those processed food to make them actually look like food, instead of what they really are - ground up GMO corn, GMO wheat and bound together with chemicals and high fructose corn syrup.

If you can't pronounce the names of the ingredients...DONT EAT IT. Make eating real food your financial priority. What's better for you and your family - food from Mother Earth or 500 channels of satellite TV? If you choose TV then you deserve you be fat and die early because your priorities are all out of order. Besides, like someone said above, with all the fad diets, Dr Phils and tv segments about health and healthy food its ignorant to still be fat. Ignorant because you IGNORE the facts that are right in front of your face...like every addict.

There is really no excuse for being an addict whether its food, porn or heroin. All addicts deny their responsibility for their addiction and fat people are no different than meth heads in this regard. Spend $50 a month on good food and not TV and you'd be surprised how fast weight would fall off. Now...what to do with all that extra skin...Yuck.

"Now...what to do with all that extra skin...Yuck."
You disgust me

YES I do realise NOW how processed food is made, what goes into it, and what it does to my body and more importantly my brain, but I had to ignore the misinformation spread by the mainstream "health" professionals and do my own research, and I am telling you right now that the information did not come easy DESPITE all the "Dr Phils" and "TV segments about health" (wtf do you mean by that? Day time tv here consists of bad soaps and Oprah, I dont know anyone "fat" or not that watches the bad day time tv here). It did not come easy and most people of a low income, or even middle class workers with a family, do not have the time nor the energy to take up an extensive study like I did, and they shouldnt have to, this stuff should be taught in schools, governments everywhere should be making it easier for the average family to grow their own food but "culture" is not set up to empower the poor or promote true good health, so yea I DO blame culture. I am mad because growing up I was not taught the right information about food, I was in the dark about how the brain functions and I grew up not understanding the difference between home grown food and grocery food and thanks to advertising and a lack of funds to eat fruit and vegetables and quality meat every day I became addicted to cheap carbs and cheap junk and ultimately became overweight! Our culture IS to blame.
".....food from Mother Earth or 500 channels of satellite TV" wtf are you talking about? I watch one or two programmes per night if I feel like it, increasingly I dont because tv is stupid, if I cant afford to buy fruit and veges every two/three days what makes you think Im going to pay for tv? Ohhhhh, your one of those people whom tv has brainwashed into thinking that all overweight people are lazy couch potatoes who sit at the tv all day wolfing down burgers right? Perhaps your the one who needs to stop watching the brain drain!
"Ignorant because you IGNORE the facts that are right in front of your face...like every addict"
Facts? You mean dis-information and marketting ploys! And you obviously have never been addicted to something. Its more than a matter of "Just not eating it", the brain is like a computer, the paths between nuerons are the programming, every choice you make either reinforces a pathway or creates a new one, the path most often treaded is the pathway your brain will automatically want to take, when making a choice you have one second to make a new path and if you want that path to become the new 'automatic response' then you have to reinforce it again and again and again always forcing yourself to ignore the pathway you have most often travelled, which is why addictions are so tough, because even if you create a new pathway the old one is always there with all the chemical and feel good triggers just waiting, aching, to be released. Its an every second of every day thing and in the instance of "ground up GMO corn, GMO wheat and bound together with chemicals and high fructose corn syrup." it is everywhere, if you live in a city you cannot escape it. It takes an enormous effort of will to say no to an addiction and again YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO JUDGE!
How can an addict, in this case a food addict, take responsibility for something they do not understand? Bad food is cheap, freely available and locks peoples minds into a vicous cycle for which asinine people like you demonise them for. None of my freinds know the things that I am learning everyday, no "professional" has ever bothered to tell them, all they get is "eat healthy and exercise more", I try to explain to them but what can they do? we have mouths to feed and a limited income, heirloom seeds are not available in stores and most people dont know the first thing about gardening nor do they have the time or energy since all of that is taken up with work or children, so yea I blame culture.
"Spend $50 a month on good food" ASININE! $50 per month wont get you good food each week, try $100 per week, and thats just fruit and vegetables for a small family wanting to eat healthy at every meal and doesnt even begin to cover everything else thats needed...... What planet are you living on?
Am I better off knowing what I know now about the food industry? I guess, but it doesnt make it any easier. I cant eat cereal anymore because of what I now know about milk, I cringe everytime I give my daughter an apple because I dont have access to non-gmo fruit, I feel guilty just looking at a bag of chips and if I do surcome to temptation I immediately feel both gratification and anger at myself for reinforcing a pathway I nolonger want..... So yea I blame culture, I blame society, I take responsibility for my actions now that I understand what it all means but I still blame society, or rather those who dictate society, for doing this to us. The only way I could get away from my addiction and truly be free is if I were to escape to the wilderness or atleast the country, but I am a single mother with little income, its just not possible. So I have to remain here, trapped in a culture geared to keep me sick and powerless, battling with my brain every second of every day just trying to do the best I can, so how dare you take the moral high ground! Your the ignorant one.
All of you need a serious reality check

Originally posted by MysticPearl
The funny thing, is I have yet to hear an overweight person anywhere, take responsibility for their weight. There is always an excuse. Well what if it's your thyroid, what if you can't afford healthy food, what if you're stuck at a desk all day, what if you don't have time to exercise, and on and on and on. Not one fat person on here, had said something as simple as "I could eat healthier, I should eat healthier, I'll start fitting in 30 mins of exercise a day, and try to commit to a healthier lifestyle". Not one has taken any responsibility. How come you being obese is ALWAYS someone elses fault.

Because they are not taught properly about how to overcome mental pathways that for the most part are set in stone, humans in general are pre-conditioned to take the easy road, the path of least resistance, and tptb know this and use it against us. If anyone is to blame it is people who knowingly create this poisen and make it easier to eat said poisen than it is to find a farmers market.

Fat people shouldn't have kids. If they can't take care of themselves, how can they care for another human being? I see fat parents, with fat kids, in the candy section of my local supermarket everyday. If the excuse is you can't afford healthy food, you shouldn't be allowed to have kids either. If you can't afford healthy enough food for yourself, to stay at a healthy weight, you can't afford it for another human being at the same time.

If you're fat, and can't find any time to exercise, you also shouldn't have kids. If you already can't find that time to workout, how the hell can you come up with the time to raise a child, and teach that child about a healthy lifestyle?

People like you with your 'holier than thou attitude' make me sick, let me guess your into social darwinism and eugenics right? I see skinny parents, with "fat" kids, in the candy/chip section at my local grocery store whenever I do my groceries too, should they be denied the right to pro-create? I am overweight yet my daughter is healthy and fit, infact because my finances are so tight at meal times she gets all the good stuff and I make do with whats left, should I have been forced to abbort? You disgust me. I dont find the time to exercise because I spend my day cleaning my house and raising my child, doing my best to teach her what I can, how dare you infer that I dont deserve my child because of something I have been battling my whole life!

Fat people always point the finger, always have an excuse, never have time for exercise, and never have time to cook something healthy or can't afford it.Some here say they're active, eat healthy, and still gain a lot of weight. Well as a former corporate fitness specialist, I challenge any of you to follow through on one of my diet/exercise programs and see if you don't lose weight. I've been through this with hundreds of people. They're simply too lazy, or seemingly can't find 30 mins everyday, eventhough they never miss their favorite tv show. 9 times out of 10 it's pure laziness. Thyroid issues. I've helped people lose weight with that condition to. It's will power. If you want to lose weight, you can. If you're not, you're not doing enough. Any who says differently take me up on my challenge.

And when i comes to the article, we're not talking about being 15-20lbs overweight. We're talking about doctors who are afraid the table might COLLAPSE from the weight.

In many cases its a combination of issues, but it really boils down to the fact that corporations have taken over and have made it almost impossiable for low income earners to be truly healthy, a person can lose all the weight they want but they still wont be entirely healthy, just lighter and nolonger looked down on by judgemental egoists like yourself. And 9 times out of 10 they will gain the weight again because they are not being taught about the brain and the brain is the key to everything in life not just addiction. Im not heavy enough to collapse a surgery table, but I am overweight, very overweight, and I am doing my best to overcome my brain, but it does not help living in a society that is set up to cause and delight in my failure......
And btw, my weight has nothing to do with my parenting skills thankyou very much, I know parents who are slim but make very bad parenting choices, yet no-one is demonising them and expecting them to sterilize themselves why? Because this society has its priorities screwed, its concern has nothing to do with health and everything to do with image!

reply to post by dolphinfan


So you worked for the very entities that labeled and targeted the poor people that have to use the product, and somehow this makes you an expert?

By the way, we have all watched super size me, no need to steal the lingo and use it as your own.

If you are an expert, then you would know the distribution of fast food restuarants among poor neighboorhoods, which is exceptionally higher, then wealthy ones.