I recently went to the ER for having severe chest, neck, and arm pain. My meeting with the doctor wasn't a pleasant one. The first thing he said was that I have to many illnesses (none of them are obesity related, but related to a severe car accident 3 years ago), and that I really need to lose weight. He said my husband should do the same thing. That was his diagnosis and treatment, He sent me home with a bottle of steroids, and I have never been so embarrassed in my life. I suffer from Post Tramatic Stress disorder from medical mishaps/mistakes. 5 years ago, I had severe gallbladder spasms that affected my chest, stomach, and throat. It was excrusiating, and I would practially go to doctors and ER everyday. It was always "there's nothing", "its in your head" and the famous " you are eating yourself to death". It took over half a year to get diagnoised, and I suffered from hepatitis of the liver cuz they waited too late. What's your story
B
They (the doctors) think they know it all. When in fact they know very little!
bella361
I'm sorry you had to go through this. I worked in an ER and well sometimes after you see one too many of the same thing you tend to make assumptions. I am not making excuses for his behavior but I am making a suggestion to you. First write a letter to the director of that particular ED. She will forward it to his or her boss. ER doctors are independent contractors and don't usually work for the hospital. Second....the ER is a place to rule out life threatening illnesses. You said you would go practically everyday. It sounds like you need to find yourself a doctor who can follow you and know get to know you better.. The ED is not an appropriate place for treatment. Yes your chest pain should have investigated, but your chronic problems (and obesity is a complex, chronic problem) needs to be handled in an outpatient setting.
Maryn Bittner
My story is mine, but I have some questions.
How overweight are you? If you prefer not to give your weight and height here, can you share a BMI? (Get it at http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/) If it's under 30, then your complaint is valid. If it's over 40, the doctor's words, while harsh and judgmental, may be accurate. He needs lessons in bedside manner, and you need to take control of your health. Since your husband also needs to lose, you could commit yourselves to eating healthy and exercising, for more years together, a perfectly honorable and understandable goal.
Many health problems, including gall bladder disease and fatty-liver hepatitis, are directly the result of long-term obesity. If you were to get your BMI into a normal range, these problems would very probably go away. In addition, by being overweight you're setting yourself up for serious future health problems like diabetes and heart disease.
I'm a big woman with a high BMI, and I felt humiliated by one doctor's assumption that I gorge myself at will and am inactive. (He told me "Exercise twice as much and eat half as much," as if that were the simple solution anyone could use. On that day, I'd have speed-walked ten miles and eaten half an apple if I'd followed his advice.)
Take a step back and consider whether this doctor might have been trying the shock approach to your most obvious health problem, or if he's simply an azz-hat.
Whether the doc was a jerk or not, and whether he failed to address your complaint or not, smart eating and healthy weight are yours to control. It's a struggle, but it can be done, especially if you live with someone equally committed. You can do this!
kissy face
You have a classic case of hypochondria mixed with a case of "crying wolf". I hear you spouting off a lot of medical terminology, yet no mention of losing weight. And yes, gallbladder problems can be attributed to unhealthy diet. And I don't know how you got hepatitis, or what form you have, but you don't get it this way.
Summer
I wont pretend to know what is like to have a weight problem I get the opposite I am 5'4 and about 110 pounds but doctors are regularly dismissive, if your a smoker the fact you went to the doctor because you were attacked by a bear is irrelevant, it is because your a smoker, If your overweight, well if you lost a few pounds you would not have gotten the Chicken Pox! And my favourite if you female the answer to all medical issues is a pregnancy test! Doctors assume that because I am slim I don't eat or have a nervous complaint and when I went to hospital after a seizures they said they were in head too, Wednesday I find out if I actually have MS. So don't take it personally they are equally arrogant.
smiliesmom
i have never been disciminated against in the er, but my mil had. She went in with (i would say) flu like symptoms and sever stomach pain. first they sent her to the second floor clinic, the clinic sent her down to the er and the er made her wait for over 8 hours, she had blown a hole in her intestines. she almost died that day. we ( the family) think this happened due to no ins. i'm sorry the er you went to decided that because you have weight issues that your medical problems could be nothing. good luck in the future : )
Orignal From: Have you ever been to the ER and suffered from obesity discrimination?
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