My brother is a nurse for 20 yrs, and the bigger problem is being 'understaffed", if you have the correct number of people, correctly lifting it certainly would cut down on injuries. It is so interesting that drug addicts, alcoholics, smokers get treated without prejudice, but if you are overweight, no respect. Now I have some issues with extremely overweight people, I was on a cross country flight last year and an extremely overweight person took up half my seat, I was upset. After the flight took off, the flight attendent obviously noticed that I was crushed and asked if I wanted to take an 'empty seat"... People who are that overweight should have to buy 2 seats.... same with theatre or any confined space.

I had a friend in California for many years who was afraid to go to the doctor anymore because of her weight (350-400 range) and because of her Asperger's. She stayed in her tiny apartment as much as she possibly could, even hiring someone to go do her errands for her. She was a wonderful lady, in her 60s I think.

Her health got worse, general aches and pains, but she refused to see a doctor because of how she'd been treated in the past. One night her pains got so bad that she actually went in an ambulance to the hospital.

She had stage 4 cancer spread throughout her body. She entered hospice care as there was nothing the doctors could have done for her. She sought help too late. She died within a year.

I know of one doctor who refuses to see people who smoke. That was a big deal here.

... because, nothing inspires healthy habits like being "fired" from your doctor.

There are already so many people afraid to see their doctor out of fear of being lectured.

And I think that's really why many doctors aren't bringing up weight with their patients, because they don't know how to do it, without coming off as a jerkweed (especially since many are overweight themselves, considering that obesity rates are actually higher in the medical community than in the general population - probably the stress).

It really doesn't have to be difficult, but training in diplomacy, tact and communication skills apparently isn't given a very high priority in medical training.

Yes, it can be a no-win situation, but I've had doctors who excelled at it anyway, and others who were turds about it. I learned to bring it up FIRST, to get it out of the way - Hello Doctor, nice to meet you. As you can see, I'm very, very, very fat and I'm working on that, as I have been since kindergarten. If you have some helpful advice beyond "eat less and move more," which I'm trying to do, I'd be glad to hear it, if not, let's deal with the problem at hand and how we can deal with it, which is _____ and while my weight no doubt contributed to the problem (even if I don't see how the problems could be related), lets just focus on the problem and the body I have now, not the one I might have in the furture, because I can't lose 200 lbs by next Tuesday."

Ok it's usually not THAT bad, but you do get kind of tired of having EVERY problem blamed on weight and getting a lecture before treatment - Yes Doc, I'm sure that some stranger would not have poked me in the eye with an icepick if I weren't so disgustingly obese, but could you please remove it before (or at least while) giving me this lecture?

Ok, I've never had a stranger, or anyone else poke me in the eye with an icepick or other sharp object, but I have had doctors try to link my illnesses and injuries to my weight using some pretty bizarre logic (or ignoring the link at all and refusing to deal with the more pressing problem, because they were trying to deal with the weight rather than the illness or injury - such as when I was in a car accident, excuse me can you please make sure I'm not dying of internal bleeding before talking to me about dieting).

I've been Extremely fortunate since moving to northcentral Wisconsin. I don't know if I've just been lucky, or if there's a greater understanding of weight issues. The obesity rates in Illinois are about the same, but the medical staff here seem to be more familiar with treating obese patients and they don't assume that every obese patient is a couch slug, and they don't seem to be up here. I LOVE that you see everyone of all ages and sizes being active all year round. There are fat swimmers, bikers, hikers, hunters, kayakers, even runners (ouch my knees hurt just thinking about it).

I never realized how much I needed "role models" for fat fitness. I thought I was always pretty good about ignoring the social pressure to hide myself as a fat person, but I didn't realize how much it helps to see other people my size being active.

It was like getting a permission, I didn't even know I needed.

As always kaplods you have expressed so much of what so many of us feel. I may weigh 288 lbs ( and going down) but I can walk further, faster and with less puffing than my slightly overweight best friend. I play badminton, I swim and I love to hike in the mountains but all so many people see is ( to quote you kaplods) a "couch slug" who eats chocolate all day.
There was a news article over here this morning about how Wales now has a 60% rate of obesity ( great headline ...no depth) HELLO.... Wales was a mining, manufacturing and steel making country until 20-30 years ago and now there are huge pockets of etreme deprivation. The public sector was until recently our biggest employer...and now they are starting to lay off a significant proportion of those.
Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhhh!!!!!

My doctor, who is also a friend, makes a very conscience effort to refer her patients to "size friendly" doctors when she can. She has told me that there are a lot of doctors that do not give overweight patients that type of care that they deserve simply because of their weight. When I was going through some "female issues" I experienced it first hand _ heck it even came from a doctor who was overweight herself!

I have experienced doctors who hadne "the weight thing" very well, and some who are down right rude. Kaplod's "ice pick" analogy is rather accurate.

What scares about this is, if doctor can refuse treat because someone is obese, how long before they can refuse treatment to people with cancer, diabetes, or any other illness because the patient is too "high risk", or not profitable enough. Who will determine what is "profitable enough"?

It is true the healthcare system in this country is in shambles and there are no easy answers. I don't think refusing to treat people who are high risk (for whatever reason) is the answer though.

Well, I am a trained nurse's aide and have worked in 4 nursing/senior's homes in all. We were trained how to lift people safely and were also instructed that we had to lift in teams (two persons); plus, in 2 of those facilities (the larger ones), we also had a special lift machine for those who needed to be lifted into bathtubs, etc. We also had lots of shower facilities in all those places. I live in Canada though.

EDIT2ADD ~ and sit-baths are becoming more popluar here too (our hospital has them); becuz the cost is relatively low and people can get in & out of them much more easily.

I am glad to hear people are fighting for these kinds of equipment and better training in more places, esp in hospitals & special care facilities. Maybe they should be manditory. However, I still think that refusing a person medical care for "ANY" reason is wrong ... If you are sick, you are sick; and that is a doctor's job -- to help those who are sick!

I'm sorry, but I find it very hard to believe doctors are going in the hole in their medical practices -- unless they have done something wrong. They aren't here (in Canada) unless they have ticked off all their patients and they have walked with their $$$. In my opinion, they get what they deserve -- no respect; no compassion; no care; no patients; no income -- until they re-learn why they went into the medical field in the first place. If it was for $$$ only, then I don't pity them one bit.

Just my 2 cents ...

Eleven years ago I went from doctor to doctor (no insurance) with severe sciatic nerve pain/leg weakness that only continued worsening. Diagnoses were all based on my weight, with pinched nerved due to obesity being the most common, losing 50 lbs. in the process.

One Sunday evening in January I slipped & twisted a little on a bit of water on the bathroom floor, hobbled downstairs & had to call an ambulance the next morning as I literally could not get up.

Diagnosis at the hospital -- FOURTH DEGREE CANCER METASTASIZED TO MY PELVIS & LOWER SPINE. Amazingly, the pain went away because the THREE (!) broken places in my pelvis opened up the sciatic nerve channel & took the tumor pressure off the sciatic nerves. A morphine drip didn't hurt, either.

The good news was that I'd never walk again. On the other hand, the bad news was that the length of my life was measured in weeks. Thankfully, it was a "treatable" cancer and here I am. Walking. And never ever again letting any healthcare "professional" get away with a lazy diagnosis of "obesity" related anything without actually checking for a real issue.

Charliefan-

I am glad you are able to walk and the cancer was treatable! How scary and maddening for you and your family!

About 12 or 15 years ago I went through something similar. I had pain in my back that kept getting worse. I went to the doctor after a week. My exact words were, "I have a WORSENING pain in my lower back area, but it's NOT my back that hurts." I was told it was a muscle strain, probably made worse by my weight. Use ice, rest and ibuprofin.

Another week went by and the pain got worse, I felt "yucky" in general. Went back to the doctor, he told me to see a chiropractor. The chiropractor crack and twisted my back, but I still had pain in my lower back...BUT IT WASN'T my back that hurt. The Chiropractor said "lose weight".

I was frustrated and in pain, physicaly and mentally. I KNEW it wasn't my back that hurt. The pain got worse. Any movement hurt so bad.

One night, about 2 1/2 to 3 weeks after I first went in to the doctor, I woke up literally screaming, the pain was awful. My husband wanted to take me to the emergency room. I said, "NO! All they do is tell me to lose weight." It was 3:00 AM, the dead of winter and we had two lttle kids. I asn't sure what I was going to do, but I wasn't going to drag the whole family to the ER, when it was 20 degrees below zero, so some doctor could tell me to take two aspring and lose 75 pounds! I laid there in pain. I tossed and turned and then something popped, it felt sort of like my back had cracked. But soon after that the pain was much less. I remember a warminh feeling inside. As I drifted off to sleep, I remember thinking, it feels like something warm is flowing in my back, but at least it doesn't hurt as bad.

At 5:30 AM my husband woke up. I was burning up and not responsive. He called the ambulance and off to the hospital I went. I was in septic shock. All that pain was an ovarian cysts. One had burst. That was the severe pain followed by relief and the warm sensation.

When I was admitted to the hospital I had 106.3 fever. I don't remember the first two days in the hospital. They removed the ovary with the cysts on as a precautionary measure. I was sent home after 5 days.

To this dayI do tend to wait to go to the doctor because I don't want to be told "being fat" is what is causing my illness, pain or whatever. But when I do finally go in I do make sure the doctor doesn't pass it off as fat related!

Kateb, that is awful. I am so sorry that you went through that.

More than that, I am sorry that so many of us and our loved ones have been treated as 3rd class citizens and had 3rd class medical treatment based not on our symptoms and needs, but our size.

They'd have their butts sued off if they treated on - say race or creed.

I think this is absurd in some context. I understand that a physician has a right to turn away and not treat any patient he chooses. I'm a nurse, and though I don't get the same rights as that doctor to refuse to assist a patient, I do see some rationale to it. Not that discriminating due to obesity is OKAY, but a doctor does have a right to see who he does or does not want. He is in private practice (most of them are) and can do that. It might hurt his reputation when word gets around, but it doesn't make it illegal, per se. But for them to say it is because their staff has been injured? What?

I have worked with a myriad of patients: skinny, fat, crazy, demented, blind and deaf! Who am I to decide a person doesn't deserve care? I have taken care of a homeless man who was drunk and stepped out into traffic leaving him with a feeding tube and pins up and down each leg. I have taken care of the drug addicts. I have taken care of their addicted children. I have taken care of Alzheimer's patients who beat the crap out of me during a shower or while trying to give them medication.

I have been cursed, spat on, kicked and hit, had my hair pulled, been called fat and mean, and you know what? I loved them all. It is my duty and my job and I go home with a sense of self-respect because I cared for and treated them all regardless of their flaws, poor life choices, their illnesses or their inability to care for what is happening.

Obese people are no different a patient than any other. Early in my career, I was kicked by a morbidly obese mentally ******ed client who had a leg amputation. She kicked me clean in the shoulder when it required FOUR nurses to get her off the floor. Her MR made her unable to understand that she only had one leg and hadn't gotten used to it. She tried to walk and fell. We picked her up. I was in a sling and had physical therapy for 4 weeks. I didn't stop caring for obese MR patients just because of that.

weight isnt the only thing a dr can fire you for. My sister has severe COPD and was fired by her pulminologist (the only one in town). He kept telling her to quit smoking, she couldnt, so he fired her. bless her heart, she was also fired by her phsyciatrist. she has a lot of emotional /mental issues, and he fired her for missing appointments. ironically, neither one of her drs mentioned her weight to her and she is obese... she is on high doses of steroids daily and they cause a big weight gain in some people, and i guess they understood that???
im just thankful my dr is working with me to lose weight instead of condemning me over it