I have a doctor's appointment today and, while I generally like my doctor overall, the way he deals with my weight leaves a LOT to be desired.
The last time I was in to see him, he looked over my chart and said "You've gained 40 pounds in the last 2 years - how could you have gained FORTY pounds? What's going on?!?"
Okay, first of all - I gained 40 pounds. I didn't kill anyone. The police didn't find dozens of bodies decomposing in my crawl space so let's back off the tone there doc. Second of all - you put me on a medication that has a KNOWN side effect of weight gain (thanks for the heads up on that one doc - would have been useful to know and watch for) AND it makes me lethargic. And now you're surprised I've gained some weight?
Then he immediately wanted to put me on diet pills because he said "you are going to need help - you can't lose this weight on your own". Uh, okay - thanks for the vote of confidence there. I told him that I'd seen enough bad daytime tv talk shows to know that the use of diet pills often does not end well for the patient - he shrugged and went on to explain to me how the pills today are much better and how he's had many patients lose tons of weight on them, etc. When I still refused he was frustrated with me.
Okay, I get it, he's frustrated because I'm fat and because he doesn't think I can or, more likely, that I will do anything about it but it's so frustrating to be painted as a failure before you even try.
My cholesterol levels were also up - he immediately wanted to toss me onto cholesterol meds - telling me I wouldn't be able to lower them on my own. Uh, the levels weren't THAT high and when the meds made me sick after a couple of days I stopped taking them and still managed to lower my total cholesterol by 27 points in two months with just diet and exercise - putting me well within the "borderline" range at 222.
So I've done a lot over the past couple of months but I'm also sure he's not going to be happy with my weight loss (only lost about 20 lbs) or my cholesterol numbers (he already prescribed me another pill). Ugh! I just hate going into the doctor's office and feeling like I'm failing a test that I've studied so hard for.
Any chance you could find a new doc? It sounds like you two really don't agree on how to treat you. I would think a doc would like to have you speak with a nutritionist, keep a food log, and keep an activity log before deciding that diet pills are in order. I'm personally very leary of doctors who reach for the prescription pad before trying more natural treatments. Good luck to you.
Your Dr. sounds like the "norm" for most of us. I think you might be surprised that he may be pleased with your weight loss -20 lbs. in a few months is great - and the lower cholesterol # is fantastic. Although I'm not a Dr. -your cholesterol is certainly headed in the right direction and as long as you commit to your weight loss program, I would think another prescription would not be necessary.
I am seeing an endocronologist who is more 'in tune" to weight loss -and I was on a cholesterol med but had to go off because of side effects. My numbers shot up within the next 4 months -but now that I have been dieting and doing a bit of exercise, my count came down -still a bit over yours -but my dr. feels that I can wait and see while I continue on my weight loss journey. (My triglycerides # was really good -and he said that's what he mainly wanted to see -so I think it depends on what #'s are too high).
Please don't let your next Dr. visit get you down -you really are doing great in both areas - so keep on fighting the fight -good luck - L.
I've had doctors like those in the past. They are in my past for a reason.
If you can find a new doctor, you may be better off. If you can't, maybe you need to talk to him and explain your stance on medication and how you're not interested in getting medicated, but doing this a more "natural" way. Sometimes you have to set their expectations about your health care especially if you're going against the norm. And you are going against the norm by suggesting that you don't want to just take some magic pills to make everything work.
Then discuss with him what he suggests to help you lose weight in a healthy way and see what he says. If he still dismisses you, call him on it. Or change doctors.
@ winning the war: I might have to switch to the other doctor in his practice. She was my doctor for ages but I had to switch because of insurance. Then, when I could switch back, I could only get in to see her partner. I'm sure now though that I could switch back to her.
@ newbieblogger3 I hope he's pleased with the progress because I really don't want to sit in that room paying a $40 copay to be treated like I'm a naughty child being brought into the principal's office, know what I mean? What's kind of funny is that when I had my blood tested a few years ago my cholesterol was actually a couple of points higher than it was on Thursday and the doctor shrugged it off and said it really wasn't all that bad. Now a few points lower and it's time to hit the panic button?
@Rana I am going to have to have a talk with him. There are things for which I know I *need* medication. Things I've tried unsuccessfully to handle on my own. I'm okay with taking meds in those situations but I'm not willing to subject my body to unneccessary medications and side effects (because I tend to be the walking poster child for weird side effects) for those things that can be managed with lifestyle changes.
I understand this may cause him some frustration because, as a doctor, he sees the problem and he wants to toss a solution at it. I'm sure in his experience there are many patients (like my own mother) who just aren't ready or willing to make the changes necessary to better their health so he assumes I'll be the same. Sigh.
I bet your doctor is someone who never had an issue with over eating or obesity.
I had to doctor shop for a long time to find my current doctor. I asked my first primary care physician for a referral to see a nutritionist, because I needed a primary care referral in order for my insurance to pay for a nutritionist.
She had the nerve to tell me "What do you need a nutritionist for? Just push away the plate"
I wish I had reported her to the boards for such an offensive and medically unsound comment
I had that at first with my doctor. I was up around 280 and struggling. I told him straight out that I was not going on meds. We argued and I made him prove to me that I needed the meds he wanted to give me. We now have a better understanding. I am working on losing the weight, and I promise to check in with him more. YOU are in control of your body, no matter what your doctor thinks. If he/she doesn't understand that... ditch him and get another one.
I finally found a great Dr. about 4 yrs. ago, saw him for a year then he retired and soon passed away.
The Dr. that took over his patients' care seemed very professional/cordial at first, but over the past year or so he has started changing--gone from patting me on the shoulder and being very cordial to sitting on his stool at the exam table going over my lab #'s without ever making eye contact with me.
He never spoke in a negative tone about my weight, while yet cautioning me about it. He, along with other Dr.'s don't seem to understand the fact that certain meds cause weight gain or rather cause cravings that cause weight gain, even though they prescribe them. What really makes it bad is when the Dr. himself/herself could also stand to lose 40 or 50 lbs.
The lack of personalization (eye contact, etc.) and the fact that he had started overlooking tests such as my quarterly A1c, made me search for another Dr.
Don't let it discourage you, keep on doing what you know to do and I wish you well.
Go the the appointment you have scheduled, make sure you have a talk with him about all of this, and see what happens. If he's willing to listen to you and is satisfied with the progress you've made so far, maybe there's hope for establishing a better doctor-patient relationship. If he still tries to push all the meds and isn't treating you the way you'd like to be treated, switch to another doctor. You shouldn't have to feel like you've done something wrong every time you go to see him, especially when you've done such a good job of lowering your cholesterol levels without medication.
Why does anybody go to doctors, anyway, except for serious injuries like broken bones?
Most of our health problems are caused by improper diet or other lifestyle issues like smoking, alcohol, or substance abuse.
Too many doctors don't treat lifestyle issues. They just push pills, and lots of them. And their selection of pills will always keep changing as patents (and sometimes patients) expire, and as drugs are recalled for killing people.
Our bodies are the result of hundreds of millions of years of Darwinian evolution, but we did not evolve to handle the bizarre chemicals from Big Pharma labs. Those chemicals do serious damage to our bone marrow, our brains (especially our hypothalamus), our digestive system, our hearts, our kidneys, our livers. Stay away from drugs.
Just stop eating the junk food, ditch the cigarettes and other toxic substances, and get your health care from the fresh food sections of your grocery store.
Most people don't know that the state of their health can sometimes be treated by diet and lifestyle changes alone. Doctors are their first source of information for that, even if the doctors aren't experts at it.
There are still plenty of diseases and conditions that can't be only treated by diet/lifestyle changes.
Sunshine, you are doing great! I am personally inspired by what you are accomplishing and how you've already been able to affect your numbers. Woowoowoo!
I'm sure a lot of primary care docs are jaded, they come out of med school all ready to take on the world, thinking they have all this great knowledge and advice, then after years and years of suggesting that people lose weight and get more fit, they end up just feeling like oh, whatever, don't take my advice then, get fatter, here are some pills. I'm not justifying it, but I do imagine that's where some docs get their attitudes in a rut.
I say, inspire that doc of yours! Maybe he's never seen someone turn it all around, and maybe that's just what he needs to be able to inspire and encourage the rest of his patients! Obviously it's not up to you to do this, but I think it would be a fun challenge to try to change this guy's mind. Be someone he can use as an example for his other patients!
Stay strong on refusing some of the meds that you are really just on the borderline of needing if you so choose (as I have), and just show him what a strong woman on a mission can do! Exciting challenge! woowoo
OR, if you don't get the feeling you can get him on board, dump him. PC docs are a dime a dozen!
I think we all feel your pain. I once had a doctor write me a prescription for running...yep, I am absolutely NOT kidding...RUNNING. I finally decided to fill it about ten years later and absolutely on my own accord.
To me, losing weight is just a matter of numbers.
I eat less calories than my body needs, so I am burning off my fat as fuel.
I eat between 1500 and 1700 calories per day.
Emotions don't figure into my diet, doctors don't, no one's comments will change my weight loss progress.
Just the numbers are important in my diet.
And I am losing around 1 pound per week.
I'll keep on a calorie restricted eating plan until I reach my goal.
I'll reach my goal within a year or two, depending on my calorie intake.
So it does not matter to me what a doctor, friend, or relative may say.
Their comments can't speed up or slow down the way my body burns my fat.
I'll get to my goal as long as I stick to my calorie restricting diet.
And I plan on sticking to my diet because I'd rather be healthy and wear a size 10 than wear a size 20.
Dealing With Doctors
