http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050824/...sity_complaint

I happen to agree with the doctor here. Sometimes the truth hurts. I don't think he was abusive to this woman, he was honest.

Do you agree?

i watched a segment on the today show about it this morning. they were talking to the doc. i do agree with him. my first thought was about how my doctor called me a fat sweat hog... and she's complaining about what her doc said to her?!?! i wish my doc had said to me what her's said to her. it would have helped to have the helpful criticism instead of the insults.

To me this just seems, unfortunately, like another case of someone that wants to lay blame for their problems. Sometimes the truth hurts but you need to hear it. I would guess that this woman thrives on attention and that bringing this to the level she has is right up her alley. Good for that doctor - to me it is no different than telling a smoker or alcoholic that their habits may kill them. Arhhh, things like this really gets my goat! Next thing you know people will be suing their doctors for telling them they need to shed a few pounds (which this this situation only seems one step short of).

~Dee

Geez..some people are just litigation happy. I don't see anything wrong with his comments. She went to her doctor for advice to improve her health and he gave her a professional and honest assessment, as is his responsibility. If she's not prepared to hear the truth, that's her problem. Of course there are doctors who need help in the "bedside manner" department (oh Shelly, I'm so sorry your doctor called you such an ignorant and degrading name. Now HE should be called on that). As for this woman, yes the truth hurts, but it can also save your life if you heed the warnings.

OMG. I would be offended if my doc didn't bring up my weight and it affecting other areas of my life.

That is ridiculous! That's up there with suing Mc Donald's for hot coffee and fattening food. I agree with everyone else's comments so far, so I don't have much to add. I don't know what this world is coming to where a doctor can't even be honest with a patient.

Okay, political correctness run amok! I do not think the doctor did anything inappropriate at all. I was in that women's shoes about a year ago, when my doctor said about the same thing. Sure I was p'ohed , but again, I was mad at myself, not at the doctor. Pretty sad statement of affairs that a doctor is going to be reprimended for doing his job!

I agree 100% that he did the responsible thing. Even if his bedside manner left something to be desired (I've been to those doctors!). First of all, if he hadn't put it as bluntly as he did and she missed the point then consequently developed major complications as a result of her obesity would she have filed a complaint against him? Second of all it may very well that she forced him to take this approach.

I know that in the year or so leading up to my highest weight I went to the doctor more often then I had my entire life. I had so many aches and pains, heartburn, headaches, etc. I knew what the problem was but I didn't want to face it. I made appointments hoping that my doctor could pinpoint a some culprit besides my weight and lack of exercise. I wanted a quick fix to all of the side effects of my weight gain or an easy way to shed the pounds. Each appointment there was a gentle reminder that my weight was having a significant impact on my health. Finally, he just had to say it. None of my problems were going to go away until I lost weight and started exercising. Again, I knew this to be the case but I did NEED to hear it put so bluntly. Not rudely, mind you - just bluntly.

It must be frustrating to deal with obese patients these days. Our weights are such a sensitive issue to begin with and having it called to our attention, necessarily or not, is never pleasant. And since there isn't a pill to fix it doctors really have no choice but to tell us what we don't want to hear.

If my doctor, the person I trust to monitor my health and raise flags when needed, did not mention my weight, I would find another doctor. Yes, doctors need to be tackful, especially with such a sensitive topic, but they also need to be truthful. While it's no fun to get the "talk", I usually leave the office with a renewed energy to get going on my weight loss. I'm never angry at my dr. She isn't the one putting food in my mouth, I am. I'm the one who decides if I'm going to exercise or not. When she notices that I have lost weight since my last visit, she congratulates and encourages me. If the scale moved in the wrong direction, she asks if I want her help - nutritional counseling, medication, etc. I know how to lose weight, just need to do it.

I don't know what exact words the dr used in this particular case, but he was right in pointing out her need to lose weight. I like how the article ends with the story of another patient who took his warning to heart and lost the weight.

I do think people should be told this by there doctor. However in some cases where they call names or really insult a person that is wrong and really ticks me off. They should push the point that you need to lose and offer the support and help you need after they tell you. People just seem to want an argument over everything anymore.

Personally, I avoided the doctor for a long time because I knew they'd say it. and I didn't want to hear it. I knew they'd be doing exactly the right thing to say it, but denial was just easier.

I agree with the comment above - as a doctor he has a duty of care to his patients, and if he knows that something is damaging their health and could lead to serious health problems, I'd call that negligence if he didn't raise it. OK, there are varying degrees of tact that could be used, but essentially he has to say it in a way that's understood.

It seems harsh, but I think he did exactly the right thing.

This doctor did what he is being paid to do: Strive to help this woman be healthy. The woman turned her self-loathing outward and targeted the messenger.

I agree, it's what we pay them for. If anyone should be concerned and have the right to speak up when we're hurting ourselves, it's our doctors. My problem with this whole ridiculous mess is not that he said it, rather how he said it. Just because you're and MD and are trying to save your patients' lives, it doesn't give you the right to be an a**hole about it. I say he needs to learn a little more about appropriate bedside manner.

Beverly

I would suppose it would depend on how it was presented....from the article it sounds like the doctor was more than reasonable...he addressed her weight as a health issue, which is his JOB! On the other hand...I have been to doctors who have been dismissive of health issues by saying "Oh well loose weight...". I agree that this is a MAJOR factor in health (Heck, it's why I've undertaken this whole weight loss process in the first place), but I do think that it important that health care professionals ensure that they are treating the whole patient, with all mitigating factors taken into consideration (including weight). To me this means not dismissing the health concerns of someone merely because they are overweight, but it also means that the doctor has a responsiblity to point out when weight is adversly affecting their patients health. Obviously I am taking the conversation beyond just the example that Matt listed!

I didn't take what the doctor in the article said as particularly offensive.