Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hmmm, I would deny the doctor food and clothing because I don't like her mindset. Maybe I wouldn't sell her car insurance either. I'd tell her and her family they couldn't eat in my restaurant and if she wants her clothes dry cleaned to find another cleaners. It looks like she has stringy hair so I'd tell her find another beautician and when her toilet backs up because her cesspool overflows, I'd tell her "Tough S*it!" go find someone else to fix the problem. You obviously poop too much lady."
And i think the doc would smile in your face and ask you to see the next guy in the white coat across the hall.
Hmmm, I would deny the doctor food and clothing because I don't like her mindset. Maybe I wouldn't sell her car insurance either. I'd tell her and her family they couldn't eat in my restaurant and if she wants her clothes dry cleaned to find another cleaners. It looks like she has stringy hair so I'd tell her find another beautician and when her toilet backs up because her cesspool overflows, I'd tell her "Tough S*it!" go find someone else to fix the problem. You obviously poop too much lady."
wow.
Most hateful post Ive seen on here in awhile.
The obesity issue triggers rage, which is why the medias using it.
Hmmm, I would deny the doctor food and clothing because I don't like her mindset. Maybe I wouldn't sell her car insurance either. I'd tell her and her family they couldn't eat in my restaurant and if she wants her clothes dry cleaned to find another cleaners. It looks like she has stringy hair so I'd tell her find another beautician and when her toilet backs up because her cesspool overflows, I'd tell her "Tough S*it!" go find someone else to fix the problem. You obviously poop too much lady."
You wouldn't stay in business very long cherry picking customers like that. Doctors are a landlord's wet dream.
Interesting tidbit from a doctor forum: insurance companies are starting to base more of their payments to doctors based on how many of their patients meet some quality measures (pay for performance).
For example, if too many of your diabetic patients don't have adequate blood sugar control, the insurance company payments to the doctors get decreased. This is supposed to motivate the doctors to help their diabetics get better control. The reality is that while the docs have the responsibility for improving these numbers, they have no power to actually get it done short of locking the patient into a room, severely restricting their diet, forcing them to exercise (cattle prod and treadmill?), and forcing them to take their medications.
So, the law of unintended consequences is now rearing its ugly head as the doctors protect themselves by dismissing the Type II patients who refuse to control their blood sugar. Voila! Now, all their diabetes patients have great blood sugar levels, because they fired the ones who don't.
What also hasn't been brought up is that the high-risk non-compliant patients who don't follow the doctor's orders are usually fastest to sue for malpractice when their own health choices catch up with them and they crash.
It seems like she's limiting her potential client base, especially since there are so many people over 200 lbs nowadays. After her business suffers she may choose to change her mind on such a restriction.
Limiting? Hell, doctors are quitting because of too much Govt interference as it is. They have plenty of other skills that can earn dollars. Why they might even get more family time.
And people complain about bikers not wearing lids. At least we can put one on and take it off..
I'm actually only 120 lbs and don't smoke, that wasn't my point. The point is doctors are now not accepting elderly patients, fat patients, patients who won't get vaccinated, people on medicare, etc, etc.
With this kind of a health care system we will be out of luck in no time. Instead of addressing these people they will leave them behind. It's like medical sprawl. They will leave less desirable patients for quick money patients. Soon you'll only need a two year degree to be a doctor and you will make more money for less work. It's societal rot and backed by prejudice do gooders who think it will never effect them.
The doctors right to make a quick buck often and avoid the people who actually need them the most. Ethics are lost, but, a profit is still made so it will continue. Meanwhile we as a whole will continue to support McDonalds, and Donald Trumps as heros. It's sad.
In the case of elderly, it's not that they won't accept elderly patients, they just won't accept medicare (or medicaid) because the reimbursement level is lower than what it costs to treat them.
In the case of obese patients, many require specialized equipment, doctors don't want to incur the expense to purchase it.
In the case of patients who refuse vaccinations, this is especially true for pediatricians because one eight year old kid with whooping cough in the waiting room can spread the disease to a dozen infants and toddlers who are not yet fully vaccinated.
Doctors can not lose money on patients. They have staffs to pay, rents to pay, supplies to buy. As much as some people would like to imagine a romanticized version of healthcare with Dr. Spock playing with all the babies in the office, the reality is that if doctors can't make a profit, they will just shut the doors. Doctors should never be forced or expected to lose money on patient care.
Last edited by annerk; 08-28-2012 at 02:29 PM..
Reason: typo
Picking someone up from the ground doesn't really apply to that law. While technically being a Good Samaritan, people are way too nervous they'll cause more harm to the fragile bodies of a fattie and be sued as a result. They're not doing CPR after all and picking someone up is not considered an emergency life saving event, and people are wise enough to know that.
The rescue squad in one northeastern town will no longer respond to "lift assist" calls unless there is a medical need as well. It's the responsibility of the police department, and if they need additional help, the fire department.
So while your house burns down and the bank is being robbed, the police and fire departments are scraping the 1250 pound guy who is unable to pull his own body up off the sofa to use the bathroom out of his own feces after he rolled off onto the floor and couldn't get up. And this is being paid for by the taxpayer. There is no medical condition in this world that would cause someone to be over 1000 pounds over weight.
(And that is a true story as told to me by one of the firemen who responded to that call. Fortunately the part about the house fire and the bank robbery were my embellishment.)
I agree with the doctor. Why should any doctor help those who will not help themselves. Smoking kills 1400 people a day. Everybody knows smoking is a killer and yet many still smoke. The same is true of most overweight people. Some are overweight because of hormonal or other disease issues. Still more are overweight simply by the medications they are forced to take. However, the larger portion of people who are overweight and obese are that way by their own doing. All you need do is go into a Hardee's or McD's and survey the people for yourself. Folks that continue to eat in this fashion will surely end up with diabetes and heart disease. The end result of diabetes is blindness, amputation, and death. These overweight people are being treated for a malady they they themselves control. The doctor cannot stop them from eating, eating unhealthy foods, or living a sedentary lifestyle. Therefore how can the doctor treat them?
BTW, the correct height for a man 200 pounds is about 6'3". In everyday Main street not too many men reach that height.
This doctor is correct in the 200 pound limitation.
Check out what you should weight according to your height.
The chart looks a little heavy to me on ideal weights. I could stand to loose a few and I am not at the weight for the stated height either. But i am talking back down to 155 from 160 at 5'11.
But don't you think that if instead of relying on a PCP, you had seen a specialist to begin with, they would have realized that your symptoms weren't typical of obesity and caught your cancer earlier? That's what this doctor is saying. She is not a specialist in obesity, and there are specialists nearby who would be better options for obese patients.
I said very early on in this thread that obese people need a nutritionist and trainer. Those who refuse to see them shouldn't be expected to be seen by a PCP. If a person who knew they had cancer refused to be seen by an oncologist, what good is a PCP going to do them?
And I also mentioned that doctors need to be able to have frank conversations about weight with a patient without fear of being "politically incorrect."
Congratulations on beating cancer and good luck in your weight loss.
It would be nice if I could just go to a specialist as needed, but most insurance requires that you see a PCP first to be referred to a specialist. Even my oncologist couldn't refer me when I was sick, despite de facto becoming my primary care doctor. And in fact, I did see several allergists about my rashes (which were never thought to be weight related, but their treatment involved significant weight gain). The PCP in question (who had been my pediatrician since I was 12) would have needed to refer me to a specialist for the back pain, but the second I suggested that I had symptoms for Hodgkin's lymphoma, I should have been given a chest xray (standard for PCPs - it wouldn't make any sense cost-wise to send me to an oncologist). Both my pediatric PCP and my college health center RN missed it, and blamed my weight.
It will take over 2 years to get to my goal weight (on the upper end of "healthy" - even when I played 2 sports, marched 3 hours a day in the marching band, and trained for martial arts as a teenager, I was never remotely thin) if I am consistently losing 1-2 pounds, accounting for plateaus. And compared to many obese people, I'm not all that large. Are you suggesting that in that period of time, someone shouldn't see a PCP? It can take many years to move from obese to overweight, much less normal weight. My PCP wants to see me at every 30 pounds lost to make sure I'm losing weight the healthy way, rather than starving myself (which is shockingly common among the obese).
I should also note that nutritionists often aren't covered by insurance plans and trainers never are. I only saw a nutritionist as part of my cancer center (and since I am a year out of treatment, not longer have access to her), and I can't even afford gym membership, much less a trainer - I've only been able to go rock climbing through Groupon purchases by friends and a free cancer retreat. While I have the luxury of having a car so I can drive to tracks or trails in safe neighborhoods, I don't live in a neighborhood where I would feel comfortable safely walking after dark and have many, many neighbors who do not have cars. Being obese is part medical, but a whole lot sociological as well.
It would be nice if I could just go to a specialist as needed, but most insurance requires that you see a PCP first to be referred to a specialist. Even my oncologist couldn't refer me when I was sick, despite de facto becoming my primary care doctor. And in fact, I did see several allergists about my rashes (which were never thought to be weight related, but their treatment involved significant weight gain). The PCP in question (who had been my pediatrician since I was 12) would have needed to refer me to a specialist for the back pain, but the second I suggested that I had symptoms for Hodgkin's lymphoma, I should have been given a chest xray (standard for PCPs - it wouldn't make any sense cost-wise to send me to an oncologist). Both my pediatric PCP and my college health center RN missed it, and blamed my weight.
That's really unfortunate. I'm glad that you kept seeking an answer. My health insurance doesn't require a referral to see a specialist, although some specialists seem to do a good job of "self-policing" and expect a new patient to get a referral from a PCP, hospital, or clinic--for example a brain surgeon wouldn't accept a "walk-in." I am amazed at the health insurance that require a woman to see a PCP in order to get a referral to a GYN for a female issue--that's just ridiculous and a waste of everyone's time.
Quote:
It will take over 2 years to get to my goal weight (on the upper end of "healthy" - even when I played 2 sports, marched 3 hours a day in the marching band, and trained for martial arts as a teenager, I was never remotely thin) if I am consistently losing 1-2 pounds, accounting for plateaus. And compared to many obese people, I'm not all that large. Are you suggesting that in that period of time, someone shouldn't see a PCP? It can take many years to move from obese to overweight, much less normal weight. My PCP wants to see me at every 30 pounds lost to make sure I'm losing weight the healthy way, rather than starving myself (which is shockingly common among the obese).
No, I'm suggesting that people who are actively working at weight loss would be seen by PCP's that are equipped to see them. Not all are. Those who aren't shouldn't be required to invest in the equipment to do so. It's generally considered healthy to lose 1-2 pounds a week, so unless a person weighed well over 350 pounds I'm not sure how it would take more than a couple of years to get to a healthy, normal weight. Doctors should have the right to refuse to see people who refuse to acknowledge that they have a problem and take steps to correct it. That can be an addict, a diabetic who eats a steady diet of glazed donuts, an obese person, etc.
Quote:
I should also note that nutritionists often aren't covered by insurance plans and trainers never are. I only saw a nutritionist as part of my cancer center (and since I am a year out of treatment, not longer have access to her), and I can't even afford gym membership, much less a trainer - I've only been able to go rock climbing through Groupon purchases by friends and a free cancer retreat. While I have the luxury of having a car so I can drive to tracks or trails in safe neighborhoods, I don't live in a neighborhood where I would feel comfortable safely walking after dark and have many, many neighbors who do not have cars. Being obese is part medical, but a whole lot sociological as well.
You learned what you needed to from the nutritionist though, right? Now it's up to you. By the way, consider yoga. You can give it a try by borrowing a DVD from the library and trying at home. Don't go overboard, just a little each day and slowly work up. It's low impact and the stretching will make you feel terrific. If you like it, buy a couple DVD's off eBay and a $10 yoga mat from a sporting goods place. It's a really great form of exercise that anyone can do--you just adapt the poses to what you are capable of at the time.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
By the way, consider yoga. You can give it a try by borrowing a DVD from the library and trying at home. Don't go overboard, just a little each day and slowly work up. It's low impact and the stretching will make you feel terrific. If you like it, buy a couple DVD's off eBay and a $10 yoga mat from a sporting goods place. It's a really great form of exercise that anyone can do--you just adapt the poses to what you are capable of at the time.
