Obesity! Will that word follow me to the grave :(

[RJ'S/beginning 5,358]

IMHO, I feel like I will always be an obese person, no matter what my weight. I've been morbidly obese, normal weight, and back to obese many times that my weight and health WILL always be something I will have to fight for.

I am glad that you can laugh at this. Whatever gets you through the day and whatever you can do to handle how others see you. But for me it was a time in my life where I dealt with a lot of crap over it and no one ever pulled punches either.

For me that is over and was shocked to see the word or even read it on a paper that had nothing to do with my former obesity state!

I think it is wonderful if you are the kind of person to let this word roll off your back! Unfortunately I am not one of those!

I guess I will always detest that word and would love to throat punch the person who came up with it!

[RJ'S/beginning 5,358]

Whenever you go to an appointment where body weight and nutrition are the subjects of the care, it will always be there. However, when it is not a current diagnosis, some may still treat it as one because of the always elevated risk that we could backslide and re-enter that reviled land. Same with diabetes, many medical professionals never actually officially removed your diagnosis as a condition since they prefer to treat that (and obesity) as dormant and in remission, rather than cured. But that is obviously a fiery debate that you can read all over the internet. Of course, there's an elevated chance we return to either of those conditions than the average skinny person whose never had either one. For the most part, though, it would just appear as part of your past medical history. And who cares about the past. We live for now and for the future.

If it makes you feel better, if you go to a specialist for reasons unrelated to weight or weight loss surgery, I don't see why it would ever be noted as part of your history, even in cases where you need to list WLS as part of your past surgical history. It isn't a label that follows you around except in cases where your past weight is directly relevant to a current condition or treatment plan.

It was not the history. It was the diagnoses. He wrote it as the reason I was going to her. Not to enlighten her about my history. But as the REASON I was going to her.

If it was normal to put that on the reason for referral. Why was she confused when she saw me? why did she not have a clue what I was doing there? Why did she feel the need to show me what he had written as the reason for a Dietitian if it had not confused her?

[IncredibleShrinkingMan 437]

While physicians might not always have the greatest etiquette and bedside manner, dieticians can be infinitely worse. I agree, you had no reason to see that designation. A lot of them follow procedures exactly as they are trained, and don't leave much room to think outside the box about how a patient might end up feeling. If the physician himself did that, I would be extremely bewildered. However, your visit summary and other documents like that would have probably listed it as well, so I there were multiple ways you might end up seeing that.

Think of it this way too...if you are a healthy visit coming in for a visit, you might not even have a diagnosis, but that field can't be left blank. Therefore, they need to dig into a past condition to link the visit to something about your health, past or present. If it was malnutrition, that would be the reason, and obesity would never even be mentioned.

[RJ'S/beginning 5,358]

I understand that obesity is part of my history and will always play a part in my future. Whether I gain the weight back or not. I have been through a lot because of my choice of WLS. I had been through a lot before the WLS. This I understand everyone. This I see.

It is an addiction. I am a food addict. I know that! I own up to it! No issues there.

It's the word! It's the meaning of the word! I don't know a single person who thinks that word is okay except for maybe one who has the exceptional ability to push it off like it has no meaning.

To me they use it like a title. Not a diagnosis. Not every heavy person is the same but they put us all in the same pot! Paint us all with the same brush! I hate it. They can't take that extra minute to write "Reactive Hypoglycemia." That would have been the purpose of my visit to the dietitian. Not a diet to lose weight.

When the Dietitian is confused. That tells me that the form was not filled out properly! That's all I'm saying here.

[jmw1982 59]

I would agree they use the word obese as a title, a judgment, not a diagnosis. You can tell when a doctor or nurse walks in the room if they are making judgments about my weight, how I must be so lazy and do nothing but eat all day. This attitude is reserved for overweight patients whom they assume chose this life.

You aren't going to have your physician shaming you and passing judgements about how you got the flu, or ingrown toe nail if you are normal weight. But those same simple, common health issues become about weight. "Maybe if you ate fruits and vegetables instead of soda and chips, you wouldn't have gotten sick. Maybe if you exercised more, you wouldn't have issues with your feet."

[betrthnever 107]

I have to agree that there is probably not one person on this site who hasn't had to endure the prejudices of the medical staff because if their weight. Been there!

[CTJohn 109]

The reference to obesity may impact what your insurance continues to cover as well. My follow up appointments have all been covered, I believe based on how the office codes them

I think medically its part of our history. But not in how,we behave or think

[RJ'S/beginning 5,358]

The reference to obesity may impact what your insurance continues to cover as well. My follow up appointments have all been covered, I believe based on how the office codes them

I think medically its part of our history. But not in how,we behave or think

I live in Canada. Insurance is not an issue as regards to with WLS. I know it is my history. just as my family originated in England. That is my history as well.

And yes it is a matter of how we behave and think. But do we have to be reminded every time we have to see someone in the medical profession! Even if it has nothing to do with the reason we are there. As a prognosis. I think not!

[LipstickLady 25,682]

I would think anything related to hypoglycemia would also relate to obesity, former or current, especially where WLS is involved. I'm not a doctor, though, nor do I play one on TV.

Edit to add: I don't play a doctor on the internet, either.

[RJ'S/beginning 5,358]

I would think anything related to hypoglycemia would also relate to obesity, former or current, especially where WLS is involved. I'm not a doctor, though, nor do I play one on TV.

Edit to add: I don't play a doctor on the internet, either.

Are you saying that no one who is skinny has Hypoglycemia or Diabetes for that matter?

It is not always related to obesity( there's that word again ). I'm not a doctor either. I certainly don't know everything! But this I do know. It is not always related to WLS or obesity!

[LipstickLady 25,682]

Nope. I know many skinny people with hypoglycemia and diabetes. I'm simply saying that common sense says that a history of an eating disorder, weight loss/gain/surgery or anorexia/obesity is something a doctor or nutritionist needs to know about for ANY good diagnosis.

[RJ'S/beginning 5,358]

Thank you for your opinion. But I stand by my original post and further comments! There is no reason to regurgitate the same what's what over and over again.

I shall go on seeing the Dietitian now that she has figured out the real reason I went to see her in the first place. As we spent a lot of time talking about my HISTORY!

Now as for the specialist. He leaves a bad taste in my mouth because he did not include my HISTORY! He dropped the ball as far as I am concerned.

But no matter, life goes on. Right!