Monday, September 16, 2013

Should your doctor talk to you about your weight?

I got on the scale this morning, and I was very frustrated. I have gained almost 10 pounds in the 3 or so months since my lithium and Zyprexa were raised. And this is despite the fact that in that time I have finally started to exercise again and to eat much healthier (lots of vegetables).

This morning I have an appointment for my physical, and I am worried that I will get lectured about my weight- although this particular doctor has never done that (yet). She did once talk to me about exercise, but I was so depressed at the time that it took every single once of energy I had to make it to work- how could I exercise?

The depression is better now, so the exercise is better. Not because my doctor or my health insurance company wants me to exercise. But the weight is not better. I know that I need to work on that next,

I suppose there are some people who do not know or are in denial that they are fat. Who do not know or are in denial that this has health consequences. And for that reason, perhaps, it is worth a conversation. But I work in healthcare, no one has to tell me these things.

A part of me says, anyone who has not been on Zyprexa for 15 years has no business talking to me about my weight. Which is ridiculous- I treat many injuries or conditions I have never personally experienced. So if someone has something useful to say, I am willing to listen.

The problem is, no doctor has ever had anything useful to tell me about my weight. All they accomplish is making me feel bad, and making me want to go off my meds.

So until they have something useful to say, I hope they will say nothing.

1 comment:

Just Me said...

I have asked them to not tell me my weight and that I didn't want to talk about it because it was due to my meds and I was doing what I could to manage it before when I was feeling particularly uncomfortable about it. This worked well. Now I have just observed that my dr's scale seems to run heavier than any other scale I can find so I ignore whatever they say I weigh.

I think this is a situation that you can only do your best and unfortunately sometimes your best is affected by illness. Dr. Mind goes through eating with me when I'm really depressed and helps me make a list of foods I can handle because I tend to stop eating when depressed enough.