Woman Loses 75 Pounds So Doctors Would Stop Blaming Her Symptoms On Weight And Finally Give Her A Diagnosis

As if going to doctors wasn’t stressful enough already, some people are struggling particularly hard to get their health complaints heard by the doctors. An anonymous 5’6″ woman had to lose weight, going from 210 lbs all the way to 135, simply to be sufficiently diagnosed and cared for.

“It took me a year to lose it all, but what finally pushed me to lose the weight was because every single thing I went to a doctor for, it got blamed on my weight,” the woman wrote in a lengthy post on Reddit where she shared how doctors assumed her weight was to blame for severe cramps, sleepiness, numbness, memory and balance problems, and other alarming symptoms.

The thread which amassed 49.2k upvotes resonated with many people online, who said insufficient diagnostic and delayed care due to health professionals assuming that weight is to blame for patients’ ill health is really a thing. Let’s see what others had to share in the illuminating thread below and be sure to share your own experiences in the comment section.

An anonymous woman shared how she lost 75 pounds after doctors blamed her weight for her alarming symptoms

Woman Loses 75 Pounds So Doctors Would Stop Blaming Her Symptoms On Weight And Finally Give Her A Diagnosis

Image credits: CCFoodTravel.com (not the actual photo)

Seeing a doctor is not necessarily a fun thing to do, but it’s not supposed to be fear-inducing. But for the heavier patients, interaction with the healthcare system may be truly daunting.

This is because, according to Kimberly Gudzune, an assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, “physicians often hold negative attitudes, both explicit and implicit, about people with excess weight.”

Woman Loses 75 Pounds So Doctors Would Stop Blaming Her Symptoms On Weight And Finally Give Her A Diagnosis

Image credits: YukiBean

Also known as “weight bias,” it can be a real threat to patients who do not get sufficient care and diagnosis, and it can lead to significant treatment delays. Such delays often spiral out of control and may bring additional health consequences that otherwise could be avoided if diagnosed at the right time.

Her post sparked a heated debate and one person identified the case as “diagnostic overshadowing”

Woman Loses 75 Pounds So Doctors Would Stop Blaming Her Symptoms On Weight And Finally Give Her A Diagnosis

While others felt like sharing their similar experiences

Woman Loses 75 Pounds So Doctors Would Stop Blaming Her Symptoms On Weight And Finally Give Her A Diagnosis

Dr. Gudzune ran a study to determine whether clinicians treat their patients differently based on visible factors and the results confirmed it. “As soon as a provider walks in the door, we’re automatically making judgments about who you are as a person,” she said.

Visible traits include weight, age, and race. “Visual bias” influences the way clinicians treat particular patients, e.g. “great respect for older patients; lower positive affect and more verbal dominance with black vs. white patients,” Gudzune explained.

Woman Loses 75 Pounds So Doctors Would Stop Blaming Her Symptoms On Weight And Finally Give Her A Diagnosis

However, when it comes to the weight bias, the problem is particularly daunting because the conditions of excess weight and obesity affect more than two thirds of American adults. “[With] the magnitude of the effect of obesity in our country, a substantial number of people are experiencing health care disparities as a result,” she said.

Woman Loses 75 Pounds So Doctors Would Stop Blaming Her Symptoms On Weight And Finally Give Her A Diagnosis

Astonishingly, the studies have shown that clinicians tend to associate obesity with a range of negative attributes like poor hygiene, dishonesty, hostility etc. Dr. Gudzune called such attitudes “pervasive” and added that it’s not just the US that’s been affected by it. Physicians across the world have been spotted having similar attitudes that persist today.

Woman Loses 75 Pounds So Doctors Would Stop Blaming Her Symptoms On Weight And Finally Give Her A Diagnosis

If a physician is employing a weight-biased attitude towards the patient, it can be harder to make counseling effective, and it’s likely to lack emotional connection.

Woman Loses 75 Pounds So Doctors Would Stop Blaming Her Symptoms On Weight And Finally Give Her A Diagnosis

In addition, “with patients who are overweight and obese, physicians engage in significantly less rapport-building, especially of an emotional nature (e.g., empathy, concern, reassurance, partnership, self-disclosure),” suggested Dr. Gudzune.

Woman Loses 75 Pounds So Doctors Would Stop Blaming Her Symptoms On Weight And Finally Give Her A Diagnosis

Weight bias is a real problem in the health industry and there’s an urgent need to design and employ ways to mitigate it in the clinical setting.

Woman Loses 75 Pounds So Doctors Would Stop Blaming Her Symptoms On Weight And Finally Give Her A Diagnosis

Other people commented on ways to deal with being mistreated by doctors

Woman Loses 75 Pounds So Doctors Would Stop Blaming Her Symptoms On Weight And Finally Give Her A Diagnosis

While some doctors felt apologetic for the woman

Woman Loses 75 Pounds So Doctors Would Stop Blaming Her Symptoms On Weight And Finally Give Her A Diagnosis

Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

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I'm the Visual Editor at Bored Panda, responsible for ensuring that everything our audience sees is top-notch and well-researched. What I love most about my job? Discovering new things about the world and immersing myself in exceptional photography and art.

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What do you think ?

POST

Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago (edited)

Reading this is sad. I am so grateful to have found a good Dr. Yes I am obese, yes I need to lose weight (and I am trying) but he never dismisses any of my health concerns.

52points

Anthony Goldstein (female) 3 years ago

good for you!

2points

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Little Wonder 3 years ago

I actually cried when I found a GP who'd listen and not dismiss things as my weight.

1point

SpillTheCoffeeSis 3 years ago

This is the same for me. Yes, my doctors and I do talk about weight loss a lot and I am currently losing weight. However, they also listen to any problems I might have and take me seriously when I say something is wrong. If it weren't for my current GP, my thyroid issue would have never been diagnosed. My current GYN has been looking into a condition I have that actually doesn't have anything to do with gynecology just so she can be up to date on any furthering issues I have with it. Having doctors who actually listen will change you for the better. If you don't have that, please, PLEASE continue to seek help until you get one.

0points

Wasl Yarr 3 years ago

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A.M. Pierre 3 years ago

I had unexplained weight gain which kept going even as I kept cutting back what I was eating and kept exercising more. The cutback would stall it, but then it'd start again. Whenever I would protest that I wasn't eating anything the doctor would just give me this little head tilt and look and be like, "Really?" and then tell me to stop eating fast food (which I hadn't eaten in years). Even after 10 years of this when I was down to 700 calories + 3 hours exercise (and still gaining weight!) they still assumed I was lying. My mom figured it out - I have celiac disease. Cut out the gluten, and the weight started magically melting away even as I was able to eat a normal amount of food.

38points

Mockster 3 years ago

I had the same issue but my was my horomones

11points

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Heather Makemson 3 years ago

I am so sorry, Celiacs is no joke and can be totally debilitating. I *know* that head tilt- there should be a whole term for that condescending gesture. My sister in law is a nurse and was having gastric pain that left her literally unable to speak- in the ER they suggested she was overly stressed (3 boys under 10, homeschooling & working full time- but that had always been her life) They put her on antidepressants & sent her home. She was actually writhing on the floor until her follow up with her (female) gp! Turned out she had Crohn's disease with ulcerations literally everywhere, up into her actual stomach.

8points

Daria B 3 years ago (edited)

When I expressed weight concerns to the doctor, she told me to keep monitoring until the specified date, when I was scheduled to come back, and if I gain weight by then, it could be a thyroid problem. Thankfully, it wasn't, and I wasn't actually gaining weight (my diet - activity - weight balance turned to be healthy and regular), it was just a temporary little shift caused by pms and a drastic change in diet (when I discovered I have sensitive kidneys). So, my point is, yeah, there are doctors who really can't be bothered to have you have a blood test, and then there are doctors who quickly think about all possibilities.

7points

Uncommon Boston 3 years ago (edited)

I am not slender, a size 12 at 5'8". Yes, it would better if I lost weight. The last 4 times my mental health plummeted, I sought help and was told I MUST lose weight. This is after I tell them overeating is a coping method and a sign my mental health is failing and of my eating disorder. It is the worst thing to say. The power of words. I don't need a reminder of what some consider my biggest failure. In my family, weight = worth. If I am happy with myself, believe I have value, and am not feeling ashamed the weight could come off. I avoid having my picture taken. Whenever I see a picture I am shocked. Often I don't look as big as I am told, but remember how uncomfortable I felt, how ashamed I was to be to be out of control and irresponsible. I put effort into how I look, I try to care about it. Someone who has never had a weight problem can't understand how difficult this can be. My struggles are minor, my parents toxic. But if this what I face, imagine what others deal with.

20points

Gin 3 years ago

Size 12 at 5'8" doesn't sound at all bad to be honest. Though you know you. So sorry for your struggles - been there myself.

22points

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Carol Emory 3 years ago

@ Uncommon. Your story reminds me of Drew Manning. He was a fitness trainer that never believed his overweight clients when they said they were in pain and unable to get motivated to make a change. He purposely gained 60-70 pounds to prove them wrong. He said the depression hit him like a ton of bricks and it took all of his will power just to get off the couch ever day. He is now more compassionate towards his overweight clients. Sometimes it just takes someone walking in your shoes for them to understand. And for the record....my mother is the toxic one...I feel your pain. I finally found a doctor that doesn't start every session with "Now about your weight...."

5points

Devinalh 3 years ago

I feel you, I've spent most of my life being bullied by my family, my mum in particular, because she was sure I was fat because I was eating too much. Tough I hadn't the best exercise schedule ever, I was sure it wasn't food fault. I told them, years after years. And now, 4 years ago, I found out that I have an hormones disorder just because my period stopped for 3 months and mum freaked out, thinking I was pregnant. I was right, f*****g idiot, how come that you wanted to be a mum if you can't take care of your children? Sorry for this rant, it's still recent so it burns. They ignored me for so much time.

3points

Samantha Lomb 3 years ago

I'm 5'4 and size 16. You are not fat. People need to keep their comments to themselves

1point

Mewton’s Third Paw 3 years ago

I agree with Gin. You might not be THIN and you might be somewhat in the overweight category but that doesn’t mean you’re fat or even necessarily out of shape. If I were you I would focus on eating healthy foods and nourishing your body with vegetables and teas and such. A healthy eating lifestyle could be just the ticket to mental freedom and a healthier body.

1point

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Foxxy (The Original) 3 years ago (edited)

Reading this is sad. I am so grateful to have found a good Dr. Yes I am obese, yes I need to lose weight (and I am trying) but he never dismisses any of my health concerns.

52points