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Gp's And Obesity

zand said:
My new doctor now just says 'lose weight' without noticing that I have lost 3-4 stones already.
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That is so discouraging. Did you tell him or her that?
 
I try to avoid my doctor though he is old school and has never made me feel under any time pressure. I am disagreeably intolerant of the rather miserable looking ill people in the waiting room and the not knowing just how delayed my appointment will be or the weird SatNav style pronunciation of my name when it is time to go in.
But I do need to go in occasionally - last time it was to get some anti hypo glucagon pen - and now make a point of asking how he is rather than launching into my shopping list. It makes me feel more of an equal rather than a supplicant. I am fortunate to live somewhere where I can get an appointment with my actual GP and know this is rarely the case in some parts.
 
My opening remark at my last appointment apart from hello doctor, was now I know we only have ten minutes so I'll get right to it shall I.

And as I previously said the appointment still ran over time.

Edit to add
One of the things she said during the consultation was I see you have Myasthenia Gravis how interesting thats just something we just see in the text books some times it's good to have a condition they have never seen in real life.
 
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Just had a thought. Because I've been obese all my life I'm not best hjudge of whether I get less gp time due to obesity. I know no different.

However, I may not need longer than 10mins with gp, at times but I definitely need MORE appointments than a non-obese patient, maybe.
Thin people get type2, thyroid problems, PCOS, asthma, high blood pressure, mild heart disease, neuropathy, scatica, nipper S1 in back, thrush, infections and IBS with GERD. These effect all kinds of patients. All sizes.
 
I’m not sure who my ‘named’ GP is - each month when we pick our prescriptions up we play GP lottery and see whose name is on the prescription as it seems to change every month - we had a locum once and he’s only in the practice once a fortnight!
 
bulkbiker said:
You rebel you .... well done!
I'm tempted to join a local one just to be an undercover agitator and leave lots of keto meal ideas around with links to diet doctor.. but don't want to give them my money...
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I never got very far with saying what worked for me anyway:rolleyes: I got as far as ' As I'm diabetic I don't eat the low fat products because the full fat ones are healthier because they have less carbs'. So I wasn't even telling the others to do it my way, just explaining why full fat was better for me personally. I was hurriedly asked about my exercise and the conclusion was formed that I was losing weight more easily because I walked a couple of miles a day....so that was basically something to beat the others up with when the SW diet didn't work for them. :( But hey if exercise really is the main key why does the SW eating plan even exist?
 
Daphne917 said:
I’m not sure who my ‘named’ GP is - each month when we pick our prescriptions up we play GP lottery and see whose name is on the prescription as it seems to change every month - we had a locum once and he’s only in the practice once a fortnight!
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We are all supposed to have one, although it may not be him/her we see at every appointment. Have you asked at the surgery? I have seen mine stated on various NHS forms.
 
zand said:
No I didn't. I am stronger now and will do so next time he says it.
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In that situation my silence would've had more to do with being flabbergasted, and figuring out how to reply a couple of hours later, which is one thing that really annoys me about myself.
 
Daphne917 said:
That’s a bold statement to make which is not necessarily true particularly if there is an underlying problem. I was told a few years ago by a consultant that I was one of his few patients who could truly blame their metabolism for their weight and I would find it almost impossible to lose any weight without my body going into starvation mode and shutting down - which was why my GP sent me to him in the first place. He gave me a stark choice - eat healthily and stay as I was ie overweight or go on a low calorie diet and accept the consequences. Needless to say I chose the former!
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Well, Jason Fung seems to manage by longer fasting and Prof Taylor, Newcastle uses 800 Cal's per day for a number of weeks.
If you expend more energy than you input we all should lose weight unless we have discovered perpetual motion.
D.
 
I don't think anyone on this thread would deny the laws of physics but there is more to fat loss than the Eat less;and Move More mantra that lean people and doctors parrot to overweight people who then either give up completely after serial failed diets, berate themselves for their gluttony and sloth, lack of willpower or self diagnose as 'addicts'.
Fortunately we can find for ourselves about different ways to help our metabolism such as those mentioned above via our wonderful new media but it seems wrong that if half of what trainee doctors learn is either out of date in 5 years or simply missing from the curriculum (nutrtion and causes of diabetic obesity) the mechanisms for keeping up to date seem to rely on busy GPs training themselves or on drug companies reps educating them.
 
Hi Ickyhun,
When you take your children and yourself to the GPs, or have several issues, GPs to me are very reasonable if you want more time especially if the diabetic team can't deal with it.

I assume you will feel like I do about taking up too much time when there may be a sick child starting with unrecognised sepsis and a parent trying to get an appointment and they are put off till the next day because I hogged more time to give the GP a diatribe on my health issues.
Some parents don't always opt to go to casualty when they should.

One tends to think what one is to say and tries to speak succinctly.
best wishes for the op.
Derek


ickihun said:
Just had a thought. Because I've been obese all my life I'm not best hjudge of whether I get less gp time due to obesity. I know no different.

However, I may not need longer than 10mins with gp, at times but I definitely need MORE appointments than a non-obese patient, maybe.
Thin people get type2, thyroid problems, PCOS, asthma, high blood pressure, mild heart disease, neuropathy, scatica, nipper S1 in back, thrush, infections and IBS with GERD. These effect all kinds of patients. All sizes.
Click to expand...
 
lindisfel said:
Hi Ickyhun,
When you take your children and yourself to the GPs, or have several issues, GPs to me are very reasonable if you want more time especially if the diabetic team can't deal with it.

I assume you will feel like I do about taking up too much time when there may be a sick child starting with unrecognised sepsis and a parent trying to get an appointment and they are put off till the next day because I hogged more time to give the GP a diatribe on my health issues.
Some parents don't always opt to go to casualty when they should.

One tends to think what one is to say and tries to speak succinctly.
best wishes for the op.
Derek
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I have to say that even though there are signs saying the appointments are for only ten minutes, when I have needed more time I have had more. One such time was when I had an appointment with an HCP who during the appointment just picked up on the fact that I was depressed ( I hadn't even realised) . She asked a doctor to see me even though I didn't have an appointment with him and he assured me that as it was almost lunch time I could stay as long as I needed to because he had no more appointments until later.

Of course I am sure you realise by now that was my 'nice doctor' lol.
 
lucylocket61 said:
I respectfully suggest that if a GP suspects a complex and on going condition, like type 2 diabetes, for example, they schedule double appointments, meet their patients over several appointments, and see that all relevant tests are carried out.

I do not think anyone is suggesting that such treatment and diagnosis takes place within a single 10 min appointment.

Taking one look at us, telling us the problem is we are fat, and dismissing the possibility of other health conditions is not on, time constraints not withstanding. There is no excuse for a doctor to state they cannot do their job properly. They are either doctors, or they are not.

My mechanic spent more time checking out a problem with my car than my GP did checking out my health, despite numerous obvious symptoms and research by me, because I am fat, and menopausal, and a woman.

It is not my job to make my GP do their job properly.
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Do you take HRT for your menopausal symptoms? I found it helped with mine.
 
I realize the problem Nicole and I wouldn't do it, I am appalled by those 'self flagellating' methods!

NicoleC1971 said:
I don't think anyone on this thread would deny the laws of physics but there is more to fat loss than the Eat less;and Move More mantra that lean people and doctors parrot to overweight people who then either give up completely after serial failed diets, berate themselves for their gluttony and sloth, lack of willpower or self diagnose as 'addicts'.
Fortunately we can find for ourselves about different ways to help our metabolism such as those mentioned above via our wonderful new media but it seems wrong that if half of what trainee doctors learn is either out of date in 5 years or simply missing from the curriculum (nutrtion and causes of diabetic obesity) the mechanisms for keeping up to date seem to rely on busy GPs training themselves or on drug companies reps educating them.
Click to expand...
 
Tannith said:
Do you take HRT for your menopausal symptoms? I found it helped with mine.
Click to expand...
"I respectfully suggest that if a GP suspects a complex and on going condition, like type 2 diabetes, for example, they schedule double appointments, meet their patients over several appointments, and see that all relevant tests are carried out.

It is not my job to make my GP do their job properly." Lucylocket

PS In my surgery you see the GP just for diagnosis of T2.He sends you to the nurse for blood test. GP checks the blood test. If positive, gives the first metformin prescription and sends you to the DN for ongoing treatment. You never see the GP again unless something goes wrong. Matching metformin dose to HbA1c and recording progressis something a trained DN can easily deal with saving the GP's valuable time
 
lindisfel said:
Well, Jason Fung seems to manage by longer fasting and Prof Taylor, Newcastle uses 800 Cal's per day for a number of weeks.
If you expend more energy than you input we all should lose weight unless we have discovered perpetual motion.
D.
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Derek. What I find is 800cals of bread for instance e.g Toast will not lose me any weight. Cabbage soup diet with potatoes added doesn't either. For me.
I have to eat protein for 800cals with no carbs added to lose weight. Hense when I start getting insuffient or deficient after a few months of losing weight. Even sweaty walking due to struggled or painful walking. My thyroid has to be helped with a fraction more levothyroxine and insulin at max to ensure bgs 4-8mmol/l. All maintained constantly with metformin for months before any loss.
The perfect bgs is the clincher. Higher bgs and still no weight loss with all other things perfect. It's a balancing act.
An act I need as much help as possible with.
So
Bariatric surgery, insulin with low carb and being able to walk or swim. Long term.
A performance, if you like. All synchronised.
Or no weight loss or even weight added.
 
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