My family had to switch insurance recently. That supposed doing the simple thing that I hate the most ─ finding a new main care provider. I dreaded it and stressed over it for months. I QUICKLY had my first visit this week. I needed to get in to obtain a particular vaccination quickly, so I took the first available appointment with the first available doctor.
He was not one I would have picked for myself, since he specialized in men’s health insurance and sports medication. Ugh ─ my experience is that sports specialists are extremely biased about folks of size. I uneasily anticipated a combat overweight reduction, weighing regularly, and lectures about nutrition, dieting, etc. I went in primed for a fight.
- How your clothes fit can be another good measure
- Pickled vegetables, without vinegar
- Hashtag resources
- 7 Be energetic
- More than 15 preloaded GPS and indoor sports activities apps, including yoga exercise, running, going swimming and more
I am so pleased to report I used to be totally incorrect. Not that we were in total agreement about everything, but he listened very respectfully to my point of view and conceded some arguments. He took a very long time in my appointment, a lot longer than I expected, in order to obtain a very complete history, and he was very gentle and caring overall.
What a significant relief! To advocate for myself, I brought the ongoing health At Every Size Information for Providers cards from your blog Dances With Body fat. That opened the conversation on the productive note; he valued me writing my concerns so he could address them. The great thing about the credit cards is that they give a quick summary of Health at Every Size and there are research citations with links to the research. That kind of thing resonates carefully providers and implies that HAES is not simply about “giving up and letting yourself go” but truly about promoting health. Care providers respond when they recognize that better.
Another thing I did was take informational handouts about Lipedema from the Fat Disorders website. Some doctors now know about lipedema, but it’s unexpected how many do not. And of these who can say for certain about, many have only cursory information. It’s very helpful to have a handout with details and research citations about lipedema if this is an issue for you.
We got some interesting discussions about lipedema as a result. I think he learned a little bit more about any of it from me. I also required in a one-sheet overview of my health background. One thing I didn’t should do was question his care recommendations for me personally. That was so refreshing! He trapped to the problems accessible and didn’t automatically recommend weight loss. When a doctor recommends weight reduction and you aren’t interested, the best question to ask is, EASILY were thin, what treatment and lab tests could you recommend and why?
Challenge the physician to see you and treat you like any patient, without attempting and seeing to take care of the fatness first. I didn’t do one of the most typical things recommended to patients of size ─ bring along an advocate ─ but I know how to advocate for myself pretty well these days.
However, if you have trouble standing up for yourself or need someone in your corner just, I would recommend taking an advocate to an appointment highly, either to get better care or simply to take notes for you. I’ve done so in other styles of appointments and it was very helpful. I believe it also helps to look for specialties that tend to be more holistic, such as a D.O. M.D. (both are completely certified, just from different organizations), or who have a bigger picture of health, like a family doctor rather than an internist. Many practices now have Physician’s Assistants and Nurse-Practitioners, and they often are more holistic and understanding than the M.D.s in the practice.